KIRKMICHAEL, a parish, in the county of Banff,
11 miles (E. S. E.) from Grantown; containing, with the
late quoad sacra district of Tomintoul, 15*6 inhabitants.
This parish, which is named after Michael the Archangel,
to whom the church was dedicated, is situated on the
Avon, a tributary of the river Spey; and is a bleak Highland
district, stretching for more than thirty miles, from
north to south, along the banks of the stream, and measuring
in average breadth from three to four miles. It
comprises, as is supposed, about 140,000 acres, of which
only '2400 are cultivated; more than 60,000 are comprehended
in the forest of Glenavon, and the remainder are
waste and pasture. The general aspect of the parish is
mountainous, dreary, and barren, it being situated at
the base of the Grampian mountains. The main range
of the Grampians bounds it on the south, and branches
from this range skirt it on the east and west, the only vista
or outlet being a narrow opening on the north, which
forms a passage for the waters of the Avon. The north
side of Benmacdui, and the eastern side of Cairngorum,
rising respectively 4362 feet and 4060 feet above the
level of the sea, and exhibiting throughout the year collections
of snow in their elevated chasms, are comprised
in the southern portion of the parish. The forest of
Glenavon has been lately converted by the proprietor,
the Duke of Richmond, into a range for deer; and the
mountains and hills in all directions are well stocked
with various kinds of game. The inhabited parts of the
parish measure only about eighteen miles in length;
they consist of the narrow valley of the Avon, and the
glens of the Conglass and Kebat on the east, and of that
of Lochy on the west. Of this extent, nine miles, with
the whole of the uninhabited portion, belong to the district
of Tomintoul. The Avon, a deep, rapid, and pellucid
stream, affords trout, and also salmon grilse from
June till November: after being increased by numerous
tributaries in its course of forty miles, it falls into the
Spey at Ballindalloch, in the parish of Inveraven, adjoining
Kirkmichael on the north. The pleasant and romantic
valley of this river furnishes a beautiful relief to
the wild and dreary aspect of the surrounding country.
The scenery is also enlivened by several lochs; the
principal one being Loch Avon, at the southern extremity
of the parish, distant fifteen or twenty miles from any
habitation. Loch Avon is three miles long and one mile
broad, and is encompassed by lofty mountains, except
at its eastern side, where the Avon finds a narrow outlet;
the whole of the adjacent scenery is imposing and magnificent.
Trout, of a black colour and slender form, are
found in abundance in its deep water; and at the west
end is the celebrated Clachdhian, or Shelter-stone, a
ponderous block of granite, resting on two other masses,
and thus forming a cave sufficient to contain twelve or fifteen men.
The SOIL most prevalent is a loam, incumbent on
limestone; that bordering on the Avon and its several
tributary streams is alluvial. Barley and bear, and the
usual grasses and green crops, are raised in considerable
quantities, mostly under the five-shift course: the
Duke of Richmond, who and the Earl of Seafield are
the sole landowners, confines his principal tenants to
that course. The climate is such as to form an impediment
to husbandry; but the soil is in general good, and
the lands are well farmed. Draining, inclosing, and the
reclaiming of waste ground have for several years been
successfully carried on; and the dwelling-houses and
farm-steadings have been improved. The sheep are of
the common black-faced breed; the cattle are mostly
the West Highland, and their quality has been lately
much advanced by the encouragement of the Highland
and Agricultural Society of Scotland, and also by premiums
afforded by the Duke of Richmond. Besides the
masses of granite constituting the Grampian range, the
substrata comprise sandstone and slatestone, the latter
supplying a superior grey slate; and limestone is abundant
in every direction. Good plumbago is found in
the neighbourhood; and ironstone, which formed an
article of profit more than a century since, is still to be
found in great abundance, in the hill of the Leacht, in the
south-eastern part of the parish, and is expected shortly
to furnish occupation for a considerable number of persons.
Oxide of manganese is found in the same locality,
and the working of it gives employment to several
people. The p^ish is entirely destitute of plantations;
the only wood to be seen is the natural birch and alder
which ornament the banks of the Avon. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £332.5.
The village of Tomintoul, situated about five miles
south of the church, contains a population of 530, and
has a post-office with a daily delivery. Cattle and sheep
are sent in droves to the south, and grain is forwarded
to the sea-ports on the Moray Firth; the supply of
merchandise is chiefly from Aberdeen. Markets are
held in the village, for the sale of cattle and sheep, and
some of them also for the hiring of servants, on the last
Friday in May, the last Friday in July, the third Wednesday
in August, the Friday after the second Tuesday
in September, and the second Friday in November; the
four last, O. S. Ecclesiastically the parish is in the
presbytery of Abernethy, synod of Moray, and in the
patronage of the Earl of Seafield: the minister's stipend
is about £120, with a manse, and a glebe of nine acres
valued at £40 per annum. Kirkmichael church, built
in 1807, is a plain structure; it is about four miles from
the northern boundary, and contains accommodation for
350 persons. A church was erected by government in
1826, at a cost of £750, in the village of Tomintoul: the
minister's stipend, including communion elements, is
£120, and is paid by the government; the manse was
built at a cost of £738, and there is a glebe of about
half an acre, with a garden. A Roman Catholic chapel,
accommodating 464 persons, was built in the village in
1838; and the members of the Free Church have a
place of worship. Kirkmichael parochial school affords
instruction in Latin, mathematics, and geography, in
addition to the usual branches; the master has the
maximum salary, and £10 fees, and also shares in the
Dick bequest. There are two schools in the village, the
master of one having £30 a year from government, with
a house and garden from the Duke of Richmond, and the
other endowed by the trustees of the late Mr. Donaldson.
The poor enjoy bequests amounting to £1800.