Kincardine and Mearns is one of six
area committeeMany large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees, with responsibility for services in a particular part of the area covered by the council....
s of the
AberdeenshireAberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives...
council areaCouncil Area is the name applied by some local authorities in Scotland, to the area over which they have responsibility delegated to them by the Scottish Government."Council Area" replaces "Regional Authority" as a description....
in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It has a population 38,506 (2001 Census). There are significant natural features in this district including
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
s,
forestA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on the various criteria. These plant communities presently cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators,...
s,
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
s and
bogA bog or mire is a wetland type that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—usually mosses, but also lichens in Arctic climates....
s (known locally as
mosses).
Transport links with
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
have encouraged rapid population growth, especially in the north of this region. Existing settlements such as
PortlethenPortlethen is a town situated seven miles south of Aberdeen, Scotland along the A90. It has expanded rapidly over the last thirty years. Portlethen has a population of about seven thousand, and more than eight hundred houses are being built on nearby farmland...
and
StonehavenStonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland...
have greatly expanded, along with industrial activity.
Kincardine and Mearns is one of six
area committeeMany large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees, with responsibility for services in a particular part of the area covered by the council....
s of the
AberdeenshireAberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives...
council areaCouncil Area is the name applied by some local authorities in Scotland, to the area over which they have responsibility delegated to them by the Scottish Government."Council Area" replaces "Regional Authority" as a description....
in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It has a population 38,506 (2001 Census). There are significant natural features in this district including
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
s,
forestA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on the various criteria. These plant communities presently cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators,...
s,
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
s and
bogA bog or mire is a wetland type that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—usually mosses, but also lichens in Arctic climates....
s (known locally as
mosses).
Transport links with
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
have encouraged rapid population growth, especially in the north of this region. Existing settlements such as
PortlethenPortlethen is a town situated seven miles south of Aberdeen, Scotland along the A90. It has expanded rapidly over the last thirty years. Portlethen has a population of about seven thousand, and more than eight hundred houses are being built on nearby farmland...
and
StonehavenStonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland...
have greatly expanded, along with industrial activity. The southern part is more self-sufficient, with the fertile Mearns area sustaining a strong agricultural economy. Small scale tourism activity occurs along its attractive coastline and former fishing villages.
Kincardine and Deeside district
Between 1975 and 1996 Kincardine and Deeside was a local government district within the Grampian region. Its area included all of the county of
KincardineshireThe County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...
apart from a small area in the northeast which was covered by the City of Aberdeen. As the name suggested, it also included the large geographical area of the
watershedA drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean...
of the
River DeeThe River Dee is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It rises in the Cairngorms and flows through Strathdee to reach the North Sea at Aberdeen.-Geography:...
from the southern section of Aberdeenshire. In 1996, this district became part of
AberdeenshireAberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives...
unitary authorityA unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
in the local government reorganisation.
History
In medieval times, the northern part of the area known as
KincardineKincardine or Kincardine-on-Forth is a small town located on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland. The town was given the status of a Burgh of barony in 1663. It was at one time a reasonably prosperous minor port...
was comprised by the Thanedom of Cowie and the Thanedom of Durris. The Mearns was described as an earldom. Each of these
thanageA thanage was an area of land held by a thegn in Anglo-Saxon England.Thanage can also denote the rank held by such a thegn....
s was with the Crown as late as 1264 AD. In the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
the principal roadway connecting
StonehavenStonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland...
to
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
was known as the
Causey MounthThe Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continued to function as the principal route connecting these...
; this drovers' road was constructed in some places with large boulders in order to span certain boggy stretches.
During the
Scottish EnlightenmentThe Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments...
period, Lord Monboddo operated a large agricultural estate in the Mearns, at which location he conducted considerable research in agricultural improvement; Monboddo was best known as a jurist on the
Court of SessionThe Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland. It is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal and sits exclusively in Parliament House in Edinburgh.The Sheriff Court is the other Scottish civil court; this sits locally...
, as the father of modern historical linguistics and a pre-evolutionary thinker.
Notable architecture
- Dunnotar Castle, Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well preserved double groined 13th century towerhouse structure, built by the Frasers of Muchalls. Upon this structure, the 17th century castle was begun by...
and Fetteresso CastleFetteresso Castle is a 14th century towerhouse, rebuilt in 1761 as a Scottish gothic style Palladian manor, with clear evidence of prehistoric use of the site. It is situated immediately west of the town of Stonehaven in Kincardineshire slightly to the west of the A90 dual carriageway...
are located within this district.
- In the village of Muchalls
Muchalls is a small coastal ex-fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland, south of Newtonhill and north of Stonehaven. Muchalls is situated slightly north of a smaller hamlet known as the Bridge of Muchalls. At the western edge of Muchalls is the historic Saint Ternan's Church...
at Victorian times there existed a large hotel, which fell into ruin in the latter 20th century.
- There are numerous prehistoric stone circle
A stone circle is an ancient monument of standing stones. It is not always precisely circular, often forming an ellipse, or more rarely a setting of four stones laid on an arc of a circle. The size and number of stones in a 'circle' varies from example to example...
s, standing stoneStanding stones, orthostats, liths or more commonly, megaliths because of their large and cumbersome size, are solitary stones set vertically in the ground and come in many different varieties. Where they appear in groups together, often in a circular, oval, or horseshoe formation, or henge. They...
s and cairnA cairn is a manmade pile of stones, often in a conical form. They are usually found in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops or near waterways.-Purpose:...
s within this geographic unit.
Geography and landforms
Rivers and streams in Kincardine and Mearns include the
Burn of ElsickThe Burn of Elsick is a coastal stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. This watercourse drains primarily agricultural lands and enters the North Sea at Newtonhill.-History:...
,
Burn of PheppieThe Burn of Pheppie is an easterly flowing coastal stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea immediately north of the village of Muchalls. Draining chiefly agricultural lands, this stream has a notable lack of turbidity and a pH level of approximately 8.02...
,
Burn of MuchallsThe Burn of Muchalls is an easterly flowing stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. Its point of discharge is on a rocky beach set with scenic sea stacks...
,
Cowie WaterThe Cowie Water is a river rising in the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea in the northern part of Stonehaven. south of the ruined Cowie Castle...
,
Carron WaterCarron Water is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.Carron Water rises in Fetteresso Forest on the eastern edge of the Grampians. It flows past Fetteresso Castle and discharges into the North Sea at Stonehaven Bay. Carron Water separates the Old Town from Stonehaven's new town , laid out in...
and
Bervie WaterBervie Water is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland which rises in the Drumtochty Forest and flows across The Mearns to reach the North Sea at Inverbervie. Approximately two kilometres upstream of the North Sea, the Bervie Water flows through the grounds of Allardice Castle. The Bothenoth Burn ...
, all of which discharge to the
North SeaThe North Sea is a marginal, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean. It is more than long and wide, with an area of around...
.