KILMANY, a parish, in the district of Cupar,
county of Fife; containing, with the village of Rathillet,
659 inhabitants, of whom 58 are in the village of
Kilmany, 5 miles (N. by E.) from Cupar. This parish,
the name of which is supposed by some writers to signify
" the church of the monks ", and by others " the
church of the valley ", is situated in the north of the
county, and forms part of a rich and fertile vale. It is
about five miles in length, and one in average breadth,
and comprises 4477 acres, whereof 200 are woodland
and plantations, and the remainder all arable. The surface
is diversified with hills, the highest of which have
an elevation of about 400 feet above the level of the sea.
The scenery is generally pleasing, being partially enriched
with plantations, and in some parts picturesque. An
aperture in the hill of Kilmany forms a romantic glen,
called Goales Den, which has been finely planted. Several
of the hills, also, have been covered with thriving plantations;
and on those that separate the parish from the
Tay are some rich woods through which walks have been
cut, affording beautiful views of the river, the Carse of
Gowrie, and the hills of Angus. The plantations are of
larch, fir, beech, and ash, interspersed with a few oaks;
the old wood is chiefly in the grounds of Mountquhanie,
Lochmalonie, and Rathillet. The valley is watered by the
river Motray, which has its source in the height of Norman
Law, from opposite sides of which descend two small
streams: these unite their waters on the confines of the
parish to make the Motray, and, flowing near the base of
the eminence whereon the church is built, it runs into
the river Eden. The Motray, though an inconsiderable
stream, frequently in winter overflows its banks. A
small rivulet called the Cluthie, which rises within the
parish, after a course of about a mile falls into the Motray
below the church; and there are also two small burns
which, flowing through the pasture lands, add to their
fertihty. The climate is temperate, the air salubrious;
and the inhabitants generally are of robu.st health.
The soil is good, and the system of agriculture
improved; draining has been practised with success;
lime has been long used with advantage, and within the
last few years bone-manure has been introduced. The
crops are wheat, barley, oats, peas, potatoes, and turnips.
The sheep are principally of the Leicester, Cheviot, and
Highland breeds, of which 1000 are annually fed for the
butcher upon turnips; the cattle are of the Old Fife breed,
with an occasional mixture of the Teeswater, and on an
average about 200 head are annually reared in the parish.
No horses are reared, except for agricultural purposes.
The lands are but very imperfectly inclosed; and there
is still great room for improvement in the fences and
plantations, which are comparatively on a limited scale.
The substratum of the hills is mostly trap rock or whinstone;
in some places of a dark- blue colour, and extremely
brittle; in others of a reddish white, and not
easily worked. This stone is occasionally quarried for
building, but generally for the roads, and for the construction
of drains and dykes. The annual value of real
property in the parish is £7937- Mountquhanie, Kilmany
Cottage, Lochmalonie House, Hill-Cairnie, and Rathillet
House are handsome mansions, pleasantly situated.
The village consists of a few cottages, the residence of
such as are not employed in agriculture, and who carry
on the pursuit of weaving, at their own homes, for the
manufacturers of Dundee and Cupar; many of the
females are also employed in weaving during the winter.
There are three corn-mills and a saw-mill, the last employed
in converting inferior timber into staves for
barrels, great numbers of which are sent to Leith and
other places connected with the herring-fishery. All
the farms in the parish have threshing-mills; they are
seventeen in number, eleven of them driven by horses,
three with water, two with water and horses, and one
with steam. The roads are good; and there are tolerable
facilities of intercourse with the neighbouring market-
towns, of which Cupar is the nearest. Ecclesiastically
the parish is in the presbytery of Cupar, synod of
Fife, and in the patronage of the United College of St.
Andrew's: the stipend is about £220, with a manse,
and a glebe valued at £30 per annum. Kilmany church,
situated on rising ground overlooking the river Motray,
is a plain edifice erected in 1768, in good repair, and
adapted for a congregation of about 350 persons. There
is a place of worship for the United Presbyterian Church.
The parochial school is at Rathillet, nearly in the centre
of the parish; the master has a salary of £34, with from
£15 to £20 fees, and a house and garden. Two other
schools, for younger children and for girls, are supported
by Mrs. Gillespie of Kirkton and Mrs. Thomson of
Charleton; the teachers have each an allowance of £10
per annum, with a house and garden, and the fees. The
late Rev. Dr. John Cook, professor of divinity in the
university of St. Andrew's, and the late distinguished
Dr. Chalmers, were ministers of this parish.