Orwell, a parish of NW Kinross-shire, containing the post-town and station of Milnathort and the village of Middleton. It is bounded N by Dunning, Forteviot (detached) in Perthshire, and by the Kinross-shire sections of Forgandenny and Arngask, E by Strathmiglo in Fife and Portmoak, S by Loch Leven and Kinross, and W by Fossoway. Its utmost length, from E to W, is 75/8 miles; its breadth varies between 2¼ and 24/8 miles; and its area is 13,l32¾ acres. Loch Leven, for 1¾ mile, forms the eastern part of the southern border; North Queich Water, draining all the western and south-western districts, runs 2 miles east-south-eastward along or near to the Kinross boundary to Loch Leven, and receives many little tributaries from the NW and N; and the river Eden is formed at Burnside by head-streams from the north-eastern district. The surface of all the south-eastern district is level or diversified only with gentle swells and rising grounds, its altitude ranging between 353 and 500 feet; beyond it rises gradually, into hilly heights, the Braes of Orwell; and then, towards the northern and western borders, it suddenly shoots up into a frontier range of the Ochils, whose highest points are Warroch Hill (1133 feet), Slungie Hill (1354), Dochrie Hill (1194), and Tilliery Hill (1087). Eruptive rocks, comprising greenstone, clinkstone, amygdaloid, and porphyry, form most of the hills; and Devonian rocks, much intersected, disturbed, and contorted by trap, prevail throughout the low grounds. Red sandstone is. the principal Devonian rock; grey sandstone and limestone occur near the eastern boundary; and calc spar, baryta, heulandite, laumonite, analcine, and iserine are found. The soil of the lower districts is partly loam, but principally a sandy clay, mixed here and there with till or gravel; that of the arable parts of the braes is generally a sharp good gravel, well suited for potatoes and turnips. About three-fifths of the entire area are in tillage; nearly 700 acres are under wood or in gardens; and the rest is either pastoral or waste. The chief antiquities are two standing stones on Orwell farm, remains of the vast cairn of Cairnavain among the Ochils, Burleigh Castle in the eastern vicinity of Milnathort, and the site of the ancient chapel of Orwell on the shore of Loch Leven, which Robert Bruce in 1315 -gave to Dunfermline Abbey. Six proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 35 of between £100 and £500, 5 of from £50 to £100, and 27 of from £20 to £50. Orwell is in the presbytery of Kinross and the synod of Fife; the living, including manse and glebe, is worth £250. The parish church, a Free church, and a U.P. church are noticed in our article on Milnathort. Brand's and the public school, with respective accommodation for 151 and 190 children, had (1883) an average attendance of l41 and 102, and grants of £133, 4s. 2d. and £74, 8s. Valuation (1860) £17,199, (1882) £18, 489, 4s. Pop. (1801) 2036, (1831) 3005, (1861) 2399, (1871) 2248, (1881) 2031.—Ord. Sur., sh. 40, 1867.
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
