Inverkeillor

   INVEREILLOR, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 6 miles (N. by E.) from Arbroath; containing, with the hamlets of Leysmill, Chapelton of Boysack, March of Lunanbank, and Millfield, 1879 inhabitants, of whom 141 are in the village of Inverkeillor. This place, which was perhaps anciently called Conghoillis, derives its present name from its situation near the mouth of a small rivulet designated Keillor, which flows into the bay of Lunan about a mile to the south-east of the village. It lays claim to a remote degree of antiquity; and near the mouth of the river Lunan are the ruins of the ancient house of Redcastle, said to have been built by William the Lion for a hunting-seat, the probability of which is confirmed by the names of several of the adjacent lands. The parish is bounded on the north, and also intersected, by the river Lunan; on the east is the North Sea. It is about seven miles in length, and of very irregular form, varying from two and a half to four and a half miles in breadth; and comprises an area of 7500 acres, of which 130 are woodland and plantations, 2500 pasture, and the remainder arable. The surface is generally level, but rises towards the north by a gentle acclivity from the river Lunan, and towards the south from the river Keillor, terminating, in the latter direction, in a high ridge of rocky coast, at the promontory of Redhead, which has an elevation of 230 feet above the level of the sea. The Lunan has its source near Forfar, and, flowing eastward, through the northern portion of the parish, falls into Lunan bay: the Keillor rises in the southern part of the parish, and also joins the sea at the bay. The coast extends for nearly six miles; and the shore along the bay of Lunan is a flat firm sand, beyond which, to the south, it is bold and rocky. The bay affords good anchorage for vessels; and all along the coast are salmon-fisheries.

   The soil is in general fertile, in some places a deep rich loam, and in others of a lighter quality; the crops are, grain of every kind, with potatoes and turnips. The system of husbandry is in a very improved state; the lands are well drained; the farm-buildings of superior construction; and the fences, which are chiefly of stone, are kept in good order. The cattle reared in the parish are usually of the Angus black breed, without horns; most of them are sold when three years old, for the English market, where they obtain a high price; and the others are pastured for home use, or for the Glasgow market. The sheep are of the Highland blackfaced breed, with a few of the Cheviot and Leicestershire. The rateable annual value of the parish amounts to £8761. The plantations are, beech, elm, oak, birch, and plane, with larch and Scotch fir, for which the soil is well adapted. The rocks are mostly red sandstone, alternated with trap and porphyry, in which are found agates of great beauty; and the principal substrata are whinstone and freestone. The latter is quarried at Leysmill, where large paving-stones are dressed by machinery driven by steam: in these works, which are the property of Mr. Carnegie of Boysack, about fifty men are constantly employed. Ethie House, the seat of the Earl of Northesk, is an ancient mansion originally erected by Cardinal Beaton, and is pleasantly situated near the coast. The only other houses in the parish of any note are those named Kingblethmont and Anniston.

   The village of Inverkeillor is on the great north road from Edinburgh to Aberdeen: the inhabitants are the ordinary tradesmen necessary for the convenience of a country population. Many persons within the parish are employed in the spinning of flax, for which there are several mills, some being driven by steam, and others by the water of the Lunan. Near the church is a posting-house, called Chance Inn, at which the mail delivers letters twice a day; and facility of communication is afforded by good roads, and several bridges over the Lunan. The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Arbroath and synod of Angus and Mearns. The minister's stipend is £246. 14., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £8. 15. per annum; patron, the Crown. The church, erected in 1735, and enlarged by the addition of an aisle in 1799, is a plain structure containing 700 sittings. There is a place of worship for members of the Free Church. The parochial schoolmaster has a salary of £34, with a house and garden; he receives also £10 from a bequest for the gratuitous instruction of twelve poor children, and the fees average about £15 per annum. There is also a school at Chapelton, of which the master has a free house and garden, and a salary of £7, arising from a bequest, in addition to the fees. The bequest from which these payments to the schools are made, amounts to £1000, under the management of the Kirk Session, who appropriate the remainder of the proceeds to the poor not upon the parish roll. Near the sea are the remains of St. Murdoch's chapel, with the buryingground attached to it; and at Chapelton are the remains of the chapel of Quytefield, the burial-place of the family of Boysack.