PORTNOCKIE, a fishing-village, in the parish of
Rathven, county of Banff, 1:^ mile (N. W.) from Cullen;
containing 725 inhabitants. This fishing-station, which
is the property of the Earl of Seafield, is situated two
miles eastward of Findochtie. It was built about the
year 1677, and has now nearly 100 boats belonging to it,
of which seventy are of the larger class, and all engaged
in the herring and other fisheries on the coast. A church
was built here a short time since, called Seafield church,
at a cost of £400, raised by subscription, towards which
the Hon. Col. Grant, now sixth Earl of Seafield, gave
£100. This portion of the parish has for a long period
been annexed quoad sacra to Cullen; it was lately proposed
to erect it into an ecclesiastical district, and attach
it to the new church, but that proposition was not carried
into effect. The earl has built an excellent schoolhouse,
and allows £10 per annum to the teacher, who is
permitted to charge the same fees as those at the parish
school.