KINLOSS, a parish, in the county of Elgin; containing,
with the village or town of Findhorn, 1202 inhabitants,
of whom 24 are in the hamlet of Kinloss, 2
miles (N. E.) from Forres. This place derives its name
from the Celtic words Ceann-loch, signifying "the head
of the bay," and descriptive of its situation on the border
of Burgh-Head bay in the Moray Firth, by which it is
washed on the north. A magnificent abbey was founded
here by David I., in the year 1 150, and its establishment
was confirmed in 11*4 by a papal bull; the abbots were
mitred, and sat in parliament. It was richly endowed,
and became the scene of many splendid banquets: King
Edward I. resided here for the space of six weeks in the
year 1303, and a part of his army remained in the
neighbourhood for a still longer period. At the Reformation,
Edward Bruce of Clackmannan was commendator;
he was created Baron Kinloss in 1601, and
his son Thomas became Earl of Elgin and Baron Bruce
of Kinloss in 1633. By the latter the lands and feuduties
were sold to Brodie of Lethen.
The parish was disjoined from Alves, Rafford, and
Forres, and erected into a separate parish in the year 1 657-
It is nearly four miles long, of about the same breadth,
and comprises 5065 acres, of which 2850 are cultivated,
1765 undivided common, 250 under plantations, and the
remainder waste. The coast extends about four miles,
and is flat, except in parts where sand-banks have been
formed by repeated drifts. On the west is Findhorn
loch, a capacious and secure natural harbour, formed by
the expansion of the river of the same name, and communicating
by a narrow strait with the Firth: at the
mouth is a bar, a sandy ridge which shifts with heavy
floods and strong easterly winds, but the nature and
soundings of which are so well known to the pilots that
an accident is of very rare occurrence. In general the
site of the parish is low, being not more than ten or
twelve feet above the sea at high water. Near the
southern boundary, however, the surface rises considerably,
and affords an extensive view, embracing the
plantations of Grangehall, the ruins of the ancient
abbey, the church, and several fertile and well-cultivated
tracts interspersed with farm-houses, and in the distance,
on the north, the town of Findhorn with its
shipping. The sea is supposed to have made great
encroachments on this coast, the bar at the entrance of
the harbour being partly formed of land once in tillage,
and the present town being the third of the same name,
owing to inundations. The burn of Kinloss, which,
flowing from east to west, falls into the bay of Findhorn
a little below the church, divides the parish into two
nearly equal parts.
The SOIL e,\hibits several varieties; but they are all
sandy, clayey, or gravelly modifications of the rich loamy
earth that generally prevails: the proportion of moss is
inconsiderable. The ordinary subsoil of the whole is
sand or gravel. All kinds of white and green crops are
raised, of good quality, amounting in annual value to
nearly £1'2,000; and the produce in dairy-cows and
fat-cattle, sheep, swine, and horses is also considerable.
The six-shift course of husbandry, with every improved
usage, is followed; and much attention is paid to the
breed of the various kinds of stock. Among the most
conspicuous advances are the reclaiming of large tracts
of waste ground; draining and inclosing; and the erection
of neat and commodious farm houses and offices.
The annual value of real property in the parish is £3925.
Grangehall is a spacious and handsome modern residence
of quadrangular form; it is ornamented with thriving
plantations of Scotch fir, larch, birch, and oak. The
mansion of Seapark is also a modern building; it has
been of late greatly improved, and the grounds beautified
with many young trees. A considerable part of the
population are engaged in fisheries, and reside at the
burgh and sea-port town of Findhorn, in the northern
portion of the parish. There is a daily post; and a
turnpike-road runs between Findhorn and Forres, which
at the 'bridge of Kinloss has a branch eastward to
Burgh-Head and Elgin. Grain, sheep, cattle, and swine
are sent for sale to Aberdeen, Glasgow, and London,
and salmon also to the last place; herrings are exported
to Ireland, the continent, and the West Indies. Fairs
for sheep, cattle, and horses are held at Findhorn on
the second Wednesday, O. S., in the months of March,
July, and October.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Forres, synod of Moray, and in the patronage of the
Earl of Moray, and Mr. Brodie of Lethen, alternately:
the minister's stipend is £240, with a manse, and a glebe
of between four and five acres, valued at £5 per annum.
Kinloss church was built in 1765, and thoroughly repaired
in 1830. The members of the Free Church have
a place of worship and a school in the parish. The parochial
school affords instruction in the usual branches:
the master has a salary of £.'J4, with a small house, and
£10 fees; also an allowance from the Dick bequest.
There is a flourishing friendly society; and a savings'
bank, in connexion with that in Forres, has been lately
established. The chief relic of antiquity is the ruin of
the abbey, which, till it became <lilapidated, was used as
the parish church. In the year 1652, the walls were
broken down, and the stones sold to Cromwell's .soldiers,
for the erection of the citadel of Inverness. Since that
period, depredations have been made upon the materials
at different times; and all that now remains of this
once imposing structure is the east gable, for the preservation
of which a buttress of mason-work has been
raised by the liberality of a resident gentleman. See
FINDHORN.