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A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851), Samuel Lewis

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TOUGH, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 5 miles (S. E. by E.) from Afford; containing 762 inhabitants. This place is comprised partly in the northern and western portions of the Corrennie range, or "Red hill," and partly in the vale of the river Don, occupying that extension of it called the Vale of Alford. In no part, however, does the parish reach to the bank of the river. Its figure is altogether irregular; its length from north-east to south-west is between five and six miles, its breadth varies from half a mile to upwards of three miles, and, exclusively of a large tract of hills bounding the parish on the south, the whole contains 5650 acres, of which 2300 are in tillage, 1100 in plantations, and 2250 uncultivated. The rugged and unequal nature of the surface, which consists of mountains and valleys, and its general elevation of 420 feet above the level of the sea, produce much diversity in the scenery, the climate, and the soil. The district is exposed to many vicissitudes of weather, and in the early part of the winter the low grounds, which are damp and marshy, often suffer from sharp frosts. The Corrennie hill, rising to a height of 15*8 feet, forms a protection to the subjacent vales, and affords commanding views from its summit of all the local scenery. Though well watered with rivulets and good springs, the parish is destitute of any considerable stream.

The prevailing soil is a light reddish mould, shallow, and rather sharp, but of good quality; the best lands are those along the bases, or on the lower acclivities, of the hills. Oats and bear are the kinds of grain raised here; and the green crops consist principally of turnips and potatoes, of which the former are extensively cultivated, and the latter grown only for domestic consumption. The grounds receive large supplies of bonemanure, which is often mixed with dung; and guano has also been applied of late. The cattle are a very excellent stock, in general the old Aberdeenshire, crossed with the West Highland and other sorts, and not unfrequently with the Teeswater. About 1000 head are usually kept on the pastures, and the farmers make the fattening of cattle a leading object; they are fed during winter on oat-straw and turnips, and sent to market when about three years old. The sheep are mostly the black-faced; they are comparatively few in number, and kept by the farmers who dwell near the hill. The annual average value of the agricultural produce is £"400, of which £4000 are returned for grain alon The rotation system is followed, and various other improvements have been introduced, among which the most important are the adoption of the new plough, the cultivation of turnips, the growth of various grasses, the free use of lime, and the cleaning and draining of the land. These have placed the husbandry of the parish upon a superior footing; and in addition to the improved cultivation of the soil, the subsidiary aids to good farming have received much attention; especially the erection of threshing-mills, the construction of stone dykes for fences, and the improvement of the farm houses and offices.

The predominant rock is red granite, and mica-slate interlaid with granitic veins. Magnesian limestone is found, and there are boulders of blue granite in various places; also red slate, clay-stone, and very beautiful felspar-porphyry supplying excellent stone for building. The red granite is frequently quarried, and used for repairing roads. A clay-stone and porphyry dyke of a reddish hue, and of compact texture, traverses the eastern side of the parish, and continues for several miles. The plantations cover most of the higher grounds, and, with other varieties, consist of Scotch fir, larch, and spruce, all of them of large bulk and height, and 3nelding excellent timber. Tonley, the seat of the late eminent antiquary, James Byres, Esq., is a handsome modern mansion erected on the site of a former house, part of which is included in the present: its garden is inclosed in the midst of luxuriant wood, and forms an exquisite spot in a picturesque dell. The mansion of Whitehouse, also surrounded by flourishing plantations, occupies the south-west portion of a hill, and commands fine prospects of the fertile vale of Alford, and the adjacent mountains. The turnpike road from Aberdeen to Strathdon passes through the northern quarter of the parish, and that from the same place to Tarland touches on the south. There is also a good road to Kintore, about thirteen miles distant. Thither the produce of Tough is occasionally sent, being conveyed thence by canal to Aberdeen; but the direct route to Aberdeen by the road is generally preferred. Many black-cattle from this place are shipped for the London market; and butter, cheese, and large quantities of eggs, are also taken for sale to Aberdeen, the eggs amounting to about 6000 dozen yearly. About 3000 pairs of good worsted stockings are annually knitted by females here, for a manufacturing establishment at the same place. The annual value of real property in the parish is £24.50.

This place is ecclesiastically in the presbytery of Alford, synod of Aberdeen, and in the patronage of Sir John Forbes, Hart. The minister's stipend is £159, o which above a fifth is paid by the exchequer; with a manse, and a glebe valued at £7. 10. per annum. Toug church, containing 550 sittings, is a handsome edifice, built in 1838, and conveniently situated for the greater part of the people. By a decree of the Court of Teinds within the present century, this parish was annexed to that of Keig; and on account of the saving thus made of £57. 17. paid to the two ministers previously, fro the exchequer, under the Small-stipend act, the government agreed to advance £1200 towards the erection o a bridge at Keig, over the river Don. The annexation, however, after having been effected upon the death of one of the incumbents, in 1832, according to the decree, was found so inconvenient and unsatisfactory that it was dissolved, and the parishes now remain in their former state. The parochial school affords instruction in the usual branches; the master has a salary of £25. 13. 4. a house, an allowance from the Dick bequest, and £5 fees A school, also, for girls, under the direction of the Kirk Session, receives an auxiliary sum annually from the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. The interest of £200, left by the late Peter McCombie, i distributed among the poor. There is a subscription library containing between 400 and 500 volumes. Many Druidical circles are to be seen; the largest of them is called the Auld Kirk of Tough, and is surrounded by tumuli. On the hill above Whitehouse is a monumental stone more than twelve feet high, called Luath's Stone, from a son of Macbeth, who, according to tradition, fell here in his flight from Lumphanan, where his father had been slain. Two stone collars, of the shape of those used for horses, but only of a size to fit a pony, are preserved as curiosities, among other things, at the mansion-house of Tonley, the late proprietor of which, Mr. Byres, who died here at an advanced age, was celebrated for his profound acquaintance with architectural antiquities and the fine arts, and delivered public lectures on these subjects at Rome, where he long resided.

[From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]