Blairingone, Perthshire

Historical Description

BLAIRINGONE, for a time a quoad sacra parish, chiefly in the parish of Fossoway and Tulliebole, county of Perth; containing 574 inhabitants, of whom 210 are in New, and 79 in Old, Blairingone, 10 miles (W.) from Kinross. This parish, the name of which implies "the Field of Spears", included portions of the parishes of Muckart, Dollar, and Clackmannan; it was bounded on the north by the river Devon, and intersected by the road between Alloa and Kinross. Coal is abundant, and several mines are in operation; ironstone of very superior quality is also wrought, and some veins of an ore supposed to contain a considerable proportion of sulphur have lately been discovered. In the parish are several handsome residences, among which are, Devonshaw, a modern building in the Elizabethan style, beautifully situated on the south bank of the Devon; and Arndean, also a modern mansion, of the same style. The village is in the south-western part of the parish, and is chiefly inhabited by the work-people of the collieries. Blairingone was ecclesiastically in the presbytery of Auchterarder, synod of Perth and Stirling; the minister was appointed by the heads of families: the church is a neat plain building, erected by subscription, aided by a grant from the General Assembly's Church-extension Committee. There is a congregation of members of the Free Church, who assemble in a schoolroom of handsome design, erected in 1843: the school is for all denominations, and connected with the Free Church is a library. On the banks of the Devon is a remarkable spring issuing from among strata of ironstone, and used medicinally. - See Fossoway.