INVERKEILLOR, a parish, in the county of Forfar,
6 miles (N. by E. ) from Arbroath; containing,
with the hamlets of Chapelton of Boysack, Leysmill,
March of Lunanbank, and Millfield, 18*9 inhabitants,
of whom 141 are in the village of Inverkeillor. This
parish derives its name from its situation at the mouth
of the Keillor, a small rivulet which flows into the bay
of Lunan about a mile south-eastward of the village.
It lays claim to a considerable degree of antiquity; and
near the mouth of the river Lunan are the ruins of the
ancient house of Redcastle, said to have been built for a
hunting-seat, the probability of which is confirmed by the
names of several of the adjacent lands. In the year 1/49
the roof and part of the walls of Redcastle were taken
down; a statue of King William the Lion was then removed
from its pedestal, and owing to the inattention
or unskilfulness of the workmen, it fell to the ground,
and was broken to pieces. The parish is bounded on
the north, and also intersected, by the river Lunan; on
the east is the sea. It is about seven miles in length,
and of very irregular form, varying from about two and
a half to four and a half miles in breadth; and comprises
an area of 7500 acres, of which 130 are woodland
and plantations, '2500 pasture, and the remainder arable.
The surface is generally level, but rises towards the north
by a gentle acclivity from the river Lunan, and towards
the south from the Keillor, terminating, in the latter
direction, in a high ridge of rocky coast, at the promontory
of Redhead, which has an elevation of '230 feet
above the level of the sea. Of the two streams, the
Lunan has its source near Forfar, and flowing eastward,
through the northern portion of the parish, falls into
Lunan bay: the Keillor rises in the southern part of
the parish, and joins the sea at the southern extremity
of the bay of Lunan. The coast extends for nearly six
miles; and the shore along the bay of Lunan is a flat
firm sand, beyond which, to the south, it is bold and rocky.
Lunan bay affords good anchorage for vessels; and all
along the coast are salmon-fisheries.
The SOIL is in general fertile, in some places a deep
rich loam, and in others of a lighter quality; the crops
are, grain of every kind, with potatoes and turnips.
The system of husbandry is in a very improved state;
the lands are well drained, the farm-buildings of superior
construction, and the fences, which are chiefly of
stone, are kept in good order. Of the live stock, the
cattle reared in the parish are usually of the Angus black
breed, without horns: most of them are sold when three
years old, for the English market, where they obtain a
high price; and the others are pastured for home use,
or for the Glasgow market. The sheep are of the Highland
black-faced breed, with a few of the Cheviot and
the Leicestershire. The annual value of real property
in the parish amounts to £8761. The plantations are
beech, elm, oak, birch, and plane, with larch and Scotch
fir, for which the soil is well adapted. Freestone is extensively
quarried at Leysmill, where paving-stones are
dressed by machinery driven by steam: in the works
here, which are the property of Mr. Carnegie of Boysack,
about fifty men are constantly employed. Ethie House,
the seat of the Earl of Northesk, is an ancient mansion
originally erected by Cardinal Beaton, and is pleasantly
situated near the coast. The only other houses of any
note are Kinblethmont and Anniston.
The village of Inverkeillor stands on the great north
road from Edinburgh to Aberdeen: its inhabitants are
the ordinary tradesmen necessary for the convenience of
a country population. Some of the inhabitants of the
parish are employed in the spinning of flax, for which
there are several mills, some being driven by steam, and
others by the water of the Lunan. Near the church is
a posting-house, called Chance Inn; and facility of communication
is afforded by the Arbroath and Forfar and
the Aberdeen railways, by good roads, and several bridges
over the Lunan river. For ecclesiastical purposes
the parish is within the limits of the presbytery of
Arbroath, synod of Angus and Mearns. The minister's
stipend is £246. 14., with a manse, and a glebe valued at
£8. 15. per annum; patron, the Crown. Inverkeillor
church, erected in 1735, and enlarged by the addition
of an aisle in 1799, is a plain structure containing 700
sittings. There is a place of worship for members of the
Free Church. The parochial schoolmaster has a salary
of £34 a year, with a house and garden; he receives £10
from a bequest, for the gratuitous instruction of twelve
poor children, and the fees average about £15 per annum.
There is also a school at Chapelton, the master of which
has a free house and garden, and a salary of £7 arising
from a bequest, in addition to the fees. The bequest
from which the two payments to the schools are made,
amounts to £1000, under the management of the Kirk
Session, who appropriate the remainder of the proceeds
to the poor not upon the parish roll. Near the sea are
the remains of St. Murdoch's chapel, with the buryingground
attached to it; and at Chapelton are the remains
of the chapel of Quytefield, the burial-place of the family
of Boysack.