Topographical dictionary of Scotland > Volume 1

E L G I
E LI E
ELGINSHIRE, a county in the north-east of Scot-
land, bounded on the north by the Moray Frith, on the
east and south-east by Banffshire, on the south by a
detached portion of the county of Inverness, and on
the west by Nairnshire. It lies between 57° 1 1' and
57° 43' (N. Lat.) and 3° 2' and 3° 5S' (W. Long.), and
is about 40 miles in length, and 23 miles in extreme
breadth ; comprising an area of S40 square miles, or
537,600 acres; 8526 houses, of which 8154 are in-
habited; and containing a population of 35,012, of
whom 16,090 are males, and IS, 922 females. This
county formerly constituted a portion of the ancient
province of Moray, which contained the shires of Nairn
and Elgin, and a large part of the county of Banff, and
which was for many ages distinguished as the " granary
of Scotland." At a very early period Moray had an
establishment of Culdees, and it subsequently became
the seat of various religious societies, that emigrated
from Italy, and settled here about the commencement
of the 10th century. In the year 1100 it was made a
diocese ; and in 1150, an abbey for Cistercian monks
was founded at Kinloss by David I. The priories of
Urquhart, Pluscardine, and Kingussie were soon after-
wards established; and in 1224, Andrew, Bishop of
Moray, erected a cathedral for his diocese at Elgin, of
which the remains form one of the most interesting
ecclesiastical relics in the country. Since the Reforma-
tion the county has been included in the synod of
Moray ; it comprises parts of several presbyteries, and
consists of about twenty parishes. For civil purposes
it is joined with the shire of Nairn, under the jurisdic-
tion of one sheriff, who appoints a sheriff-substitute for
each ; and it contains the royal burghs of Elgin and
Forres, of which the former is the county town, the
towns of Garmouth and Lossiemouth, and a few
villages. Under the act of the 2nd of William IV., the
two counties return one member to the imperial
parliament.
The surface, which rises gradually from the shores
of the Frith towards the Grampian range, is beautifully
diversified with parallel ranges of hills of moderate
elevation, intersecting the county from cast to west, and
between which are fertile valleys of pleasing appearance.
The chief rivers are, the Spey, the Lossie, and the
Findhorn, of which the first enters the county from
Inverness, at Aviemore, and, pursuing a north-easterly
course, and receiving the Dulnan and Avon, falls into the
Moray Frith at Garmouth ; it is scarcely navigable,
from the extreme rapidity of its current, except for the
floating of timber from the forests of Strathspey, but
abounds with salmon, the fisheries of which produce a
rental of £7000 per annum. The Lossie has its source
in a loch of that name, within the county, and, taking
a direction nearly parallel with the Spey, flows through
the town of Elgin into the Frith at Lossiemouth. The
river Findhorn rises in the county of Inverness, and
soon after entering the county receives the streams of
the Dorbac and the Divie, and runs northward into
Findhorn bay, in the Moray Frith. The chief lakes
are, Lochnaboe, covering about sixty acres, and sur-
rounded with a forest of ancient firs ; Inchstellie, of very
small dimensions ; Loch Spynie, which has been almost
wholly drained ; and Lochandorb, on the boundary
between Elgin and the detached portion of the county
of Inverness. The last is four miles in length, and
400
about one mile broad ; on the border are some remains
of a castle, which was besieged by Edward II. of Eng-
land in his wars with Bruce.
About one-fifth of the land is arable and in cultiva-
tion, and of the remainder less than one-half is in
pasture, woodlands, and plantations. The soil in the
lower districts is sand, alternated with clay and loam,
which last is the most predominant ; the system of
agriculture, though inferior to that of some other coun-
ties, is still greatly improved, and the farm-buildings
and offices are generally substantial and commodious.
Considerable attention is paid to the rearing of live
stock ; the cattle are mostly a mixture of the Shetland
and Lancashire breeds, and the sheep of the black-faced
breed ; the horses are the Clydesdale and the Lanark,
with a few of the Suffolk and Yorkshire. The natural
wood with which the county formerly abounded has
been greatly diminished, and only some remains are
found on the banks of the rivers. The minerals are not
very important : iron-ore has been wrought, though
the works have long been discontinued ; and there are
indications of lead-ore and coal. Limestone is found
in several parts near the coast, and there are quarries
of excellent freestone ; slate is also wrought in some
places. The rateable annual value of the county is
£99,299. The principal seats are, Innes House, Duffus
House, Damaway Castle, Brodie House, the Grange,
Burgie Castle, Ortown House, and Elchies House.
The chief manufactures are the woollen and cotton, of
which the former has been long established ; there are
likewise some bleaching-grounds, and the spinning of
flax affords employment to a considerable number of
persons. There are some tanneries, and also distilleries
on an extensive scale, the latter paying collectively duties
to government amounting to £50,000 annually. The
county contains numerous remains of antiquity, of
which the chief are the ruins of Elgin cathedral, the
episcopal palace at Spynie, the priory of Pluscardine,
and the castles of Lochandorb, Dunphail, and Relugas :
there are also many memorials of the frequent battles
which occurred between the inhabitants and the Danes,
by whose incursions this part of the country was much
infested.
ELIE, a parish, and burgh of barony, in the district
of St. Andrew's, county of Fife, 3 miles (S. S. E.)
from Colinsburgh ; containing 907 inhabitants, of whom
S29 are in the village. This place is supposed to have
derived its name from the marshy nature of the soil
previously to the modern improvements in agriculture,
and a portion of land bordering on the loch of Kilcon-
quhar still retains that character. The manor has been
for many generations in the family of Anstruther, of
whom the first baronet, Sir William Anstruther, repre-
sented the county of Fife from the year 16S1 to 1709,
and was made a lord of session in the reign of Queen
Anne, strenuously exerting himself for the establish-
ment and maintenance of the Protestant religion. A
small harbour on the coast here seems to have been
formerly very much resorted to as a place of safety, in
stress of weather, by ships navigating the Frith of
Forth, as, if they missed this haven, there was no other
till they were driven on the coast of Norway. It was
easy of access, and perfectly secure ; and in a petition
presented to the privy council for its repair, it is stated
that it had afforded protection to more than 300 troops