Kildrummy

"KILDRUMMY, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 6 miles (W. by N.) from Alford; containing 627 inhabitants. This place, the name of which is of Gaelic origin, and signifies "the little burial mount", was distinguished for its castle, anciently the property of David, Earl of Huntingdon, and a seat of King Robert Bruce. The castle now presents a venerable ruin, situated on an eminence overlooking a rivulet that falls into the Don. . . The PARISH is bounded on the north by that of Auchindoir and Kearn, on the east by the parishes of Forbes and Alford, and on the west and south by the parishes of Leochel-Cushnie and Towie. It chiefly comprises a valley from two to three miles square, and is divided into two unequal parts by the river Don. . . Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of Alford, synod of Aberdeen, and the patronage is vested in the Crown. The stipend of the minister varies from £150 to £160, of which about a third is received from the exchequer; and there is a manse, with a glebe of six acres, valued at £10 per annum. Kildrummy church is a plain edifice, erected in 1805. The parochial school affords instruction in the usual branches; the master has a salary of £25. 13. 4., with a school an dwelling-house, built in 1822, and about £11 fees; also a portion of th Dick bequest. Lord Elphinstone, who was slain at the battle of Flodden, and the Earl of Mar, attainted in 1715, were buried in the churchyard of the parish. . . More"
[From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]