Parish of Arngask

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: Arngask
1834-45: Arngask

Arngask, a parish in the counties of Perth, Kinross, and Fife, near whose meeting-point, and towards the centre of the parish, is the village of Damhead (with a post office under Kinross), 3 miles NNW of Mawcarse station, and 4¾ N by E of the post-town Milnathort. Duncrevie, ¾ mile S of Damhead, is another small village in Arngask, which is bounded N by Dron, E by Abernethy, SE by Strathmiglo, S by Orwell, and W by Forteviot and Forgandenny. Its greatest length from N to S is 4¼ miles; its breadth is 4 miles; and its area is 6455¾ acres, of which 2820½ belong to Perthshire, 1801 to Kinross-shire, and 1834¼ to Fife. The upper waters of the beautiful Farg have a length of about 5 miles within the parish, dividing its Perthshire portion from the remaining two, and here receiving the Strawyearn and other burns; in the Perthshire portion are Loch Whirr and two smaller lakelets. The surface is charmingly diversified with hills belonging to the Ochil system, elevations from N to S being Berry Hill (900 feet), and points near Letham (789), the Church (588), Pittillook (670), Plains on the western border (973), and Candy (830). The rocks are chiefly various kinds of trap, and the soils, for the most part, consist of disintegrations of these rocks, and generally have a black loamy character. About 1300 acres are uncultivated, and some 240 under wood, the whole being pastoral rather than arable. Some 28 proprietors (10 of them resident) hold each an annual value of £50 and upwards. Arngask is in the presbytery of Kinross and synod of Fife; the minister's income is £210. The original church was a private chapel of the Balvaird family, and in 1282 was granted to Cambuskenneth Abbey. The present building, erected in 1806, had 380 sittings as enlarged in 1821, and was restored in 1879. There is also a Free church in the presbytery of Perth and synod of Perth and Stirling; and a public school, with accommodation for 155 children, had (1879) an average attendance of 102, and a grant of £90,5s- Valuation (1881) of Perthshire portion, £2505,11s. 4d.; of Fife portion, £2375,14s. 8d. Pop. (1831) 712, (1861) 705, (1871) 565, (1881) 547.—Ord. Sur., sh. 40,1867.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

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

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