Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/61

Rh ABERDEENSHIRE 45 castle, supposed to be 700 years old, and surrounded by a vitrified wall, which must be still older. The foundations of two buildings still remain, the one in Braemar, and the other in the Loch of Cannor (the latter with the remains of a wooden bridge between it and the land), which are supposed to have belonged to Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland. The most extensive ruins are the grand ones of Kildrummy Castle, evidently once a princely seat, and still covering nearly an acre of ground. It belonged to David Earl of Huntingdon in 1150, and was the seat of the Earls of Man* attainted in 1716. The Abbey of Deer, now in ruins, was begun by Cumyn Earl of Buchan about 1219. torical j n Roman times, Aberdeenshire formed part of Ves- pasiana in Caledonia, and was occupied by the Taixali, a warlike tribe. The local names are mostly Gaelic. St Columba and his pupil Drostan visited Buchan in the Cth century. In 1052 Macbeth fell near the Peel Bog in Lumphanan, and a cairn which marks the spot is still shown. In 1309 Bruce defeated Comyn, Earl of Buchan, near Invcrurie, and annihilated a powerful Norman family. In 1411 the Earl of Marr defeated Donald of the Isles in the battle of Harlaw, near Inverurie, when Sir Robert Davidson, Provost of Aberdeen, was killed. In 1562 occurred the battle of Corrichie on the Hill of Fare, when the Earl of Murray defeated the Marquis of Huntly. In 1715 the Earl of Marr proclaimed the Pretender in Braemar. In 1746 the Duke of Cumberland with his army marched through Aberdeenshire to Culloden. In 1817 a base line of verification, 5 miles 100 feet long, was measured in con nection with the Trigonometrical Survey of the British Isles, on the Belhelvie Links 5 to 10 miles north of Aberdeen. nent Among eminent men connected with Aberdeenshire are, Robert Gordon of Straloch, who in 1648 published the first atlas of Scotland from actual survey ; the Earls Marischal, whose chief seat was Inverugie Castle ; Field-Marshal Keith, born at Inverugie Castle, 1696 ; Dr Thomas Reid, the metaphysician, minister of New Machar 1737 to 1752 ; Lord Pitsligo, attainted 1745; Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk, v&amp;gt;ho introduced turnips into the county 1756, and was the first to plant wood on a great scale ; Peter Garden, Auchterless, said to have died at the age of 132, about 1780; Rev. John Skinner, author of some popular Scottish songs ; Morrison the hygeist ; the Earl of Aberdeen, Prime Minister during the Crimean war. ire The native Scotch population of Aberdeenshire are long- ures&amp;lt; headed, shrewd, careful, canny, active, persistent, but reserved and blunt, and without demonstrative enthusiasm. They have a physiognomy distinct from the rest of the Scottish people, and have a quick, sharp, rather angry accent. The local - Scotch dialect is broad, and rich in diminutives, and is noted for the use of e for o or u, f for ri d for th, &c. In 1830 Gaelic was the fireside language almost every family in Braemar, but now it is little used. rts&amp;gt; and Aberdeenshire has a Lord-Lieutenant and 3 Vice and 60 ce. Deputy-Lieutenants. The Supreme Court of Justiciary sits in Aberdeen twice a-year to try cases from the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, and Kincardine. The counties of Aberdeen and Kincardine are under a Sheriff and two Sheriffs-Substi tute. The Sheriff Courts are held in Aberdeen and Peter- head. Sheriff Small-Debt and Circuit Courts are held at seven places in the county. There are Burgh or Bailie Courts in Aberdeen and the other royal burghs in the county. Justice of the Peace and Police Courts are held in Aberdeen, &c. The Sheriff Courts take cognisance of Commissary business. During 1871, 994 persons were confined in the Aberdeenshire prisons. In the year 1870-71, 74 parishes in the county were assessed 53,703 for 7702 poor on the roll and 1847 casual poor. ircbes. Aberdeenshire contains 105 