MORTLACH, a parish, in the county of Banff,
11 miles (N. K.) from Keith; containing, with the
village of Dufftown, 2594 Inhabitants, of whom 770 are in
the village. This place, which Is of remote antiquity,
was originally the scat of a bishopric; aud there Is
still extant a charter granted by Malcolm II. to the first
bishop. In which It is called Morthclac, or Morthlac, a
name supposed to be a corruption of the (iaellc Morlay,
signifying " a great hollow", and minutely descriptive
of the situation of its church. In 1010, Malcolm obtained
here a signal victory over the Danes, by whom
he had been defeated in the year preceding, and before
whom he was now retreating, after having lost three of
his principal nobles In the previous skirmish. Arrested
In their retreat by the narrowness of a pass near the
ciiureii, aud which also retarded the pursuit of the
enemy, tlie defeated army had time to rally and commence
another conflict. In which Malcolm killed the
general of the Danes with his own hand, and put his
army to the rout with great slaughter. From this
circumstance some writers suppose the place to have
derived the appellation of Mort.is-Lncus, of which its
present name may be only a modification. The parish
is of irregular form, fifteen miles in its greatest length
and nearly twelve at its greatest breadth. Mortlach is
bounded on the north by the parishes of Boharm and
Botriphnie, on the east by Glass, on the south by Cabrach
and Inveraven, and on the west by Aberlour. It
is nearly inclosed by hills, of which the highest are the
Corhabbie and the Benrinnes, the latter having an elevation
of 2561 feet above the level of the sea. The surface
is intersected by the small rivers Fiddich and Dullen,
the former of which rises in Glenflddich, towards
Strathdon, and the latter in Glenrinnes, on the confines
of Glenlivet; and after uniting their streams about a
mile below the church, they flow together into the Spey
near the northern extremity of the parish, which extends
to the river Doveron on the south.
The whole number of acres is 35,000. About 5000
acres are under tillage, and the remainder, with the exception
of 600 acres of woodland, is pasture and waste,
of which but a few acres seem capable of being brought
into cultivation. The soil is in general a rich and deep
loam, producing excellent crops; the system of agriculture
is greatly improved, and much attention has
recently been paid to the draining and reclamation of
unprofitable land. Limestone of good quality is found
in the parish, and slate is also quarried; granite is very
general, but no quarries have hitherto been opened. In
some parts are indications of alum and lead-ore, and the
laminse of some of the rocks resemble asbestos: antimony
in small quantities is embedded in the limestone
rocks; and in the grey slate, small garnets are frequently
found, especially in that to the east of the river Fiddich.
The plantations consist of ash, elm, oak, birch, plane,
Scotch fir, and larch. Great attention is paid to the
cattle, which are mostly a cross between the Highland
and the Aberdeenshire; and numbers of sheep, chiefly
of the black-faced breed, are fed. Grain is occasionally
sold at the village of Dufftown, to persons resorting
thither to purchase it; and cattle-markets are held five
times in the year. The annual value of real property in
the parish is £519".
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Strathbogie, synod of Moray. The patronage
is vested in the Crown, and the stipend of the
incumbent is £192. The manse, a very ancient building,
was enlarged in 1807, and is now a comfortable residence;
the glebe, which has been greatly diminished
by the encroachment of the river Dullen at different
times, comprises at present about five acres, valued at
£8 per annum. Mortlach church, a venerable structure,
was enlarged by Malcolm II. in fulfilment of his vow on
the occasion of his victory over the Danes; and in the
north wall are inserted three skulls of Danes slain in
that battle, which are still in a state of entire preservation.
It was again enlarged in 1824, and now affords
accommodation to 886 persons. At Glenrinnes is a
missionary church, built many years since at the expense
of the heritors and inhabitants of the district; the
minister has a stipend of £60 per annum. Royal Bounty,
with a ho\ise and garden, and three acres of land, rentfree.
Near the parish church is a Roman Catholic
chapel, a neat building erected within the last few years.
The parochial school affords a good education to about
ninety children; the master has a salary of £34, with a
house and garden, and the fees on the average amount
to £'25. Dr. John Lorimcr bequeathed £200 for the
maintenance of a bursar in this school, and an additional
sum of £200 for an exhibition to Marischal College,
Aberdeen, for the further prosecution of his studies.
There is also a school at Glenrinnes, under the General
Assembly, attended by about fifty scholars on the average.
A circulating library is supported, and there is a
small library for the use of the Sunday school. The
poor have, the interest of 1500 merks bequeathed by
William Duff, Esq., who also gave 500 merks to the use
of the schoolmaster; and the interest of £100 by Alexander
Forbes, Esq., which he appropriated to the benefit
only of four families.
On a commanding situation on the bank of the Fiddich,
are the ruins of the ancient castle of Auchindown,
the founder of which is unknown. It was till lately the
property of the Gordon family, in whose possession it
had been for more than three centuries. A massive
ring of gold, consisting of three links, was found among
the ruins within the last thirty or forty years, with an
inscription which was legible when the links were placed
in a particular position. Near the confluence of the
rivers Fiddich and Dullen are the remains of the castle
of Balvery, situated on the summit of a bold eminence;
the entrance gateway is still entire, and above the lofty
entrance is the motto of the Atholl family, " Furth
Fortuine and Fill the Fettris:" this castle is the property
of the Earl of Fife. On the Conval hill, in the
parish, are the remains of a Danish camp. A large
stone, which is said to have been placed over the grave
of the Danish general killed by Malcolm in the battle of
Mortlach, now forms part of a fence; and in the parish
is also an upright stone about seven feet in height,
having on one side a cross and representation of two
animals, and on the other a snake, rudely sculptured.