Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

MAR
328
MAR
4,967. Houses 750. The village of Markinch is
pleasantly situated about half-a-mile to the north of
the Leven, and about 2 miles from the northern ex-
tremity of the parish. It is populous and thriving,
and enjoys a considerable share of the linen manu-
facture. There are six other villages in the parish:
Thornton, Milntown of Balgonie, Coaltown, Kirk-
forthar -feus, Dubbieside, with a population of 373,
and Star, which is partly in the parish of Kennoway.
■ — The manufactures of this parish are very exten-
sive, and, though varied, are chiefly connected with
the linen trade. The spinning of linen yarn is also
carried on to a considerable extent. The spinning
mills at Balgonie, belonging to Messrs. Baxter and
Stewart, are the largest, and are impelled by two
water-wheels, on the Leven, which together are of
55 horse-power. They contain machinery for spin-
ning flax and tow, both long staple and broken staple.
The quantity of flax consumed at the mills in the
year 1838 was 475 tons ; and besides the tow pro-
duced from the flax spun, about 100 tons of imported
tow was also used. The total cost of flax and tow
used was above £-25,000 sterling. There are about
265 persons employed at these mills ; and the aver-
age quantity of yarn spun per week is 10,000
spyndles. The yarns spun are, with the exception
of the heavier tow-yarn, either sold in the district
adjoining, or exported to France. The heavier tow-
yarns are manufactured by the proprietors into can-
vass, sacking, &c, chiefly for the London market.
There are also large spinning-mills at Haugh-mill,
near Cameron-bridge ; and a mill at New Inn, for
spinning linen-yarn. Near Plasterer's Inn is a mill
for spinning wool. It is moved by a water-wheel of
10 horses' power, and makes about 45 stones of
woollen-yarn per week. There are five bleachfields
in the parish, where the bleaching of linen-yarn is
extensively carried on : Rothes bleachfield, Balgonie
mill bleachfield, Haugh-mill bleachfield, Loehty
field, and New Inn bleachfield. At Balgonie about
400 tons of linen-yarn are bleached annually, at
Haugh mill about the same quantity, and at Loehty
from 500 to 600 tons of yarn. The paper mill at
Auehmuty, was originally erected in 1810, and has
since been improved by the introduction of the ma-
chine generally used in making paper. Above a ton
of fine rags are consumed here daily in making cart- i
ridge, coloured, printing, and writing papers. Brown I
. and grey papers are manufactured at Rothes mill, and |
also at Balbirnie. At Thornton, the Messrs. Tennant
and Company of Glasgow, have an extensive chemi- !
eal work for the manufacture of sulphuric acid ; and j
there is a large distillery at Cameron bridge. — Bal-
gonie castle is one of the principal objects of anti-
quarian notice in the parish. The buildings are ob- i
viously of different ages, but the castle is still in re- i
pair, and formed one of the residences of the Earl of
Leven within the last fifty years. The great tower
is the most ancient, and was probably erected about
the 14th or 15th centuries. It is situated on the
banks of the Leven, about 36 feet above the bed of
the stream. It is 80 feet high, with a battlement at
the top, and is 45 feet in length, by 36 in breadth,
over the walls. The walls of the two lower stories,
which are arched with stone, are 8 feet thick. The
remaining buildings form an extensive quadrangle,
enclosing a court, and a portion of them are said to
have been erected by the first Earl of Leven The
house of Balfour is remarkable, as containing an ori-
ginal portrait of the well-known Cardinal Bethune,
and of another Mary Bethune, one of the Queen's i
four Marys. — At Brunton an ancient tower at one
time existed, said to have been the remains of a re-
sidence of the Earls of Fife; and from it, it is al-
leged, in popular tradition, there was a subterrane-
ous passage to the Maiden-castle in the neighbour-
ing parish of Kennoway At Bandon there is also
the ruins of an ancient tower, and at Kirkforthar the
remains of a chapel which once existed here, but was
suppressed previous to the Reformation. — Of anti-
quities of a more ancient date, in all probability,
than any of these, may be mentioned an ancient cross,
which stands on a rising ground to the north of the
village of Markinch, and near the garden entrance to
Balbirnie. It is a broad slab about 7 feet high, but
without any carving, so far as can now be discovered.
Immediately east of this cross, and on the opposite
side of the public highway, is a small hill of an ob-
long shape, about 200 yards in length, called Mark-
inch hill. It is remarkable from the circumstance of
its northern declivity presenting six regular terraces
at different heights, about 20 feet broad, and extend-
ing the whole length of the hill. Formerly these ter-
races were to be seen on entering Markinch from the
north ; but the hill was planted by the late General
Balfour, and the terraces, consequently, in a great
measure, concealed. They are obviously artificial;
but the purpose for which they were intended is not
so plain. Colonel Miller thinks this hill has been a
Roman station ; and that by them the terraces were
constructed ; others think that games were anciently
held in the low ground to the north, and that the
terraces were made for the convenience of the spec
tators. The fact of the low ground, and also of that
which surrounds the hill on which the church of
Markinch stands, having been anciently a marsh,
would seem to be inconsistent with this idea.
Stone-coffins, or cistvaens, have been found in the
parish, containing calcined bones.. — This parish is in
the synod of Fife, and presbytery of Kirkcaldy. Pa-
tron, the Crown. Stipend £267 17s. ; glebe £30.
Unappropriated Crown teinds £457 19s. 2d. ; col-
lege teinds £25 17s. 4d.
The church of Markinch is noticed in very ancient
records. Hugo, the ancestor of the family of
Wemyss, the second son of Gillimichael, fourth Earl
of Fife, conferred the church of Markinch with a
toft, and the teinds belonging to the same, upon the
canons of St. Andrews, which was confirmed by his
son Hugo, previous to 1171. The tower of the
present church is of great antiquity, though certainly
not by any means of that age which has been attri-
buted to it, that of the 9th or 10th century; though
we should be inclined to assign it to the 14th or 15th
century. The spire, however, which surmounts it,
is of comparatively modern erection, and the church
was partly rebuilt and enlarged in 1806; sittings
1,360. It is situated in the village of Markinch.
The small parsonage of Kirkforthar was annexed to
Markinch about the beginning of the 17th century.
Two chapels have been erected, which have since
had districts assigned them, as quoad sacra parishes,
at Milntown of Balgonie, and the village of Thorn-
ton on the south-west boundary of the parish :
which see. The parochial school is in the village of
Markinch, and is ably taught, and well attended.
The teacher has the maximum salary, with a good
house, garden, and school-house. Besides the parish-
school, there are eight other schools in the parish.
There is a chapel at the village of Markinch in con-
nection with the United Associate Synod ; sittings
300 ; and another in the same connection at Dubbie-
side; sittings 400. The stipend of the former is
£100; of the latter £84.
MARLEE (Loch), or Drdmmellie. See ar-
ticles Lethendy and Stormont. ,
MARNOCH, a parish in Banffshire; bounded on
the north by Boyndie, Banff, and Alvah; on the east
by Forglen; on the south by the Deveron, which
divides it lrom Inverkeithnie, and partly from Rothie-