KINCARDINE-IN-MONTEITH, a parish, in the
county of Perth, 2 miles (S. by W.) from Doune; containing,
with the villages of Thornhill and Norriestown,
2232 inhabitants. This parish, the name of which is of
very uncertain etymology, is pleasantly situated in the
vale of Monteith, and in the southern part of the county.
It is of triangular form, having the east angle washed by
the confluence of the rivers Forth and Teith, of which
the former bounds the parish on the south, and the
latter on the north-east. The parish extends from the
east point for nearly ten miles to the south-west, and for
about twelve miles to the north-w-est; but is intersected
by a portion of the parish of Kilmadock, three miles in
breadth, which reaches from the Teith to the Forth. It
comprises by computation 7500 acres; and of this number,
5000, on the shores of the Forth, are mostly rich
carse land, and the remainder, on the banks of the Teith,
dry-field. The surface towards the Forth is generally
level, but rises in gentle undulations, westward of Blair-
Drummond, into a ridge, which has an elevation of 300
feet above the level of the sea, and commands a fine view
of the Grampian mountains to the north and west; of
the Ochils to the east, with the castle of Stirling, the
field of Bannockburn, and the hill of Craigforth; and to
the south, of the hills of Lennox, extending from the
castle of Stirling to Dumbarton. The river Goodie,
which has its source in the loch of Monteith, in the
parish of Port, intersects this parish in its course towards
the Forth; and there are numerous springs, and
several small burns in various parts. The carse land
includes the moss of Kincardine, which to a considerable
extent has been cleared, and also part of Moss Flanders.
The SOIL, where the moss has been removed, is generally
a rich blue clay of great depth and fertility, producing
grain of all kinds and good green crops; the
dry-field is chiefly a light loam, yielding excellent crops
of oats, barley, potatoes, turnips, and the various grasses.
The farms are of moderate extent, and the system of
agriculture is in an improved state; the farm-buildings
are substantial and commodious, and the lands partly
inclosed. Considerable attention is paid to live stock;
the cattle were formerly all of the Iligliland breed, but
on the dairy-farms cows of the Ayrshire breed have been
lately introduced. Few sheep are pastured. The horses
used for agriculture on the dry-field lands are of a moderate
size; but on the carse, which rcq\iires a stronger
kind, a breed between the hardier of the Perthshire, and
the Clydesdale, is preferred. The substratum of the
parish is chiefly of tlie old red sandstone formation; in
some parts, of good quality for building, for which pur-
pose it is quarried; but in other parts, of too soft a texture
for that use. Veins of calcareous spar, and occasionally
barytes, are found in the quarries; but no organic
remains, except a few vegetable impressions, have been
discovered. In this parish the woods and plantations
are of oak, ash, beech, elm, birch, and firs, for which the
soil appears well adapted; and the plantations, which
have been recently much extended, are well managed
and in a thriving condition. The annual value of real
property in the parish is £12,500. Blair-Drummond,
the seat of Henry Home Drummond, Esq., M. P., the
principal landowner, is a spacious and handsome mansion,
erected about the year 1715, by his ancestor, George
Drummond, Esq., and to which a wing has been added
by the present proprietor. It is situated in a richlywooded
park planted by Lord Kames, who, by marriage
with the grand-daughter of George Drummond, succeeded
to the estate, which at that time included 1500
acres of Kincardine Moss. Of this moss a considerable
portion was recovered by his exertions; and under those
of his son and grandson, nearly the whole of the remainder
has been reclaimed. In the house is a collection of
portraits by Sir Godfrey Kneller, among which are portraits
of the Lord Chancellor Perth and his brother, the
Earl of Melfort, and, in the drawing-room, a portrait of
the late Lord Kames in his robes of office as a judge.
Ochtertyre, the seat of Sir David Dundas, Her Majesty's
judge advocate general, is beautifully situated on the
banks of the Teith. On the lands of Blair-Drummond,
and also on those of Ochtertyre, comfortable cottages
have been built by the proprietors, for the accommodation
of the families employed on their estates; and in
the district which formed part of the quoad sacra parish
of Norriestown are the villages of Thornhill and Norriestown.
These will be found described under their own heads.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Dunblane, synod of Perth
and Stirling. The minister's stipend is £255. 8., with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £14 per annum; patroness,
Lady \Villoughby de Eresby. Kincardine church, which
was greatly dilapidated, was rebuilt in 1814, chiefly
through the exertions of Mr. Drummond, who, in addition
to the payment of more than two-thirds of the
expense of a plainer building, contributed the whole additional
charge of the present elegant structure after a
design by the late Mr. Crichton, of Edinburgh. It is a
cruciform edifice in the later English style, with an embattled
tower crowned by minarets, and contains 770
sittings. The parochial school is well conducted, and is
attended by about seventy children; the master has a
salary of £34, with a good house and garden, and the
fees average £14 per aimum. There are several other
schools. Within the gardens of Blair-Drummond is a
tumulus, ninety-two yards in circumference and fifteen
feet in height; and in the pleasure-grounds is one of
larger dimensions. Near the cast lodge is another, in
which were fo\md fragments of urns and human bones;
it is surrounded with a circular fosse, called Wallace's
Trench. In clearing the moss, several remains of antiquity
were discovered, among which were a large brass
camp kettle, some spear heads, and part of a Roman
road, of which seventy yards were clearly defined,
crossing the moss of Kincardine from the Forth to the
Teith.