Established churches, 99 Free, 31 Episcopal, 15 United Presbyterian, 9 Roman Property Catholic, and 31 of other denominations. This includes detached parts of the two adjacent counties. By the census of 1871, S4 S3 per cent, of the children Educatio: in the county, of the ages 5 to 13, Avere receiving education. Those formerly called the parochial schoolmasters of Aberdeenshire participate in the Dick and Milne Bequests, which contributed more salary to the schoolmasters in somo cases than did the heritors. Most of the schoolmasters are Masters of Arts, and many are preachers. Of 114 parochial schools in the county before the operation of the new Education Act, 89 received the Milne Bequest of 20 a year, and 91 the Dick Bequest, averaging 30 a year, and a schoolmaster with both bequests would have a yearly income of 145 to 150, and in a few cases 250. The higher branches of education have been more taught in the schools of the shires of Aberdeen and Banff than in the other Scotch counties, and pupils have been long in the habit of going direct from the schools of these two counties to the University. The value of property, or real rental of the lands and heritages in the county (including the burghs, except that of Aberdeen), for the year 1872-73, was 769,191. The railway and the water works in the city and county were for the same year valued at 11,133. For general county purposes for the year ending 15th May 1872, there was assessed 14,803 to maintain police, prisons, militia, county and municipal buildings, &amp;lt;fcc., and 19,320 to maintain 2359 miles of public county roads. The chief seats on the proprietary estates are Balmoral Proprietc Castle, the Queen ; Mar Lodge and Skene House, Earl of Fife ; Aboyne Castle, Marquis of Huntly ; Dunecht House, Earl of Crawford and Balcarres ; Keith Hall, Earl of Kintorc ; Slains Castle, Earl of Errol ; Haddo House, Earl of Aberdeen ; Castle Forbes, Lord Forbes ; Philorth House, Lord Saltoun ; Huntly Lodge, the Duke of Rich mond. Other noted seats are Drum, Irvine ; Invercauld, Farquharson ; Ncwe Castle, Forbes ; Castle Eraser, Fraser ; Cluny Castle, Gordon ; Meldrum House, Urquhart ; Craigs- ton Castle, Urquhart; Pitfour, Ferguson; Ellon Castle, Gordon ; Fyvie Castle, Gordon. Ten baronets and knights have residences in the county. Of the proprietors many live permanently on their estates. Their prevailing names are Gordon, Forbes, Grant, Eraser, Duff, and Farquharson. Aberdeenshire has one city, Aberdeen, a royal parlia- Burghs, mentary burgh ; three other royal parliamentary burghs, Inverurie, Kintore, and Peterhead ; and seven burghs of barony, Old Aberdeen, Charleston of Aboyne, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Old Meldrum, Rosehearty, and Turriff. The county sends two members to Parliament one for Parliame East Aberdeenshire, with 4341 electors, and the other for West Aberdeenshire, with 3942 electors. The county has also four parliamentary burghs, which, with their respective populations in 1871, are Aberdeen, 88,125 ; Peterhead, 8535; Inverurie, 2856; and Kintore, 659. The first sends one member to Parliament, and the other three unite with Elgin, Cullen, and Banff, in sending another. By the census 1801 the county had 121,065 inhabitants, and by that of 1871, 244,603, with 53,576 families, 111 females to 100 males, 34,589 inhabited houses, 1052 unin habited houses, and 256 building. In 1871 there were in eight towns (Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Inverurie, Old Meldrum, Turriff, and New Pitsligo), 111,978 inhabitants; in 32 villages, 19,561; and in rural districts, 113,064. (^ T ew Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. xii. ; the charters of the burgh; extracts from the Council Register down to 1625, and selections from the letters, guildry, and trea surer s accounts, forming 3 volumes of the Spalding Club; Collections for a Ifutory of the Shires of A. and Banff, edited by Joseph Robertson, Esq., 4to, Spalding Club; tary repi Mentation Populati