MIDMAR, a parish, in the district of Kincardine-O'Neil,
county of Aberdeen, 15 miles (AY.) from the
city of Aberdeen; containing 1093 inhabitants. Midmar,
a term supposed to be compounded of the Saxon word mid,
and the Gaelic word marr denoting " a black forest",
is the name of one of the three great divisions of the extensive
region originally styled Marr, which lies between
the rivers Dee and Don. This district of Marr comprised
Brae-Marr, an appellation expressive of the highest
part of the country; Cro-Marr, a lower and more cultivated
tract; and Mid-Marr, so called, as is thought,
from its central situation in respect to the two rivers,
each being distant about six miles from the church.
The parish is nearly seven miles in length from east to
west, and about five miles in average breadth, containing
between 12,000 and 13,000 acres, of which 5000 or
6000 are under cultivation, 1600 in plantations, 1000
pasture, and the remainder hill, moss, and moor. Its
surface is rugged and uneven, and marked principally
by two hilly ridges with their vales. The lower grounds
are enlivened by pleasing rivulets and burns, and those
parts of the eminences where the soil is too thin for the
operations of the plough are planted with Scotch firs,
which flourish tolerably well, and are not only a great
improvement to the scenery, but form a protection to the
lands and the cattle from the severity of the weather.
The hill of Fare, at the southern limit, is the most considerable
elevation, measuring at its base seventeen
miles in circumference, and rising nearly 1800 feet above
the level of the sea. It affords excellent pasturage for
numerous flocks of sheep, and the mutton is reputed to
be of very superior flavour. In the northern and
eastern parts of the parish the soil is a good dry mould,
resting on a deep subsoil of clay; in the western quarter,
where the hills sink into the lower grounds, it is principally
a thin sandy or clayey earth, with a little loam, on
a gravelly subsoil. The grain raised consists chiefly of
oats and bear, and the green crops consist of turnips and
potatoes. Black-cattle and sheep are reared in considerable
numbers, and many swine are also fattened
for the market. The land varies greatly in ijuality, and
much of it is wet and mossy, and rented at a very low
rate: but large tracts have been reclaimed and improved
during the present century, and in some parts the fields
have been inclosed with good stone dykes. Many of
the farm houses and offices have been enlarged, or rebuilt
on a better plan; and agricultural advancement is
steadily kept in view by the farmers throughout the
parish. The rocks are mostly granite and whinstone,
both of which are quarried; the former is sometimes
obtained of superior quality, and in large blocks, and on
account of its taking a fine polish is used for the ornamental
parts of buildings. The annual value of real property
in Midmar is £4475.
The mansions of Kebbaty and Corsindae are both
modern structures, the houses of resident proprietors.
Midmar Castle, an ancient turreted edifice, is situated
in a kind of glen on the north side of the hill of Fare,
and is surrounded by wood: it commands fine views of
the nearer scenery, consisting of hills and valleys beautifully
grouped, and enriched with shrubs and trees;
and is itself an interesting and conspicuous object at a
distance, being seen to great advantage from many parts
of the adjacent country. The population is entirely
rural and agricultural: the fuel in common use is wood
and peat; the former is very cheap, and the latter is
procured in great plenty from the mosses in the parish.
A road runs on the north from the vale of Alford, and
another on the south from the Cromar district, both to
Aberdeen, to which place the marketable produce is
generally sent. Ecclesiastically the parish is in the
presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil, synod of Aberdeen, and
in the patronage of the Crown and Sir John Forbes, of
Craigievar, Bart., the latter presenting twice in succession.
The minister's stipend is £224, with a manse,
built in 1S40, and a glebe valued at £14 per annum.
Midmar church, which accommodates 600 persons, is a
very plain structure, built in 17S7. There are places of
worship for the United Presbyterian Church and the
Free Church. The parochial school affords instruction
in Latin and in practical mathematics, in addition to the
usual elementary branches; the master has a salary of
£34, with a house, a share in the Dick bequest, and
£19 fees. A parochial library of considerable size is
supported by subscription. Near the church are some
Druidical remains, with an altar in good preservation.
An excavation in a rock near the southern boundary of
the parish is still called the "Queen's Chair", Queen
Mary, as is said, having sat in it when, returning from
Aberdeen, she surveyed the neighbouring valley of Corrichie,
where a battle had been fought between the forces
of the Marquess of Huntly and the Earl of Murray,
Mary's general.