Gazetteer of Scotland

KIL
KIN
In Wiltfhire. There are feveral cir-
cular cairns and tumuli, and the re-
mains of 5 or 6 ancient chapels. Po-
pulation in 17915 1616.
KILVICEUEN; a parifh in the
ifiand of Mull, united to Kilfini-
CHKN. Vide KlLFINICHhN.
KILWINNING; a conliderable
town and parifh in Ayrfhire. The
town is fituated 5 miles N. N. W. of
Irvine, and contains 1260 inhabitants.
It is noted for the feat of the firft
mafon lodge in Scotland, from whence
all the other lodges have taken their
rife : this was eftablifhed about the
middle of the 12th century, by the
architect and mafons who came over
from the Continent, to affile, in the
building of the famous monaftery
which was erected here. Archery
was alfo early eftablifhed at Kilwin-
ning, and a prize is ftill fhot for an-
nually, by the burgeffes of the town.
The parifh of Kilwinning is 9 miles
in length, and, in many places, of
the fame breadth. The furface rifes
gently from the S. and W. to the N.
and E. and is beautifully ciiverfified
with many rifing grounds ; the tops
of which, particularly in the neigh-
bourhood of the town, are covered
with plantations. The whole is en-
clofed with hedges and ditches, and
agriculture is much attended to. The
parifh is watered by the Gamoch ri-
ver, and the Lugtoa, one of its tribu-
tary ftreams. Eglintoun-cajile, the feat
of the family of Eglintoun for upwards
of 400 years, is in this parifh ; it is
/urrounded with plantations and plea-
fure grounds, containing 2000 Scots
acres, laid out in the fineft ityle. The
ruins of the monaftery of Kilwinning
is fituated about a mile from the
{own; it was founded in 1140 by
Hugh de Moreville, Lord of Cunning-
ham, for monks of the Tyronenfian
order, and dedicated to 5/. Winning ;
it was deftroyed at the reformation,
and the only entire remains of this an-
cient and magnificent monaftery are
a fteeple and gable of the church,
which were lately repaired at a conli-
derable expence by the Earl of Eglin-
toun. Freeftone and limeftone are
found in great abundance, and of the
fineft quality ; and no parifh in Scot-
land is better fupplied with coal. In
1793, it contained 2360 inhabitants;
a decreafs of i2j fince 1755.
KINCARDINESHIRE, orthe coun-
ty of MEARNS, is bounded on the N.
by Aberdeenfhire ; on the E. by the
ocean ; and on the S. and W. by the
county of Angus. Its form is trian-
gular, having the point towards the
S. E. ; its length along the coaft i»
about ;,o miles, and its greateft breadth
is nearly 20. It is faid to have received
the name of Mearns from a brother of
Kenneth II. called Mernia, at the fame
time that uEneas gave the name of
Angus to the fouthern diftrict of the
province of Eorejlia. But Camden is
inclined to fuppofe, that it retains the
name of the old inhabitants, the Ker-
nicotics of Ptolemy ; it being commoa
for the Britifh to change the V into
M, in forming the name of a country.
The name of Kincardine is derived
from a fniall village in the parifh of
Fordoun, which was anciently the
county town ; but the courts were-
removedto Stonehaven, by an act pafled
in the reign of James VI. and they
ftill remain in that town. The fea
coaft is partly flat, and partly rocky,
rifing inwards to a fine level country,
about 100 or 150 feet above the level
of the fea, and interfered by numerous
ftreams, the Bervie, Cozvie, Carron,
and divided from Angus by the North
EJk. A part of the Grampian ridge
runs through the county, forming the
N. fide of the Ho<w, or Hollow of the
Mearns, the N. eaftern extremity of
Strathmore, that great vale, which
extends from Stonehaven in the N. E.
to the diftrict of Cowal in Argyllfhir&
on the S. W.. directly acrofs the king-
dom. S. of the Grampians, the fur-
face is in general fertile ; and, fince
the late improvements in agriculture
have been introduced into this diftrict,
the appearance has been greatly im-
proved. The N. W. part of the fhirc
is mountainous, and chiefly adapted
for pafture. Kincardinefhire contains
only one royal borough, viz. Inver-
bervie or Bervie ; but there are
feveral populous towns and villages,
of which Stonehaven, yohn's-have/;,
and Laurence-kirk, are the chief; the
latter, from an inconfiderable village,
has by the judicious and liberal ex-
ertions of the late Lord Gardenftone,
become a handfome little town, with
confiderable manufactures. There arc
many fine rnanfions in the county,
particularly at Barn, built by the late: