LAURENCEKIRK, a parish and burgh of barony, in the county of Kincardine,
9 miles (N. by W.) from Montrose, and 10(N.E. by N.) from Brechin; containing 1904 inhabitants,
of whom 1356 are in the burgh. This place, anciently called Conveth, derived
its present name from the dedication of its original parish church to St. Laurence.
The burgh, which was previously
a very inconsiderable hamlet, owes its importance
to Francis, Lord Gardenstone, a judge of the supreme
court of session, who, about the year 1/65, purchased
the lands of Johnston and Blackiemuir, in the parish,
which he greatly improved, and divided into inclosures
by hedges and plantations. He laid out the plan of a
village, and portioned off sites for the erection of houses:
these, being leased on advantageous terms, soon attracted
tenants; and in 177^ a thriving town had arisen, which,
increasing in population, was erected in 1779 into a burgh
of barony. The town consists chiefly of one street, about
a mile in length, on the road from Perth to Aberdeen:
the houses are well built, and to each is attached a portion
of garden-ground, giving to the place a pleasinglyrural
aspect. A public subscription library, originated
by Lord Gardenstone, and to which he attached a small
museum, still exists, but the number of volumes has
materially diminished. The library of the clergy of the
diocese of Brechin, founded chiefly by the late Bishop
Drummond, and containing more than 1000 volumes, is
deposited in the episcopal chapel in the town, and is accessible
to persons of literary pursuits. Laurencekirk
was erected into a free and independent burgh of barony
by royal charter, vesting the government in a bailie and
four councillors elected triennially by the burgesses, and
granting the privileges of a weekly market and an annual
fair. Every resident proprietor of a house and garden is
qualified as a burgess. The jurisdiction of the magistrates
in civil cases has not been clearly defined, and
scarcely any such cases have been brought before them
for decision; but in criminal cases their jurisdiction is
exercised in petty delinquencies subject to small fines,
though these have not in many instances been enforced.
A treasurer, and a town-officer to whom the police is
entrusted, are appointed by the magistrates. The courts
are held in a handsome building the \ipper part of which
is used as a masonic lodge: and a gaol, but seldom required,
has been erected by the Prison Board.
The weaving of linen by hand-looms is carried on here,
for the manufacturers of Aberdeen, Montrose, and
Brechin, who supply the yarn. The manufacture of
snuff-boxes of wood, also, for which the place has long
been celebrated, is still carried on, by the son of the
original inventor, IVIr. Stiven: the boxes are remarkable
for their beauty, and the peculiar construction of the
hinge, the principle of which has recently been adopted
in the binding of valuable buoks or prints in wood. The
establishment of a weekly market has been attempted,
but hitherto without success, except for the sale of grain,
which, when purchased for exportation, is sent to Montrose
and Gourdon. Fairs are held on the third Wednesday
in January, O. S., for cattle, and for hiring servants;
the last Thursday in April, for cattle; the 27th
of May, or the day after Whitsunday, O. S., for hiring
servants; the Thursday after the third Tuesday in July,
O. S., for cattle and horses: the first Thursday in
November, for cattle; and the ^Srd of November, or the
day after Martinmas, O. S., for hiring servants. Besides
these, a monthly market during the winter, for sheep,
cattle, and horses, has been established, commencing on
the second Monday after the first November fair, and
continuing to be held on the second Monday of each
month until the April fair. The post-office, to which
Auchinblae is attached as a sub-post-office, has a tolerably
good delivery; and facility of communication with
Montrose, Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee, and the city of
Edinburgh, is afforded by railway, the Aberdeen line
having a station here. There are also roads kept in excellent repair.
The PARISH, which is situated in the eastern portion
of the valley of Strathmore, is about four miles in length,
and varies from less than one mile to almost three miles
in breadth, comprising an area of 5381 acres, of which
5000 are arable, sixty pasture, °20 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder roads and waste. Its surface
rises gradually towards the north and south, but is not
diversified with hills or striking inequalities, the highest
ground in the northern portion attaining only an elevation
of 220, and in the southern of 450 feet. The river
Luther, which intersects the parish in a direction from
north-east to south-west, has its source in the lower
range of the Grampian hills, and falls into the North Esk,
receiving in its progress numerous burns both from the
north-west and south-east. In the district south-east of
the Luther the soil is a deep clay loam of great fertility;
on the banks of the river are large alluvial deposits of
clay and sand; and in the lands north-west of the river
the soil is of inferior quality, generally cold, and comparatively
sterile. The crops consist of oats, barley,
small quantities of wheat, also peas, beans, potatoes, and
turnips, with the usual grasses: the system of agriculture
is improved; the lands have been drained and partly inclosed,
and a wide tract of unprofitable marsh has been
reclaimed in consequence of a new cut having been made
for tlie Luther. In general the farm-houses are roofed
with slate. Great attention is paid to the management
of the dairy-farms, and large quantities of butter and
cheese are sent to Montrose. The cattle are chiefly of a
mixed breed between the Angus and the Aberdeenshire;
a great part of them are fed for the London, Glasgow,
and I'^dinburgh markets, and the remainder are sold as
drove stock. The horses used for agriculture arc chiefly
reared in the parish, and resemble the Lanark and
Clydesdale breeds. The plantations, mostly of recent
growth, consist of larch, sjjruce, and Scotch firs; and
in the hedge-rows are some good specimens of ash,
elm, l)cech, oak, birch, and sycamore, of older date.
There is nothing peculiar in the geology of the parish.
Sandstone and freestone were formerly quarried, and
Johnston Lodge was erected with stone raised from the
quarries; but the working of them has been discontinued
since the opening of the Laurieston and Forth quarries,
in the adjacent parishes of St. Cyrus and Garvock, from
which stone of finer texture and more durable quality is
raised. The annual value of real property in Laurencekirk
is £7388. Johnston Lodge is a handsome modern
mansion, commanding a fine view of the valley of Strathmore
and the Grampian hills.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
limits of the presbytery of Fordoun, synod of Angus and
Mearns. The minister's stipend is averaged at £'^43, including
£10. 4. 6., the rent of some land attached to the
living from time immemorial; and there is a manse, with
a glebe valued at £40 per annum: patrons, the Principal
and Professors of St. Mary's College, in the University
of St. Andrew's. Laurencekirk church, erected in 1804,
and enlarged in 1819, is a plain structure containing 766
sittings. An episcopal chapel was erected, and endowed
chiefly, by Lord Gardenstone , and there are neat places
of worship for Independents and members of the Free
Church. The parochial school is attended by about
seventy children; the master has a salary of £'20,
with ten bolls of meal, and an allowance of £10. 2. in
lieu of house and garden. His school fees average £30
per annum; and he also receives £3. 6. 8., the interest
of a bequest by Sir Alexander Falconer, of Glenfarquhar,
ancestor of the present Earl of Kintore, for teaching
seven children gratuitously. The parochial library contains
nearly 300 volumes, chiefly for young people.
There are few monuments of antiquity in the parish; but
coins have been found at various times, among which was
a Roman coin with the heads of two emperors, Aurelius
on one side and Antoninus on the other. About forty
large silver coins, mostly Spanish, and in good preservation,
bearing dates from 16 16 to 1623, were found about
thirty or forty years since on the farm of Northhill.
Thomas Ruddiman, the grammarian, was master of the
parochial school of this place from 1695 till 1700; and
Dr. Beattie, author of The Minstrel, was a native of the
parish. The lands of Halkerton give the title of Baron
to the Falconer family. Earls of Kintore.