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Towie

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"TOWIE, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 4½ miles (S. W.) from Kildrummy church; containing 748 inhabitants. . . The Parish is nearly four miles in length, and about three miles and a half in breadth. It is of pretty regular form, but its superficial contents are not correctly known. Nearly 11000 acres of the land, however, are arable; and the remainder, with the exception of a moderate extent of woodland and plantations, is hill pasture, moor, and waste. The surface is abruptly diversified, and almost surrounded with hills of considerable height. . . The river Don traverses the parish from west to east, dividing it into two nearly equal portions, and making in its course several graceful windings. From the rapidity of its current along a narrow gravelly channel, it frequently overflows its banks, and lays waste the low lands on either side. . . The chief crops are oats and barley, potatoes, some flax, and the various grasses; and within the last few years, the cultivation of vegetables of most kinds has gradually increased. . . There are no villages. The St. Andrew Masonic lodge, here, was instituted in 1814, and a spacious hall erected in 1821; the buildings comprise also an excellent and well-frequented inn. A public library, which contains more than 500 volumes on theology, history, and general literature, was established in 1827, and is supported by subscription. . . Ecclesiastically this place is within the limits of the presbytery of Alford and synod of Aberdeen. . . Towie church, situated nearly in the centre of the parish, is a plain substantial structure with a small campanile-turret. . . More"
[From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]

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Cemeteries

A book of monumental inscriptions for this parish is available from the Aberdeen & NE Scotland FHS.

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Churches

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Church Records

Presbytery of Alford - Synod of Aberdeen

Here are details of the Birth, Marriage and Death records for this parish, available on the OPR films.

FilmBirthsMarriagesDeaths
245/11751-18201759-18141783-87
245/21820-541838 
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Description & Travel

Here is a detailed description of the parish, written in 1875.

You can see pictures of Towie which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Maps

This parish appears on sheet 37 of the OS Landranger Series, and on sheet 228 of the OS Pathfinder Series.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NJ440147 (Lat/Lon: 57.219508, -2.929021), Towie which are provided by:

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Names, Geographical

Here is a list of place names in the parish.

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Taxation

A booklet containing extracts from the 1696 Poll Book for this parish is available from the Aberdeen & NE Scotland FHS.