Crathie and Braemar, a large parish of SW Aberdeenshire, whose church stands, 920 feet above sea-level, near the left bank of the Dee, 7½ miles W by S of Ballater station, and 51 of Aberdeen, under which Crathie has a post office.
The parish, containing also the village of Castleton, comprises the ancient parish of Braemar, annexed at a period unknown to record. It is bounded N by Kirkmichael in Banffshire, and by Strathdon; NE by Glenmuick; SE by Glenmuick, and by Glenisla in Forfarshire; S by Kirkmichael and Blair Athole, in Perthshire; W by the Glenfeshie portion of Alvie, in Inverness-shire; and NW by Duthil-Rothiemurchus, also in Inverness-shire. Irregular in outline, it has a varying length from E to W of 8¼ and 24 miles, a varying width from N to S of 9½ and 16½ miles, and an area of 183,237¾ acres, of which 980 are water. The Dee, rising close to the Inverness-shire border, runs 11 miles south south-eastward to the Geldie's confluence, and thence winds 25½ miles east-north-eastward, mostly through the middle of the parish, but for the last 45/8 miles along the Glenmuick boundary. During this course it descends from 4060 feet above sea-level at its source to 1318 where it receives the Geldie, 1214 at the Linn of Dee, 1108 at Victoria Bridge near Mar Lodge, 872 opposite Crathie manse, and 720 at the Girnock's confluence in the furthest E; its principal affluents here, all of them rising in Crathie and Braemar, and all described in separate articles, are Geldie Burn, Lui Water, Ey Burn, Quoich Water, Clunie Water with its tributary Callader Burn, Feardar Burn, Gelder Burn, and Girnock Burn. Lakes, with their utmost length and breadth, and with their altitude above sea-level, are Loch Etchachan (4 x 3½ furl.; 3200 feet), Loch Brodichan (2½ x 1 furl.; 2303 feet), Loch Callader (6½ x 1½ furl.; 1627 feet), Loch Ceannmor (1¼ x ¾ furl-; 2196 feet), and Lochagar (2½ x 1¾ furl.; 2570 feet), besides thirteen smaller tarns. From W to E the chief elevations to the left of the Dee are * Braeriach (4248 feet), * Be Macdhui (4296), Derry Cairngorm (3788), Carn a Mhaim (3329), Carn Crom (2847), Sgor Mor (2666n, Carn Mor (2057), *Beinn a' Chaoruinn (3553), Beinn Bhreac (3051), Meall na Guaille (2550), Creag a Bhuilg (2190), *Benabourd (3924), Carn Elrig Mor (2068), Carn Eas (3556), Carn na Drochaide (2681), *Ben Avon (3843), Carn Liath (2821), Meikle Elrick (2318), *Meikle Geal Charn (2533), * Brown Cow Hill (2721), Culardoch (2933), Craig Leck (2085), Meall Alvie (1841), Leac Ghorm (1946), Tom Bhreac (2276), An Creagan (1857), and Creag Mhor (1643), where asterisks mark those summits that culminate on the borders of the parish. To the left or W and S of the Dee rise Cairntoul (4241 feet), The Devil's Point (3303), * Monadh Mor (3651), Beinn Bhrotain (3795), Carn-Cloich-mhuilinn (3087), Duke's Chair (2010), Carn Geldie (2039), * Carn an Fhilleir (3276), *An Sgarsoch (3300), Cnapan Garbh (2206), Carn Liath (2676), * Beinn Iutharn Mhor (3424), Mor Shron (2819), Carn Aosda (3003), * The Cairnwell (3059), Sron Dubh (1909), Carn an Tuirc (3340), * Cairn na Glasha (3484), Creag Choinnich (1764), Carn nan Sgliat (2260), Creag nan Leachda (2549), Meall an t-Sluichd (2771), Creag Doineanta (1910), the Princess Royal's Cairn (1479), Ripe Hill (1678), Carn Fiaclan (2703), * Lochnagar (3786), Princess Alice's Cairn (1278), Prince Albert's Cairn (1437), Creag a Ghaill (1971), *Conachcraig Hill (2777), *Meall Gorm (1809), and Creag Ghinbhais (1593). Containing thus parts or the whole of three of the four highest summits in Scotland, Crathie presents a landscape as varied as it is beautiful-its clear-flowing salmon river and sweep of valley with broad plantations, green fields, and stately mansions, its rounded corries and narrow glens, its sombre deer-forests and heathery grouse moors, all set in a ring of trackless, serrated mountains. (See Aberarder, Alt-na-Ginthasach, Carr, Cairnaqueen, Charters Chest, Corriemulzie, Craig-Cluny, Craig-Gowan, Craig-na-Ban, Garrawalt, Monaltrie, etc.) The prevailing rock is granite, alternating in places with gneiss, limestone, and quartz, near Castleton traversed by a vein of serpentine; the soil of the arable lands is generally a light sandy loam. Woods and natural forests of Scotch firs, larch, and birch must cover an enormous area, acres on acres of rocky hillside having been planted with millions of trees, both native and foreign, within the last hundred years, whilst in Mar Forest are firs from two to three centuries old, and containing 100 or 200 cubic feet of timber (pp. 273-275, Trans. Highl. and Ag. Soc., 1874). The mansions are Balmoral Castle, Abergeidie Castle, Invercauld House, and Mar Lodge; the Queen, the Earl of Fife, and Farquharson of Invercauld holding each an annual value of more, and 31 other proprietors of less, than £100. Giving off since 1879 the quoad sacra parish of Braemar, Crathie is in the presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil and synod of Aberdeen; the living is worth £370. The parish church is a plain edifice of 1806, seated for 800, and adorned with a two-light stained-glass window, erected by Her Majesty in 1873 to the memory of Norman Macleod, who preached his first sermon as court chaplain here on 29 Oct. 1854. At Easter Balmoral, on the opposite bank of the Dee, across a suspension bridge, is Crathie Free church, with a spire; other places of worship are noticed under Castleton. Besides the school there, Crathie public, Aberarder, Abergeldie female, and Crathie Side schools, with respective accommodation for 98,184,39, and 67 children, had (1880) an average attendance of 65,15,18, and 35, and grants of £48,2s., £22,17s., £14,6s., and £46, 8s. 6d. Valuation (1860) £7868, (1881) £14,430. Pop. (1801) 1876, (1831) 1808, (1861) 1574, (1871) 1566, (1881) 1613.—Ord. Sur., shs. 65,64,75,1870-76. See the Rev. James M. Crombie's -Braemar and Balmoral (2d ed. 1875).
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