ALVES, a parish, in the county of Elgin, 5 miles
(W.) from Elgin, on the road to Inverness; containing,
with the small hamlets of Coltfield and Crook, 913 inhabitants.
This parish, which is about five miles long,
and of nearly the same breadth, contains about 12,000
acres. It is bounded on the north by the parish of
Duffus, the Moray Firth, and part of Kinloss; by the
hill of Pluscarden on the south; by the parish of New
Spynie on the east; and by Kinloss and Rafford on the
west. The surface is agreeably diversified, consisting of
pasture and arable land, with a considerable quantity of
land covered with plantation, and scarcely any waste.
With the exception of the Knock of Alves, a small
conical hill in the east end of the parish, the hill of Pluscarden
is the only part that deserves the name of hill;
the rest of the parish consists of a gently undulating
surface, every portion of which may be brought under tillage.
The Knock of Alves is entirely covered with wood:
on its summit is a tower called York Tower, erected some
years ago by the proprietor in honour of the late Duke
of York, and commanding an extensive view of the surrounding
country. What was formerly a waste common
of several thousand acres was divided a short time since
among the three adjoining proprietors, and is now a
thriving plantation: besides containing this young plantation,
about 100 acres in the parish are covered with
Scotch fir.
In general the soil is a deep rich loam, upon a clay
bottom, though in some places it is of a lighter quality.
The pasture and arable land is portioned into twenty-five
large farms, which are cultivated in the best manner; all
kinds of produce are raised, and a great part of the grain
is shipped at Burgh-Head, or Findhorn, and sold in the
London market. The cattle are usually of a mixed
breed between the Aberdeenshire and the Highland, with
a few of the polled from Buchan. Great improvements
have been carried on for some years past in draining,
inclosing, the recovery of mosses, and the erection of
good farm-houses and offices: in this parish the stone
inclosures are very extensive, probably more so than in
any other parish in the north of Scotland. The rocks
consist of freestone, of which quarries are regularly
worked; there is a quarry supplying mill-stones, and in
several places a considerable depth of peat-moss occurs.
The annual value of real property in the parish is £5708.
There are two mansion-houses; Milton-Brodie, at the
west end of the parish, an ancient edifice, to which a
handsome front has been recently added, greatly improving
its appearance; and the house of Newton, at
the east end, a plain building, with a pleasing lawn before
it. The population are agricultural, and their houses
are for the most part in groups. The chief fuel formerly
in use was peat, but the cutting of it has been prohibited,
and at present the fuel used is principally English coal,
cargoes of which are imported from Sunderland, and
landed at Burgh-Head and Findhorn.
For ecclesiastical purposes Alves is within the bounds
of the presbytery of Elgin and synod of Moray. The Earl
of Moray is patron; and the minister's stipend is about
£208, exclusively of an allowance of £8 for a grass-glebe:
there are also a good manse, lately built, and having convenient
offices and garden; and a glebe of four acres of
land, worth £9 a year. Alves church, built in 1769, is a
long narrow edifice containing sittings for 590 persons.
There is a place of worship in connexion with the Free
Church. The parochial school affords instruction in
Latin, Greek, aud the mathematics, in addition to the
ordinary branches of education, and the master has a
salary of £34. 4., with fees, a house and garden, and, if
found qualified, a share of the Dick bequest. Another
school is maintained by subscription, and the teacher of
a female school in the Crook receives a small salary from
the heritors. A parochial library is supported, which
contains about 200 volumes.