Belhelvie

A New History of Aberdeenshire, Alexander Smith (Ed), 1875

Etymology
The name of this parish in Gaelic signifies the town, or the place of many streams "and, accordingly, there are seven small rivulets that rise," and fall into the sea, within the bounds of the parish.

Boundaries
It is bounded on the north by the parish of Foveran; on the east by the German Ocean (along which it has a sea board of about five miles, six furlongs); on the south by the parish of Old Machar; and on the west by the parish of New Machar.

Extent
Its greatest length from south to north measures six miles in a direct line, and its greatest breadth from east to west measures 4½ miles, also in a direct line. The whole area is estimated to be about 12,685 acres, 402 decs.

Topography
The surface of the parish is very undulatory, especially along the sea coast, from which ridges rise into hills of considerable altitude towards the western boundary. The hill of Tarbathie, which stands on the south-eastern corner of the parish, is 174 feet above sea level, and the Over-hill is 455 feet. The hill of Wester Craigie, or Kingseat, which is the highest land in the parish, is 540 feet, and the church stands 80 feet above sea level. The ridge which forms the western boundary of the parish, runs from north of the Corbie loch, in Old Machar, by Kingseat, to Balnakettle in Udny. The central ridge runs from the Over-hill of Belhelvie Lodge, by Shiels, northward by Darrahill; and in the eastern division, there is a chain of small rounded hills, which commences with the Fife hills on the south, and run north, by Hatton, Keir, Orrok, the hill of Mennie, and terminate at Aikenshill, on the Foveran boundary of the parish.

[A New History of Aberdeenshire, Alexander Smith (Ed), 1875]