Methlick, a village and a parish of Aberdeenshire. The village stands, 87 feet above sea-level, on the right bank of the river Ythan, 5 miles W by N of Arnage station, 6¾ E by S of Fyvie, and 8½ NW of Ellon. It has a post and telegraph office under Aberdeen, branches of the North of Scotland and the Aberdeen Town and County Banks, a Temperance Institute, with reading and recreation rooms, and fairs on the Thursday after 11 May and the Wednesday after 18 Nov. The parish is bounded N and NE by New Deer, E and S by Tarves, and W by Fyvie and Monquhitter. Its utmost length, from N to S, is 7¼ miles; its utmost breadth, from E to W, is 4¾ miles; and its area is 14,912¾ acres, of which 70½ are water, and 8811/8 belong -to a small triangular detached portion surrounded by Ellon and Tarves. In the main body of the parish the Ythan flows 23/8 miles east-north-eastward along the Fyvie boundary, 37/8 miles south-eastward through the interior, and 1¼ mile south-eastward along the Tarves boundary; 1½ furlong lower down it continues 2 miles south-eastward along all the south-western border of the detached portion, whose eastern boundary is traced by Ebrie Burn. At the Ebrie's and Ythan's confluence the surface declines to 38 feet above sea-level, and thence it rises gently to 409 near Cairn in the south-western division of the main body, and in the north-eastern to 485 at Skillmanae Hill and 579 at Belnagoak. The tract along the Ythan is mostly clothed with wood; the south-eastern corner of the main body is occupied by the extensive and beautiful policies of Haddo House; other portions are low country finely diversified with undulations; but much of the north-eastern division is reclaimed moor. Gneiss and syenite are the predominant rocks, and limestone occurs in the detached portion, and was formerly worked. The soil on the lands within 1½ mile of either bank of the Ythan is a yellow loam incumbent on gravel or rock; but further back becomes poorer, being chiefly a light black mould or moorband pan; and over a considerable aggregate area is peat moss. About 2500 acres, formerly waste, have been brought into cultivation since the commencement of the present century; and nearly as many acres have been planted with Scotch fir and larch. A preReformation chapel stood at a place still known as Chapelton; and another at Andet, dedicated to St Ninian, has bequeathed the name of Chapel Park to a neighbouring farmhouse. Dr George Cheyne (1671-1742), author of a treatise on the Philosophical Principles of Natural Religion, and Dr Charles Maitland (1668-1748), the introducer of vaccine innoculation into Britain, were natives of Methlick. Haddo House, noticed separately, is the only mansion; and the Earl of Aberdeen is sole proprietor. In 1875 a small portion was given off to the quoad sacra parish of Barthol Chapel. Methlick is in the presbytery of Ellon and the synod of Aberdeen; the living is worth £342. The parish church at Methlick village was originally dedicated to St Devenick, and, as last rebuilt in 1866, is a handsome Gothic edifice, containing 894 sittings. There is also a Free church; and three public schools-Cairnorrie, Inverebrie, and Methlick-with respective accommodation for 129, 68, and 210 children, had (1883) an average attendance of 120, 65, and 157, and grants of £99, 7s., £53, 15s., and £144, 1s. 6d. Valuation (1860) £5818, (1884) £10,759, 7s. 4d. Pop. (1801) 1215, (1831) 1439, (1861) 2157, (1871) 2084, (1881) 2l62, of whom 2127 were in the ecclesiastical parish.—Ord. Sur., shs. 87, 86, 1876.
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