A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851), Samuel Lewis

LOGIE-COLDSTONE, a parish, in the district of KINCARDINE-O'NEIL, county of ABERDEEN, 9 miles (W.) from Kincardine O'Neil; containing 936 inhabitants. This place comprises the ancient parishes of Logie and Coldstone, united in 1618, and the former of which derives its name from a Gaelic term signifying a "hollow" or "low situation", which is faithfully descriptive of its character. Of the name Coldstone, formerly Colstane, the derivation is altogether uncertain. The parish occupies a district between the rivers Don and Dee, from both of which it is nearly equidistant; it is bounded partly on the west by the river Deskry, separating it from the parish of Strathdon, and is about six miles in length and three miles and a half in breadth. Logie-Coldstone is of very irregular form, inclosing within its boundaries a detached portion of the parish of Migvy; and its superficial contents have never been duly ascertained. About 3000 acres are arable, 900 woodland and plantations, and the remainder hill pasture, moorland, and waste. The surface is diversified with numerous hills, a range of which of precipitous height extends along the western boundary; the most conspicuous is the hill of Morven, commanding from its summit an unbounded propect towards the east. On the north the hills are less elevated, of more gradual ascent, and partly under cultivation. Neither of the two great rivers above mentioned intersects or bounds the parish: the river Deskry, after forming a boundary for some distance, flows into the Don; and there are some small rivulets, which, after intersecting various lands here, flow into the Dee. At the south-western extremity of the parish, and partly within its limits, is Loch Dawan, a considerable lake, nearly three miles in circumference. Lochan Uaine, which takes its name from the green colour of its water, is a small pond, on the farm of Nether Ruthven; and though apparently impure, the cattle drink of its water in preference to any other. Of the numerous springs, several of which possess mineral properties, the most distinguished is a powerful chalybeate near the church, called the Poll Dubh, signifying in the Gaelic the "black mire", and which is still resorted to by many persons for its efficacy in the cure of scorbutic complaints.

The SOIL is various; in some parts, a deep rich loam; in others, light and sandy; and on the slopes of the high grounds, generally fertile; producing favourable crops of grain, potatoes, and turnips, with the usual grasses. Of late years the system of husbandry has been greatly improved, and considerable tracts of moor and waste have been brought into profitable cultivation. The lands have been inclosed; the houses and offices are usually substantial and well arranged; threshing-mills have been erected on most of the farms, and all the more recent improvements in the construction of agricultural implements have been adopted. The moors abound with grouse, snipes, woodcocks, partridges, hares, and game of every other variety; ptarmigan and white hares are found in abundance on the hill of Morven, and great numbers of wild ducks and geese frequent the lower grounds. There are some small remains of ancient wood, consisting chiefly of dwarf alder; and roots of oak, fir, and hazel of large growth, are often dog up in the mosses. The plantations are principally fir and larch, for which the soil seems well adapted, and which are both in a thriving state. The rocks in the parish are of the granite formation; but there are no quarries. The annual value of real property in Logie-Coldstone is £6258, the amount for the district of Logie being £3178, and for the district of Coldstone £3080. The seats are Corrachree and Blelack, both of them neat modern mansions. Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil, synod of Aberdeen. The minister's stipend is about £217, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15 per annum; alternate patrons, the Crown, and the Farquharson family of Invercauld. Logie-Coldstone church, rebuilt in 1780, is a neat plain structure, and well adapted to the accommodation of the parishioners. The parochial school is attended by about 100 children: the master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden, and the fees average £25 per annum; he has also a portion of the Dick bequest. There are several cairns in the parish, two of which, of large dimensions, have given the name of Cairnmore to the farms on which they are respectively situated. In the gable of one of the offices on the farm of Mill of Newton is a sculptured stone, originally erected on some ground in the vicinity which is still called Tomacbar, or the "Hillock of the Chair". Within the last few years, part of a paved road was discovered below the surface of a ploughed field, on the lands of Blelack; and near the spot is a hollow called the Picts' Howe. On removing some of the stones, layers of charred wood were found beneath them.

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