Marykirk, a village and a parish of S Kincardineshire. The village, in the SE corner of the parish, is beautifully situated near the left bank of the river North Esk (here spanned by a four-arch bridge of 1813), 7 furlongs N by W of Craigo station, 1¼ mile S of Marykirk station, and 6 miles NNW of Montrose, under which it has a post office.
The parish, containing also Luthermuir village, till at least 1721 was known as Aberluthnott (Gael. ' meeting of the waters where the stream is swift'). It is bounded N by Fordoun, NE by Laurencekirk, E by Garvock, SE by St Cyrus, S by Logie-Pert in Forfarshire, and W by Fettercairn. Its utmost length, from NNE to SSW, is 5¼ miles; its breadth varies between 25/8 and 47/8 miles; and its area is 9912 acres, of which 72 are water. The North Esk flows 4 miles east-by-southward along all the Forfarshire boundary, and opposite the village is spanned by a thirteen-arch viaduct, of fine appearance and erected at great cost; Luther Water runs 4½ miles south-south-westward through the middle of the interior to the North Esk; and Black and Dourie Burns, Luthnot and Balmaleedy Burns, drain the side districts into the larger streams. The surface, comprising much of the SW extremity of the Howe of Mearns, declines along the North Esk to 80 feet above sea-level, and W of the railway at no point exceeds 264 feet; but to the E it attains 555 at Kirktonhill Tower and 700 at the meeting-point with Garvock and St Cyrus. Eruptive rocks occur in the hills; but Old Red sandstone prevails throughout the low grounds, and is quarried; whilst limestone also is plentiful, and was formerly worked. The soil is much of it good sound fertile loam, incumbent on decomposed red sandstone. About 615 acres are in pasture; plantations, chiefly of Scotch fir, cover rather more than 1600 acres; and the rest of the land is in tillage. Mansions, noticed separately, are Balmakewan, Hatton (Viscount Arbuthnott), Inglismaldie (Earl of Kintore), Kirktonhill, and Thornton Castle; and 6 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 2 of from £50 to £500, and 4 of from £20 to £50. Marykirk, dedicated to the Virgin, is in the presbytery of Fordoun and the synod of Angus and Mearns; the living is worth £370. The parish church, at the village, was built in. 1806, and contains 638 sittings. There are also a Free church of Marykirk and a U.P. church at Muirton (1824; 430 sittings). Two public schools, Luthermuir and Marykirk, with respective accommodation for 155 and 180 children, had (1883) an average attendance of 54 and 119, and grants of £56, l5s. and £111, 13s. 6d. Valuation (18 56) £8577, (1884) £11, 450, plus £2177 for railway. Pop. (1801) 1530, (1841) 2387, (1861) 2068, (187l) 1771, (1881) 1461.—Ord. Sur., shs. 57, 66, 1868-71.
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