Glenbervie, Kincardineshire

Historical Description

GLENBERVIE, a parish, in the county of Kincardine, 7 miles (W. S. W.) from Stonehaven; containing 1296 inhabitants, of whom 397 are in the village of Drumlithie. This parish, which obviously derives its name from the situation of its church in a small glen on the north-eastern bank of the river Bervie, is totally unconnected with any event of historical importance. It is bounded on the north by the hills of Strachan and Durris, forming part of the lower range of the Grampians; and is about six miles and a half in length and five in breadth, comprising an area of 13,000 acres, of which 5000 are arable, 185 woodland and plantations, and the remainder meadow, pasture, high moorland, and waste. The surface is varied, and naturally divided into three districts, of which that on the banks of the river is level, and separated from the middle district by a deep ravine; the northern district includes a low and narrow ridge of the Grampians. The rivers are, the Bervie, which has its source in the hills to the northwest, and, taking an eastern course, flows along the southern boundary of the parish into that of Arbuthnott; the Carron, which rises in the hills near the west of the glen of Bervie, and runs eastward towards Fetteresso; and the Cowie, which has its source in the hills to the north of the parish, then runs through the northern part of the parish, and flows through Fetteresso.

The soil is various; in the district along the Bervie, early, and fertile; in the middle district, light and cold towards the west, but more productive towards the east; and in the northern district are some tracts of good arable land, with a large extent of heath and moor. The crops are oats, barley, and bear, with potatoes and turnips; the system of husbandry is in a very advanced state, and all the improvements in the construction of agricultural implements have been adopted. The annual value of real property in the parish is £5147. There is but little wood. Glenbervie House is a plain ancient building. The only village in the parish is Drumlithie, which is chiefly inhabited by weavers, and persons employed in the usual handicraft trades requisite for the supply of the neighbourhood: the linens woven here are principally of the coarser kinds, mostly Osnaburghs and sheeting, and about eighty persons are engaged. A fair is held in the village, for the sale of cattle, generally about the second week in October. Facility of communication is maintained by good roads, of which the high road from Perth, through Strathmore, to Aberdeen passes near the village; and the Aberdeen railway has a station at the village. Agricultural produce from the parish is shipped at Stonehaven for the London market. Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of Fordoun, synod of Angus and Mearns. The minister's stipend is £231, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £7. 5. per annum; patron, Mrs. Nicholson. Glenbervie church, a neat plain structure erected in the year 1826, contains 700 sittings. The parochial school is well attended; the master has a salary of £30, with a house, and £2. 2. in lieu of garden, and the fees average £15 per annum. This place gave the title of Baron, in the peerage of Ireland, to the Right Hon. Silvester Douglas, created Lord Glenbervie in 1800; but the dignity became extinct at his lordship's death. See Drumlithie.