Premnay

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

Etymology
The name of this parish is variously spelt. In a description of the parish by Mr. Gordon, minister of Alford, 1724, it is spelt Premney; in the Statistical Account of the parish, 1842, it is stated that in some old registers the name is written Premanal; and in the View of the Diocese of Aberdeen, it is written Prema, Premna, Prameth, and Premnay. The word or name, has no Gaelic either in the prefix or in its composition.

Boundaries
The parish is bounded on the north by the parish of Insch; on the east by Oyne; on the south by Keig; and on the west by Leslie.

Extent
The greatest length of it from south to north, is from the Keig boundary, on the mountain of Benachie, to the water of Shevach, at Insch, which is 3¾ miles in a direct line; and the greatest breadth, also in a direct line, from Daies, near to ,the Free Church of Leslie, is 2¾ miles. The whole area is computed to be 5,432¾ acres.

Topography
The mountain of Benachie occupies the south-east corner of the parish, and the lower ridges of the Brindy Hill and Edingarroch run westward therefrom. The Oxen Craig on Benachie being 1,742 feet above sea level, the ridge of the Brindy is 826 feet, and the Druid-stone croft on Edingarroch, about 800 feet. On the northern slopes of Benachie, is the hill of Tillymuck, at the bottom of which runs the Gaudy Water, and the lowermost point on it in the parish is near to the old toll bar of Daies, which is 400 feet above sea level, and the church of Premnay is 440 feet. The bridge over the stream in the village of Auchleven is 482 feet, and the Gaudyside road on the bounding stream with the parish of Leslie, is 512 feet above sea level. The land betwixt the Gaudy and the Shevach is hilly, and the tops of the hills are either cultivates or planted. The higher hills being those of Newton, Foreside, and the hill of Drumrossie, near the Insch Railway Station, which is now brought into cultivation.

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