INVERAVEN, a parish, partly in the county of Elgin,
but chiefly in the county of Banff, 11 miles (N. E.
by E.) from Grantown; containing 2417 inhabitants.
This place derives its name from its situation at the
mouth of the river Aven, which has its source in a lake
at the base of the mountains Benmacdui, Bein-na-main,
and Cairngorum, and after receiving various streams in
its course, enters the parish of Inveraven, and falls into
the Spey about a mile above the church. The parish is
chiefly noticed in historical records as the scene of a
memorable battle which occurred in 1594, between the
Earl of Huntly and the Marquess of Argyll, when the
latter, after an obstinate engagement, in which many
were slain on both sides, was totally defeated. Not far
from the field of battle is a tumulus called Lord Auchindown's
Cairn, pointing out the spot where Sir P. Gordon,
of Auchindown, was killed while fighting on the side of
the Earl of Huntly. Inveraven parish is bounded on
the north-west by the river Spey, is about twenty miles
in length, and varies from nearly four miles to eight or
nine in breadth. It comprises 6400 acres of arable land
in good cultivation, about 1000 in plantations, and 500
in natural wood, with a wide extent of heath and moor.
The surface is mountainous, with large intervening tracts
of moorland; and the lower part, near the Spey, is
divided from the district of Glenlivet, forming the rest
of the parish, by the Cairnocay mountains, a lofty range
extending, in a direction almost parallel with the Spey,
from the hill of Benrinnes to the stream of the Aven.
The district of Glenlivet is separated into two nearly
equal portions by the hill of Bochle, which rises to a
considerable elevation from the centre of the vale, which
is watered by the Livet, a tributary to the Aven. On
this river was a waterfall called the Linn of Livet; but
it was destroyed in order to give a readier passage to the
salmon that frequent the stream. The Spey, which flows
by the parish for several miles, abounds with various
kinds of fish, and was formerly much celebrated for the
size and flavour of its salmon, which were found in greater
numbers than at present, both in that river and in the
Aven; but the fishery has been much diminished by the
establishment of others nearer the mouth of the Spey,
which prevent many of the fish from ascending so far up.
In that part of the parish bordering on Kirkmichael is a
small lake formed by the river Aven, and supposed to be
almost of unfathomable depth.
The SOIL of the cultivated lands, though inferior in
some places, is generally fertile, consisting, in the lower
portion, of loam partly mixed with gravel, and in the
district of Glenlivet of pure loam and a rich strong clay.
Considerable improvements have been made in the agriculture
of the parish: large tracts of waste have been
drained, and brought into cultivation; and numerous
thriving plantations have been raised, especially near the
Spey, in Inveraven Proper, which abounds with ornamental
timber. The principal crop is oats, with a good
proportion of barley; and wheat is also raised in small
quantities, in the low end of Glenlivet. In this parish
the plantations consist of larch, oak, and mountain-ash,
which grow luxuriantly on the banks of the Spey and
Aven; and of Scotch and spruce firs, of which there are
some beautiful specimens. The Highland and Agricultural
Society encourage the breed of live stock by the
distribution of premiums; but comparatively little attention
is paid to improvement in this respect. In general
the sheep are of the black-faced kind, with a few of English
breed, which are not so well adapted to the soil;
the breed of horses is rather small, but better suited to
the state of the country than a breed of larger size. The
farm-buildings are usually commodious, though still capable
of great improvement; and in parts, especially in
Glenlivet, are several of very superior character. Glenlivet
was formerly noted for the manufacture of illicit
spirits, and on almost every stream in the parish were
houses for making whisky in defiance of the law; but
this practice has of late materially diminished, and there
are now in the vale two very extensive distilleries, where
whisky of the best quality is legally produced, which
obtains a high price in every part of the country. In the
parish are several mills; also some small manufactories
for woollen cloths and plaidings, chiefly under the management
of the farmers. The annual value of real property
in Inveraven is £5032.
Ballindalloch House, in the parish, the property of
Sir John Macpherson Grant, Bart., is a perfect specimen
of the old Scottish castle; it is a square edifice with
three circular towers, and some additions have been
made to the old building during the last century. The
place is situated about half a mile from the confluence of
the Aven with the river Spey j it is richly embeUished
with timber, and surrounded by scenery of interesting
character. At a short distance may still be traced the
foundations of the original castle, which has long been
sulTered to fall into decay, and almost into oblivion, the
only memorial being preserved in a traditionary legend,
by which its restoration is said to have been prohibited.
Sir John's estate of Ballindalloch has been much improved
of late years, especially by extensive draining.
The substratum of the parish is generally primitive rock.
Red granite, of good quality for building, is found near the
river Spey, and on the north of the Benrinnes mountain,
in which asbestos has also been discovered. Limestone,
embedded in gneiss, is found in the vale of Glenlivet;
no regular quarries have been opened, but it is frequently
dug by the tenants on the different farms, for their own
use; and numerous limekilns have been erected in various
parts of the vale. The roads and bridges are kept
in good repair; and considerable intercourse is maintained
with the villages of Tomantoul and Charlestown
(respectively three miles from each extremity of the parish),
where markets are occasionally held; and also with
Grantown and Dufftown. Fairs are held at Burnside,
about a mile from the church, on the Tuesday before the
third Friday in February, the Tuesday before the 26th of
May, the second Tuesday in July, O. S., and the Tuesday
before the 23rd November, for the sale of horses, cattle,
and grain, and for the hiring of servants.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of Aberlour,
synod of Moray, and in the gift of the Earl of Seafield;
the minister's stipend is about £238, with a manse,
and a glebe valued at £7 per annum. The church, which
was erected in 1S06, is in good repair, and affords accommodation
to about 550 persons. In Glenlivet is a
missionary station, supported by the Royal Bounty: the
chapel was erected, or rather rebuilt, in 1825, and the
minister has a salary of £60, with a house, a small farm,
and a range of hill pasture for sheep, on the Gordon
estate, rent-free. There are also in the vale two Roman
Catholic chapels, one at Tombia, and the other at Chapelton;
the former will contain a congregation of nearly
1000, and the latter of about 300 persons. The parochial
school affords education to about fifty children; the
master has a salary of £28. 1". 5., with £11 fees, a house
and garden, and a portion of the Dick bequest. There
are two male, and one female school, for Protestants, in
the vale of Glenlivet. The masters of the two former
derive their salaries from the Society for Propagating
Christian Knowledge, and the General Assembly's Committee
for Highland schools, and have free houses, crofts,
and gardens, on the Gordon estate. From this estate,
also, the mistress of the female school has a house and
garden, and the sum of £5 per annum, in addition to a
similar sum from the society. In Glenlivet are likewise
three Roman Catholic schools, two for females and one
for males, all supported by funds contributed by the
congregations at the two chapels: two of these schools
are aided by a bequest. Various traces of the Druids
exist in several parts of the parish, the most considerable
of which are at Chapelton of Kilmaichlie. On Kilmaichlie
farm, ancient coins of silver of the size of halfcrowns,
and some old weapons, have been discovered by
the plough. The cemetery of a religious house formerly
existing at Downan is still used as a burying-ground, as
is also that of another, at Buitterlach, near which is a
cairn of large dimensions. On the farm of Haughs of
Kilmaichlie, is a spot of ground supposed to have been
anciently a place of sepulture, and which has been lately
planted with trees. A portion of the old castle of Drumin
occupies an elevated site on a promontory, near the
confluence of the rivers Livet and Aven; the walls on
the east and north sides are of considerable height, and
of massive thickness. At Blairfindy are the ruins of a
hunting-seat that belonged to the Earls of Huntly.