Gazetteer of Scotland

them arc covered with oak woods of great
value. Population 711.
ABERLADY, a parish and village In
Haddingtonshire, bordering the Frith of
Forth, about 15 miles E. from Edinburgh.
It is watered by the small river Puffer, which
at spring tides is navigable for vessels of 60
or 70 tons, as far as the village of Aberlady,
which contains about 390 inhabitants. A-
long the sea coast there is a considerable ex
tent of sandy links or downs; above this the
soil is light and early. The middle district
is unproductive; but towards the S. there is
a fertile bank extending the whole length
of the parish. Gosford, (one of the finest and
most superb edifices in the kingdom) a seat
of the Earl of Womyss; and Ballincrieff, a
seat of Lord Elibank, are in this parish.
Population '912.
ABERLEMNO, a parish inthe county of
Angus, tying on the banks of the South' Esk,
about 6 1-2 miles long, and 5 broad. The
surface is various, some parts hilly and co-
vered with heath ; but the greater part
flat and fertile. Here are two obelisks, one
inthe churchyard, and the other on the
road from Brechin to Forfar, erected to com-
memorate the total defeat of the Danes.
Thej are about 9 feet high, covered with
rude hieroglyphics. Population 975.
ABER.LOUR, a parish situated on the S.
banks of the Spey, in the western part of
the county of Banff. It is nearly of the form
of a wedge, being 9 miles long, and 7 broad
at the longest end. The soil is in general
fertile. It is watered by the Fiddich and a
few other rivulets, which abound in trout
and eel. In the middle of the Parish stands
the hill of Belrinnes, elevated 11 00 feet above
the level of the sea. Population 923.
ABERNETHY, an ancient town in
Perthshire, formerly the capital of the Pic-
tish kingdom. It is said to have been found-
ed about the year 460. It was intended as
a retreat for St. Bridget, and 9 other virgins,
who were introduced by St. Patrick to Nec-
tan I. the Pictish monarch. Shortly after
it was erected into an episcopal see, and was
the residence of the metropolitan, if not of
all Scotland, at least of that part which was
subject to the Pictish kings. But when
Kenneth II. had entirely subdued the Picts,
he translated both to St. Andrew's, in 854.
The town is a burgh of barony, of which
Lord Douglas is superior. Its government is
vested in 2 bailies aud 15 councillors. The
church, so remarkable for its antiquity, and
supposed to be the cathedral that was found-
ed at the time the town was built, is now
pulled down, and one of a more elegant fa-
ABO
shion erected in its stead. In the church
yard is one of these towers ^of which this
and another at Brechin are the only ones
in Scotland) which have puzzled antiqoa-
rians to find their use. This one consists of
61 coursesofhewn stone, laid regularly. The
height is 7 1 feet, and the circumference 4S.
—The PARISH of Abernethy is of an ir-
regular figure, extending about 4 miles
each way. It is situated a little below the
conflux of the Earn with the river Tay. A-
griculture is yet in its infancy in this parish,
and bat a fe w enclosures are to be seen. A
small island in the Tay, called Mugdrum'i
isle, belongs to this parish. Baiv-aird castle
stands among the hills, the property of the
Earl of Mansfield. Population 1 635.
ABERNETHY and KINCARDINE, an
united parish, nearly equally divided betv een
the counties of Moray and Inverness. It is
about 15 miiesin length, and from 10 to 12
in bfeadUi. The surface is partly level, and
partly mountainous. The soil is as various.
Along the bank of the Spey there is a large
space of meadow ground liable to be over-
flown by the river.-The Nethy is the only
rivulet of any note. Loch Aven and Glen-
more are the chief lakes. The Cairngorum
mountain, celebrated for its well known to-
pazes, stands in this parish. There are
some very extensive forests of natural wood.
An ancient structure, (of which even tradi-
tion can give no account) 90 feet long, 60
wide, and 30 in height, stands in the neigh-
bourhood of the church. Castle Grant, the
seat of Sir James Grant, is an elegant seat.
Population 1709.
ABERNYTE, a parish In the county of
Perth, among those hills that rise gradually
from the Carse of Gowrie to the top of Dun-
sinnan- It is of an irregular oblong form,
being 3 miles in length, and 2 in breadth .
The low grounds are light, dry, and fertile,
but the more elevated are of a loose, poor,
and gravelly soil. The tops of the hills are
bare and rocky. There is a remarkable fall
of water, nearly 60 feet perpenJicular, at
the head of a den which extends to the
Carse of Gowrie. Part of the hill of Duu-
sinnan is in this parish. Population 262.
ABERTARFF.— Vide Boleskine and A-
bertarfF.
ABINGTON, a village in the parish of
Crawfordjohn, Lanarkshire, on the road
from Glasgow to Carlisle.
A BOY NIT., a parish in Aberdeenshire,
composed of the districts of Aboyne and
Glentanar. The cultivated part of the
parish extends on both sides of the Dee, a-
bout 1 miles in length, and three in breadth ;