VIGEAN'S-ST, a parish, in the county of Forfar; containing, with the villages of Auchmithie, Gowan- Bank, and Marywell, the hamlet of Collistou-Mill, the fjuoad sacra district of Inverbrothock, and part of that of Ladyloan, 8793 inhabitants, of whom 55 are in the village of St. Vigean's, 1 mile (N.) from Arbroath. This parish, which originally comprehended the entire barony of Aberbrothock, at present comprises only the lands of St. Vigean's proper, the ecclesiastical district of Inverbrothock, and part of Ladyloan. It derives its name from Vigeanus, a Culdee monk, and an eminent preacher, who flourished in the tenth century, and lived in a hermitage at the Grange of Conan, near the ancient baronial castle, where the foundations of his chapel may still be traced, and near which is a copious spring retaining his name. The parish extends about five miles along the coast of the German Ocean; is upwards of eight miles in length from east to west, and rather more than three miles in mean breadth; and comprises an area of about 13,400 acres, of which 11,440 are arable, 840 woodland and plantations, and the remainder meadow, pasture, and waste. Its surface consists of three gentle declivities, of different aspects, descending from two eminences of 250 and 550 feet respectively; and of an intervening valley, through which the stream of the Brothock flows into the sea at the harbour of Arbroath. The coast is precipitous, with some boldly-projecting rocky promontories, the most conspicuous of which is that called Lud Castle. About a mile from Arbroath the coast is indented with two bays; and in several parts the rock is perforated by the action of the waves into caverns of fanciful appearance, formerly the resort of large numbers of seals, now scarcely seen on this part of the coast. There are also several natural excavations in the cliffs at a considerable height above the sea: one, about a mile from Auchmithie, called the Geary Pot, forms a tunnel 100 yards in length and 120 feet in depth. Some portions of the shore have a sandy beach. The SOIL, though varying greatly in depth, is tolerably fertile, producing favourable crops of wheat, barley, oats, turnips, and potatoes; agriculture is highly improved, and the rotation plan is prevalent. Furrow-draining has been extensively practised, and bone-dust and guano have been used as manure for the turnip lands. Considerable attention is paid to the improvement of the breed of cattle, and the management of live-stock generally: the farm-buildings are substantial and well arranged, and threshing-mills have been erected on most of the farms. The substratum is chiefly sandstone; there are quarries of stone for building, and also of pavement flags. The woods are larch, with a mi.\ture of Scotch fir, beech, and elm; they are well managed, but the situation of the parish is not favourable to the growth of timber. The annual value of real property in the parish is £16,9*5. Here are numerous seats occupied by heritors; the principal are Seaton, Letham Grange, Abbethune, Newton, Parkhill, Collision, Millbank, Woodlands, and Springfield, which are all modern mansions with the exception of Collision, an ancient mansion said to have been erected out of the ruins of Gory Castle, by a cadet of the Guthrie family. A considerable portion of the suburbs of Arbroath is situated in the parish, and there are three villages, Auchmithie, Marywell, and Gowan-Bank. The inhabitants of the town part are chiefly employed in the spinning of flax and tow, and the weaving of coarse linen cloth, for the former of which there are not less than fifteen large mills or factories, affording employment to about 1240 of the population, inclusively of persons engaged in the factories as millwrights, foremen, and overseers. The machinery of the mills is driven by steam-engines of 250- horse power in the aggregate; the quantity of fla.v consumed is about 5500 tons annually, and the value of the yam is estimated at £264,000. Of this quantity of flax, the greater portion is imported from Russia, Prussia, and Ireland. The weaving of the linen is carried on by handloom, and affords employment to about 750 persons in their own dwellings. There are also shops, or duckhouses, for the weaving of canvas, containing in the aggregate 242 hand-looms, and affording occupation to more than 450 persons. Two establishments are conducted for the bleaching of yarn, in which is apparatus for the manufacture of the requisite acids employed in the process; and there are several mills for plashing the brown yarns, and establishments for calendering the linens, in which are also hydraulic presses for packing such as are intended for exportation. An extensive iron foundry employs more than thirty persons; the chief castings are stove grates, mostly for exportation to Canada, and attached to the premises are furnaces for coke for the supply of the engines on certain lines of railway. The Forfar railway passes for nearly four miles through the parish, along the banks of the river Brothock; and facility of communication with the adjacent towns is also afforded by the Dundee line, and by roads kept in good repair. A fishery is carried on with considerable success at Auchmitliie; the fish are cod, haddocks, skate, and halibut, and twelve boats, each with a crew of five men, are regularly employed. The number of cod fish caught during the season averages about 10,000, and great numbers are salted and barrelled for exportation. Many lobsters were formerly taken here, and frequently not less than 16,000 were shijiped in one season for the London market; but the number now is much diminished, seldom exceeding 1000. The boats are also engaged in the herring-fisheries, which last generally for about six weeks. Certain fairs once held in the parisbare now transferred to Arbroath. Ecclesiastically this place is within the limits of the presbyt?ry of Arbroath and synod of Angus and Mearns: the minister's stipend is £256. 5. 5., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £10 per annum: patron, the Crown. St. Vigeau's church, which is situated on a rocky knoll near the stream, is an ancient structure in the Norman style of architecture, with a square tower; it was enlarged in 1S27, has 825 sittings, and is in good preservation. The building contains many interesting details, and in the churchyard are the remains of an old cross. A second church, to which was lately annexed the ecclesiastical district of Inverbrothock, was built in that portion of the parish in 182S, at an expense of £2000; it is a neat structure containing 1230 sittings. At Auchroithie is a chapel of ease, built by the Countess of Northesk in 1S29, in which a minister was once engaged by the inhabitants to officiate, with permission of the proprietor. There are places of worship for members of the Free Church, Original Seceders, and Wesleyans. The parochial school is well attended: the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a house and garden, and the fees; also £20 per annum from a becjuest by Mr. Colville, late town-clerk of Arbroath, for the gratuitous instruction of five poor children. A handsome schoolhouse has been built by subscription, and aid from government; and there are other schools in the parish, the masters of which derive their income from the fees. Several chalybeate springs are still used medicinally. In a vault under the church were interred the remains of Sir William Young, tutor to James VI., under George Buchanan.