Kincardineshire, Scotland Genealogy Genealogy



Kincardineshire (or the Mearns, an ancient designation), is a maritime county in the east of Scotland, bounded on the north-west by the river Dee and part of Aberdeenshire, on the east and south-east by the German Ocean, and on the south-west by the county of Fordar (or Angus). It is about 32 miles in length and 24 miles in extreme breadth, comprising an area of 380 square miles or 243,444 acres.

The county consists of nineteen parishes. The county town is Stonehaven and there is the royal burgh of Bervie or Inverbervie and five villages. The surface of the county is tolerably level near the coast. The Grampian hills occupy the central, western, and northern parts of the county, with the richly cultivated area called the Howe of the Mearns at their base. About one-third of the land is in cultivation, one-eighth is capable of being cultivated, and the remainder is rough fell and mountain pasture.

Cattle and sheep are raised in the county. There are no minerals of importance. There is limestone and sandstone but they are not wrought. The manufactures are chiefly coarse linens and canvas and some cotton, but are not extensive.

The population in 1851 was 33,075.

(Source: Samuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, 2nd ed., 1851.  FHL book 941 E5L.)

Parishes
Here is a list of historic parishes for the county of Kincardine. Click on the parish name to see information about records.

Maps
Click on the map at the right to see a larger version, and click again on the larger map. Next, click on the ‘Expand’ button when it appears in the lower right-hand corner of the map.

Click here to see a parish outline map of Kincardineshire.

[Return to the Scotland county list.]