OATHLAW, or Finhaven, a parish, in the county
of Forfar, 5 miles (N. by E.) from Forfar; containing
420 inhabitants. The original name of this parish
appears from ancient documents to have been Fyniven
or Finavon, now corrupted into Finhaven; but no precise
account can be given of the time or cause of its
change to Oathlaw. It is supposed, however, upon the
authority of an old record, that a chapel formerly stood
upon some property called Oathlaw, and that, when the
ancient church of Finavon fell to decay, this chapel, being
used as the church, gave the name of the estate on which
it was situated to the whole parish. The appellation Finavon
is compounded of two Gaelic words. Fin, signifying
" white or clear", and Avon or Aven, signifying " a water
or a river". The parish seems in early times to have
been the theatre of extensive and important mihtary
operations. Upon the beautiful hill of Finhaven, which
rises to , a considerable height above the level of the
surrounding country, is a celebrated vitrified fort, in the
shape of a parallelogram, extending about 476 feet from
east to west. It is a very strong work, and is supposed
to have been the head post of some warlike chief, with
his several native tribes, and designed to command the
passes in this part of the country. Another supposition
is, that it was a temple erected to the god of fire, worshipped
by the Druids; there are remnants of smaller
temples all over the country, and this great temple
seems to have commanded a view of many of them. On
the low grounds, about two miles and a half to the
north-west, are the remains of an extensive Roman
camp called Battledykes, thought to have been capable
of containing between 30,000 and 40,000 men. This
camp is situated at the entrance of the great valley of
Strathmore, commanding the whole of the lowlands beneath
the base of the Grampians, and also the passes of
the highlands. The ancient castle of Finhaven, the
ruins of which are still to be seen on the north side of
the hill, was in former times the scene of great adventures.
It was the residence of the well-known Earl of
Crawfurd, who, from his ferocity, received the name of
" the tiger earl"; he was chief of the Lindsays, who
possessed a large part of the county, and his furious
contests with the Ogilvys are among the most memorable
conflicts of the kind recorded.
The PARISH is about five miles in length, and about
one mile and a half in breadth, containing 3870 acres.
It is bounded on the north by the parish of Tannadice,
on the south by the parishes of Rescobie and Aberlemno,
ou the east by Aberlemno, and on the west by the parish
of Kirriemuir. The surface is tolerably uniform, except
in the southern quarter, in which rises the hill of Finhaven,
cultivated to the very summit, and partly covered
with larch and beech. Tradition reports the parish
to have been formerly part of a great forest called the
Forest of Claton. The chief properties are the estates
of Finhaven and Newbarns, the former of which comprehends
four-fifths of the whole lands, and was purchased
in 1815 by the Marquess of Huntly for £65,000. The
river Esk intersects the parish in several places; it is here
140 feet broad, and its banks being low, it frequently
overflows, to the injury of the neighbouring grounds.
Another stream is the Lemno rivulet, which, after a
winding course of twelve or thirteen miles round the hill
of Finhaven, falls into the Esk, only about a mile northward
from its source.
The SOIL is in general clayey, and its retentive nature
has been found a great obstacle to agricultural improvement.
It is fast being improved by thorough-draining.
About ^850 acres are occasionally cultivated or in tillage;
900 acres are in wood, and 120 waste. All kinds of
crreen crops and of grain are grown; of the latter, oats
are most cultivated: the character of the husbandry is
very good, and the crops are heavy and of fine quality.
The cattle are the Angus: the few sheep that are kept
are of the common black-faced breed, with some Cheviots,
Leicesters, and South-Downs. This parish was behind
most others in its husbandry at the commencement of
the present century; but its advance since that period in
the most approved usages, particularly in thoroughdraining,
has been rapid. Much land has been reclaimed;
thorn-hedge inclosures have been extensively formed,
plantations have been made, and the farm-buildings are
also in very good condition. The prevailing rock is
sandstone, of which a quarry is wrought for building
and other purposes. The population are mostly agricultural:
till within the last few years a spinning-mill
was in operation, which employed about sixty hands.
Coal is the fuel generally used, being brought from other
parts: an attempt was made by Mr. Ford, a late proprietor,
to procure coal in the parish, but though he
bored to the depth of 160 feet, his search for it was unsuccessful.
There is a bridge over the Esk, and five
small bridges cross the Lemno. Near the church is a
very small village. The annual value of real property in
Oathlaw is £3056. Ecclesiastically this place is in the
presbytery of Forfar and synod of Angus and Mearns;
patron, .1. Carnegy, Esq., of Finhaven. The stipend is
£158, communion elements included; and there is a
manse, with a glebe of about ten acres of arable laud.
Oathlaw church is a small handsome building with a
finely proportioned tower, situated about the centre of
the parish, and surrounded by a number of old ashtrees
j it was built in 1815, and seats upwards of 200
persons. The ancient church stood on the bank of the
Esk. There is a benefaction called " Hanton's bequest",
left in 1833 for the poor, at the discretion of the minister
and elders. A parochial school is supported, in which
Latin and the usual branches of education are taught;
the master receives a salary of £34. 4., with about £10
fees, and has the accommodation of house and garden.
There is also a parochial library, consisting of several
hundreds of volumes.