MAINS-AND-STRATHMARTINE, a parish, in the
county of Forfar; containing, with the villages of Baldovan
and Kirkton, 2110 inhabitants, of whom \29r> are
in the Jlains district, 2 miles (N. N. W.) from Dundee.
The original name of the old parish of Mains was Strathdighty,
descriptive of it as a valley watered by the river
Dighty. The name of the other parish, which is a continuation
of the same valley, is said to have been derived
from a stone erected on the north side of it, in commemoration
of some valorous exploit performed by a hero
of the name of Martine in the ancient days of chivalry.
These parishes were joined in the year 1/99. The united
parish is six miles in length, varying from one mile to
three miles in breadth, and comprising 7063 acres, of
which 6 ISO are arable, 450 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder moor and waste. Its surface is one
continued vale of pleasing appearance, bounded on each
side by rising grounds, whose highest point is not more
than 400 feet above the level of the sea. The only river
is the Dighty, which has its source in two lakes in the
parish of Luiidie, and flows with equable stream through
the whole of the vale into the sea near the mouth of the
Tay, in the parish of Monifieth. On the banks of this
river, the largest river in the immediate vicinity of Dundee,
are numerous works connected with the manufactures
of that town; and thus, not only the adjacent
scenery has been deprived of much of its natural beauty,
but the fishing has been greatly injured, and the quality
of the water rendered unfit for domestic use. Several
small rivulets intersect the parish, forming tributaries
to the Dighty; but they are usually dry in the summer
months. Near the castle of Mains, a spring of excellent
water issues from a crevice in a rock, and flows with
undiminishing abundance even in the driest times, afforda
valuable supply for the inhabitants of that portion of the parish.
In general the soil is a black loam, and very fertile;
the crops are extremely favourable, and with the exception
only of a few patches of moor, and some rocky elevations,
the whole is in a state of profitable cultivation.
The produce consists of oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, and
turnips. The system of agriculture is greatly improved;
the lands are well drained, and inclosed with stone dykes
and hedges of thorn; and the farm houses and offices,
though inferior to those in some other parishes, are still
commodious and in decent repair. A very large extent
of waste land has been reclaimed and brought into cultivation,
and the appearance of the parish has been improved
by the flourishing plantations formed on the
higher grounds. The wood cons^ists partly of oak, beech,
and other kinds of forest-trees, of which the beech seems
best adapted to the soil; and there are several trees
of venerable growth, especially one near the castle of
Mains, of very stately dimensions, supposed to be about
two centuries old. A portion of the wood is larch, and
there is a good deal of thriving fir in the parish. The
easterly winds seem rather adverse to the growth of
the forest-trees that have been planted. The principal
substrata are grey-slate and trap rock, of which the
higher grounds mainly consist, and which are quarried
to a considerable extent for the roads and inclosures,
the stone being of good quality for every purpose.
Baldovan House and Strathtnartinc are both
handsome modern mansions. From its proximity to
Dundee, and the facilities alTurdcd for the manufactures
of that place by the Dighty, a great proportion of the
inhabitants of this parish are employed in works established
by the Dundee proprietors on the banks of the
river; on which, within the limits of Mains and Strathmartine,
are four bleachfields, two of which are very
extensive, and six mills for washing yarn and preparing
it for the loom. There are likewise three flnur-mills,
five mills for meal, a saw-mill, and several threshingmills,
all put in motion by the water of the river, with
the exception of one of the flour-mills, partly worked by
steam. The annual value of real property in Mains is
£7770, and in Strathmartine £4686. The agricultural
and other produce is sent to the market of Dundee, with
which frequent intercourse is kept up; and facility of
communication is afforded with other places in the vicinity
by three turnpike-roads, which pass for more than
eight miles through the parish, and by a railway from
Dundee to Newtyle. There are not less than nine
bridges over the Dighty. Fairs are held on the first
Tuesday after July 11th, on the 26th of August, and the
15th of September, for cattle, sheep, and horses, and for
hiring farm servants.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Dundee, synod of Angus and Mearns, and in the patronage
of the Crown: the minister's stipend is £217. S. 4.,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £35 per annum.
The church, erected in 1800, is conveniently situated,
and is adapted for a congregation of 900 persons. The
parochial schools of both the old parishes are continued,
and afford a good course of education; the masters have
each a salary of £34, with a good house and garden,
and the fees average annually at Mains £40, and Strathmartine
£30. A school for females is supported by an
endowment assigned by the Dowager Lady Ogilvy; and
there are two others in the parish, chiefly for teaching
children to sew. The poor have the interest of accumulated
capital realizing £20 per annum, and are eligible
for admission in case of sickness into the Dundee infirmary,
for the benefit of which a yearly collection is
made at the church of this place. The principal remains
of antiquity within the limits of the parish are some
vestiges of a Roman camp in the Stratimiartine district,
supposed to have been occupied by a portion of Agricola's
army, and which, probably, was afterwards a stronghold
of Sir William Wallace. This latter opinion is corroborated
by a tradition, that that gallant defender of his
country's honour pitched his tent on Clatto hill, from
which the moor in this place takes its name. There are
also two obelisks in the parish; but the history of their
erection is not clearly ascertained. Claverhouse, the
residence of the well-known Dundee, was situated here;
and near the site of the old mansion, an edifice in the
form of an ancient ruin has been erected by his descendant,
Mr. Webster.