ROTHIEMAY, a parish, in the county of Banff,
5| miles (N. by E.) from Huntly; containing, with the
village of Milltown, 1 '227 inhabitants, of whom 114S are
in the rural districts. This place, the name of which is
of uncertain derivation, belonged in the reign of Malcolm
rV. to the family of Abernethy, afterwards Lords Saltoun,
who retained possession of it till towards the commencement
of the seventeenth century, when it passed,
by marriage with the daughter of William, eleventh
Lord Saltoun, to the Gordons. Early in the next century,
the lands were purchased from the Gordons by
Sir John Ogilvie, whose son, afterwards of Inchmartin
in the county of Perth, sold them to William, Lord
Braco, an ancestor of the present Earl of Fife, who is
the principal landed proprietor. During the possession
of the lands by the Abernethys, Mary, tiueen of Scots,
according to Buchanan, passed a night in the ancient
house of Rothiemay; and the apartment and bed in
which she slept are still preserved in the present mansion.
The PARISH is bounded on the north-west by the
burn of Knock, which separates it from the ])arish of
Grange, and on the west by the river Isla, which divides
it from the parisli of Cairnie; and is from seven to
eight miles in length and from five to six miles in extreme
breadth, comprising .5000 acres, the greater number
arable. Its surface is varied, mostly rising by gentle
acclivities from the banks of the rivers to a considerable
height, and commanding extensive and interesting views
of the adjacent country, which is richly cultivated; but
in soi.ie parts subsiding into a wide tract of table-land,
part of which is a peat-moss, affording an abundant
supply of fuel. The burn of Knock flows into the river
Isla near Coldhorae; and the Isla, which has its source
in Botriphnie parish, runs in a south-eastern direction,
and, after a course of sixteen miles, falls into the Doveron
near the church. The Doveron, which has its source
in the hills of Cabrach, in the county of Aberdeen, flows
past the town of Huntly, enters this parish on the south,
and taking an eastern direction through the interior,
divides it into two unequal portions: afterwards passing
northward, it falls into the Moray Firth, at the town of
Banff. In its course through the parish, the Doveron
winds between richly-wooded banks, enlivened with much
beautiful scenery; and it abounds with salmon, eels, and
common trout, affording excellent sport to anglers, by
whom it is much frequented.
The northern part of Rothiemay is less fertile than the
lands on the banks of the Doveron, which are chiefly
arable, and in a state of high cultivation, the soil here
being luxuriantly rich. In this parish the pastures bear
but a small proportion to the arable land, but are still
sufficient for the support of a few sheep and black-cattle.
The system of husbandry is in an improved state; the
lands have to a considerable extent been drained, and
inclosed partly with hedges of thorn, and partly with
stone dykes. There is no part of the district in undivided
common. The farm houses and buildings are
generally substantial, and all the more recent improvements
in the construction of agricultural implements are
gradually coming into use. The plantations have been
greatly increased within the last few years, and are now
very extensive: they consist of ash, elm, birch, alder,
oak, beech, and the various kinds of firs, for all of vihich
the soil is adapted. There are also some remains of
natural wood. The substrata in the adjacent parish of
Grange are partly limestone, for the preparation of which
for manure there are several kilns in this parish; and
stone is found, of good quality for the roads, but it is not
quarried to any considerable extent. The annual value
of real property in the parish is £3740.
Rothiemay House, one of the seats of the Earl of Fife,
is beautifully situated on the north bank of the Doveron,
about a mile and a half below the confluence of the
Doveron and the Isla. A part of the ancient mansion
was rebuilt, and the remainder greatly improved and enlarged,
by the late earl, as an occasional residence; the
grounds attached to the house are tastefully laid out, and
embellished with some timber of stately growth and*with
thriving plantations of more recent date. Mayen House,
the property and residence of John (Gordon, Esq., is an
elegant mansion beautifully situated on the west bank
of the Doveron, in grounds comprehending much picturesque
scenery. The village of Rothiemay, or Milltown,
as, since the establishment of an excellent meal-mill, it
has been more generally called, stands on the bank of
the Doveron near its junction with the Isla, and is described
under its own head. There is a woollen manufactory,
on rather a limited scale, on the north bank of
the Isla. Fairs are held annually. Facility of communication
is maintained by the turnpike-road from Huntly
to Banff and Portsoy, which jiasses through the parish,
and by commutation roads, of which about fifteen miles
intersect the parish in various directions.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes this place is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Strathbogie and synod of Moray. The
minister's stipend is £1*5. 3. 6., with a manse, and a
glebe valued at £10. 10. per annum; patron, the Earl
of Fife. Rothiemay church, which is situated near the
village, is a substantial structure, erected about the
beginning of the present century, and well adapted to
the accommodation of the parishioners. The members
of the Free Church have a place of worship. The parochial
school affords instruction to about 130 children:
the master has a salary of £30, with a house, and an
allowance of £'2 in lieu of garden; the fees average f^O,
and he also receives a liberal allowance from the Dick
bequest. Near Rothiemay House are the remains of a
Druidical circle, situated in the centre of a cultivated
field, and in a state of good preservation; and in the
north-western part of the parish are vestiges of what is
supposed to have been a Roman road. James Ferguson,
the eminent astronomer, was a native of this parish.