Parish of Dunbog

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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1791-99: Dunbog 1834-45: Dunbog

Dunbog, a parish of NW Fife, whose church stands 3¾ miles E by S of the station and post-town Newburgh. Bounded NW by the Firth of Tay, NE by Flisk, the Ayton section of Abdie, and Creich, SE by Monimail, and SW by the main body of Abdie, the parish has an utmost length from NW to SE of 3⁵/₈ miles, a varying breadth of 3 furlongs and 2½ miles, and an area of 2396½ acres, of which 1½ are 'inks' and 70¾ foreshore. From a shore-line, 7½ furlongs in extent, the surface rises rapidly to 400 feet at Higham and 707 on Dunbog Hill, the former of which eminences is cultivated to the top, and commands a superb view of the basin and screens of the Tay, of lower Strathearn, and of the frontier Grampians, whilst the southern is uncultivated and almost barren. The valley between contains the hamlet and the church, and is traversed by the road from Newburgh to Cupar. The rocks are mainly eruptive; and the soil in a few fields is argillaceous, but mostly is a shallow rich black mould, resting on either rock or gravel. About 1820 acres are arable, and 30 or so are under wood. Dunbog House, belonging to the Earl of Zetland, occupies the site of a preceptory of the monks of Balmerino; and is alleged, but not on good authority, to have been built by Cardinal Bethune. Collairney Castle is a ruin. In the presbytery of Cupar and synod of Fife, Dunbog includes, quoad sacra, portions of Abdie and Flisk; the living is worth £345. The church, built in 1803, contains 240 sittings; and a public school, with accommodation for 120 children, had (1880) an average attendance of 76, and a grant of £58, 9s. Valuation (1882) £3799, 2s. 11d. Pop. of civil parish (1831) 197, (1861) 207, (1871) 220; of q. s. parish (1871) 395, (1881) 386.—Ord. Sur., sh. 48, 1868.

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Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer