Parish Of Inverkeithny. (County of Banff - Synod of Aberdeen - Presbytery of Turriff.)

By The Rev. Mr. John Milne, Minister

Name, Situation, River, and Extent.
A very large burn, or rivulet, which comes through the parishes of Drumblade and Forgue, falls into the river Deveron, near the church, from which it is probable the parish derives the name of Inverkeithny. The parish is situated on the S. side of the river, and is in the commissariot of Moray. It is in length, along the river side, from 5 to 6 English miles, and between 4 and 5 in breadth.

Produce and Rent. - A considerable quantity of grain is annually raised in the parish. The rent is fully 900 L. Sterling.

Fuel. - There is scarcely anything in the parish, that can be called moss or peats. The inhabitants are supplied with peats from the mosses of Foudland, in the parish of Forgue, and of Auchintoul, in the parish of Marnoch. They also burn a kind of turf, which they get upon the hills. Banff is the nearest sea-port where coals can be got, which is about 12 English miles distant from the church.

Ecclesiastical Matters. - The church and manse are situated in a narrow valley, near the bank of the Deveron. The parish formerly belonged to the Synod of Moray and Presbytery of Huntly. An exchange was made with the parish of Mortlich, which originally was in the Synod of Aberdeen and Presbytery of Turriff, and the minister of Inverkeithny still draws 6s. 8d. Sterling as the feu-duty of a house in Elgin, which has, probably, been one of the stalls in the cathedral at Elgin. There are no dissenters from the Established Church, except a few members of the Episcopal Church of Scotland.

Population. - The population of Inverkeithny has decreased considerably within these 20 years. This has been partly occasioned by the scarcity of fuel, but chiefly by the farmers thinking, from the high prices obtained for cattle and grain, that they had more profit, by cultivating their farms themselves, than by subletting a considerable part of them, as was formerly done in all the northern parts of Scotland.

Employments and Character. - There is no village in the parish; but there are tradesmen of different sorts, such as smiths, weavers, wrights, and tailors. All the rest are farmers. The inhabitants are in general an industrious people, in the middle rank of life, and are particularly distinguished, by their paying due respect and attention to the ordinances of religion.

The Statistical Account for Scotland, 1791-1799 Volume XVI Banffshire, Moray & Nairnshire

Information supplied to GENUKI by Gordon Troup.