Pitsligo, New, a town and a quoad sacra parish in Buchan district, N Aberdeenshire. The town, in the SW of Tyrie parish, stands, 459 feet above sea-level, on the eastern slope of Turlundie Hill (651 feet), 4¼ miles W by N of Strichen station, 4¾ NW of Brucklay station, and 11 SW of Fraserburgh. Founded in 1787 by Sir William Forbes, Bart. of Pitsligo, on the site of the rural hamlet of Caik or Cavoch, it was inhabited about the beginning of the present century almost entirely by illicit distillers, and then presented a mean and most miserable appearance. It has, however, undergone such improvement and renovation, as now to con. sist almost wholly of substantial and comfortable houses, with neatly kept gardens, and to comprise two parallel streets, nearly a mile in length. Its outskirts and environs are flanked with wood, and of pleasant aspect; and near it are extensive granite quarries. It for some time carried on a considerable linen trade, but the hand manufacture of bobbin-lace is now the staple industry; and it has a post office, with money order, savings' bank, and telegraph departments, a branch of the Union Bank, a National Security Savings' Bank (1841), 9 insurance agencies, 2 hotels, a public library, a horticultural society (1837), gas-works, and fairs on the Wednesday after 26 February, the Wednesday after 25 May, the Thursday after 13 August, and the Wednesday after 5 October. The parish church, standing near the top of the hill, and forming the most conspicuous object in the town, was built in 1798 and renovated in 1853. It has triplet lancet windows, ornate surmounting crosses, a beautiful belfry, and about 1000 sittings. Other places of worship are a plain Free church, a Congregational chapel, and the Episcopal church of St John the Evangelist (1871; 468 sittings), an Early English structure, erected at a cost of £3000. The quoad sacra parish, comprising portions of Tyrie, Aberdour, New Deer, and Strichen parishes, measures 6 miles in length and 5 in extreme breadth; was originally constituted for only its Tyrie section by the General Assembly in 1799; and was reconstituted for its present extent, first by the General Assembly in 1835, and next by the Court of Teinds in 1853. It is in the presbytery of Deer and the synod of Aberdeen; the minister's stipend is £120. Glasslaw public, New Pitsligo public, and St John's Episcopalian schools, with respective accommodation for 70, 380, and 316 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 37, 345, and 134, and grants of £42, 7s. 6d., £301, 17s. 6d., and £104, 19s. Pop. of q. s. parish (1871) 3090, (1881) 2964, of whom 193 were in Aberdour, 209 in New Deer, 42 in Strichen, and 2520 in Tyrie. Pop. of town (1841) 1262, (1861) 1773, (1871) 2094, (1881) 2056, of whom 1150 were females. Houses (1881) 471 inhabited, 34 vacant, 2 building.—Ord. Sur., sh. 87, 1876.
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