CREICH, a parish, in the district of Cupar, county
of Fife, 5 miles (N. W. by N.) from Cupar; containing,
with the villages of Brunton and Luthrie, 430 inhabitants.
This place is supposed to have derived its name, signifying
in the Gaelic language rocky or rugged ground, from
the general appearance of its surface. It was at an early
period the property of the Bethune family, who had a
baronial castle here, of which there are still some inconsiderable
remains. The parish is about three miles in
length from north to south, varies from one mile to
nearly two miles in breadth, and comprises about 2324
acres, of which 1S03 are arable, 204 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder pasture and waste. Its surface
is greatly broken by numerous hills, forming part of
the Ochil range, but few of which have an elevation of
more than ,'J50 feet above the sea: the acclivities of some
of these hills are cultivated from the base to the summit;
others are covered with heath, and partly with thriving
plantations. Several small streams rise in various parts,
and uniting near the village of Luthrie, form the river
Motray, which after flowing through this and other
parishes falls into the Eden. The surrounding scenery
is beautifully varied, and from the hills are fine views of
the river Tay, the Carse of Gowrie, the Sidlaw hills and
the Grampian mountains, the town of Dundee, and the
distant heights of Ben-Ledi and Ben-Lawers.
The SOIL, which has been much improved by draining,
is mostly fertile; the best system of husbandry has been
long in use, and the lands are generally under excellent
cultivation. The crops are wheat, barley, oats, peas,
potatoes, and turnips. Of the live-stock, the cattle are
chiefly of the old Fifeshire breed, with a few of the Teeswater
upon one of the farms; they are usually fattened
when three years old, and sent to market. The sheep,
which are of various breeds, are bought in when young,
in August, and sold when fat, in the June following.
The annual value of real property in the parish is £3323.
The substrata are principally amygdaloid, resting on
claystone, felspar, and greenstone: basaltic clinkstone is
found in the northern extremity of the parish, and extensively
quarried for building purposes, and for the
roads; there is also a quarry of sandstone in operation.
The plantations are chiefly larch, Scotch, and spruce firs,
interspersed with various hard-woods; and on the demesne
of Luthrie are some fine elms, planes, and horsechesnuts
of stately growth. Luthrie House is a handsome
mansion, situated in a well-planted demesne. A considerable
number of the inhabitants are employed in the
hand-loom weaving of Osnaburghs, sheetings, and dowlas,
for the manufacturers of Cupar, who have two agents
here. Facility of communication is afforded by the road
from Cupar to Perth, and by a turnpike-road between
the ferries of Pettycur and Newport.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Cupar and synod of Fife. The minister's
stipend is £227. 14., with a manse, and a glebe valued at
£8 per annum; patrons, the family of Grant. Creich
church, erected in 1S32, is a handsome structure containing
252 sittings; it has a marble monument to Mrs.
Baillie, widow of the late Col. Baillie, of Luthrie. The
communion-plate was purchased with the proceeds of a
bequest left by Mr. George Davidson, parochial schoolmaster,
who died iu 17-i5. There is a place of worship
for members of the Free Church. The parochial school
is attended by about seventy children: the master has a
salary of £34, with a house and garden, and the fees
average about £18; he also receives the yearly interest
of ^000 merks Scots. Some Druidical remains, consisting
of portions of concentric circles, have been discovered
on one of the hills in the parish; and on the hill called
the Greencraig were found the remains of what is supposed
to have been a Danish camp. Two sepulchral urns
and two stone coffins w-ere found in the vicinity of Parbroath,
containing human bones; and near the remains
of the ancient house of Parbroath was formerly a chapel,
not far from the site of which several graves were discovered,
while digging for the foundation of a wall, a
few years since.