BELHELVIE, a parish, in the district and county of
Aberdeen, 8 miles (N. by E.) from Aberdeen; containing
1594 inhabitants. The name of this place is derived
from a word in the Gaelic language, signifying the
" mouths of the rivulets", the locality being marked by
the course of several small streams into the sea. Here
were several Druidical temples, which have now disappeared
before the operations of husbandry. Numerous
tumuli and barrows are still visible, in which urns are
found, made of coarse clay, and filled with dust and
human bones, pointing out this spot as the scene of
some extensive military operations, the particulars of
which are entirely unknown; and on the sea-shore is a
bed of yellow flints, where a considerable number of arrow-
heads have been found at different times. A large
part of the parish, known as the estate of Belhelvie, once
belonged to the Earl of Panmure, but being forfeited in
1715, it was purchased by the York Buildings' Company,
and again sold, in lots, in 1782, before the court of session;
since which time it has been brought into a very
superior state of agricultural improvement.
The parish is bounded on the east by the German
Ocean, and the number of acres within its limits is
19,000, of which 5000 were recovered not long since
from moorland, and 5000 still consist of sea-beech, peatbog,
and wood. About 4000 acres of the cultivated land
are in grain crop, and 10,000 in turnip, potatoes, hay,
pasture, grass, &c. The coast consists of a fine sandy
beach; but the general character of the surface, from
the sea to the western extremity, is hilly and broken.
The first land from the coast is a narrow belt of sand,
with short grass suited for pasture: this tract, on account
of its smooth surface, was selected by the government
engineers appointed to measure Scotland, as the
most level ground to be met with, for laying down a base
line of five miles and 100 feet. The next tract is an
alluvial deposit, crowded with marine stones of all sizes,
covered with mould and moss. After this, the ground
rises towards the western boundary, until it attains an
elevation of about 800 feet above the level of the sea. The
hills whereof the parish consists are formed into two
general ridges, from south to north, the termination of
the western extremities of which is the highest land in
the district.
The soil in the parts nearest the shore is sandy, and
in some places mixed to a great extent with clay and
stones; some parts are rich alluvial deposits, and the
interior is a deep clayey mould, mixed sometimes with
peat-moss: the subsoil is usually clay and sand, with a
considerable admixture of stones. The wood, which
generally stands in hedge-rows, has all been recently
planted; it comprises chiefly elm, plane, ash, alder, and
willow. The few sheep that are kept are the black-faced;
and the cattle are mostly of the improved Aberdeenshire
breed, which, being small-boned and fleshy, and easily
fed up, are found most profitable: the cultivation of
grain, however, is the main dependence of the farmer.
Considerable improvements have taken place in husbandry
of late years, in the reclaiming of waste land, in
draining, and the formation of inclosures; the farmhouses
are also on a much better scale than formerly.
Most of the changes have been made upon the best
principles, and by the united efforts of the people among
themselves. The annual value of real property in the
parish is £7317.
The rock consists of trap, a seam of which, about half
a mile broad, runs for seven miles through the parish
from south-east to north-west; a rivulet flows through
this bed, and small hills frequently rise above the stream
to a height of some hundreds of feet, among which are
found all the ordinary kinds of minerals. On the southwest
side of this layer, the rocks are chiefly granite; on
the opposite side they consist of coarse stone, fit only for
the construction of dykes. There are large beds of peatmoss,
some of which, near the shore, are covered with
ten or twelve feet of sea-sand. They are supposed to
extend some distance under the sea, as large masses or
blocks of hard peat- moss, with the remains of trees embedded,
are frequently cast upon the beach in stormy
weather: in the year 1799, a block containing upwards
of 1700 cubic feet was thrown upon the shore, which,
with the wood contained in it, had been perforated by
several large auger worms alive in their holes. A salmon-
fishery is carried on along the coast, in which stakenets
are employed, and the profits arising from it are
very considerable. Fairs are held for the sale of cattle,
in spring, summer, and autumn.
Ecclesiastically the parish is subject to the presbytery
and synod of Aberdeen, and is in the patronage of the
Crown: the minister's stipend is £179- 13., and there
is a good manse, with a glebe of five acres. The church,
which is in due repair, contains 519 sittings. There are
places of worship for the Free Church and United Presbyterian
Synod. A parochial school is held on the usual
footing, the master having a salary of £'27, a house and
garden, fees to the amount of about £40, and a portion
of Dick's bequest: the classics and mathematics are
taught, with all the ordinary branches of education.
Another school is endowed with a few acres of land.
There is a savings' bank, with a stock of about £300;
and bequests have been left for the relief of the poor,
amounting to about £20 per annum. The antiq\iities
are, some tumuli, and the ruins of an old chapel. There
are several chalybeate springs, but none of them of particular
note.