Clatt

"CLATT, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 10 miles (S.) from Huntly; containing 524 inhabitants. The Gaelic word Cleith, or Cleit, signifying "concealed", appears to have given the name to this place, in consequence of its secluded situation, it being hidden from view on all sides. . . Great and successful efforts have been made to advance the husbandry to a high state of excellence, and within the last twenty years more than 300 acres of moss and moor have been reclaimed by extensive drainage. Larch and Scotch fir have lately been planted on the hills along the southern boundary, and there are some on the lower grounds that present an agreeable appearance. The breed of cattle, which has been greatly improved, is a cross between the native and the short-horned. . . The village of Clatt, beautifully ornamented with many old ash and plane trees, is a decayed burgh of barony, containing only a few houses. . . Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of Alford, synod of Aberdeen, and in the patronage of the Crown: the minister's stipend is £158 11. 4., of which about a seventh part is received from the exchequer; with a manse, and a glebe valued at £9 per annum. Clatt church, which is a very ancient edifice, was thoroughly repaired and re-seated in 1828, and contains sittings for 290 persons. The parochial school affords instruction in Latin, book-keeping, mathematics, and all the usual branches. . . More"
[From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]