Pitsligo, New

   PITSLIGO, NEW, lately a quoad sacra parish, and still a populous village, in the parish of Tyrie, district of Deer, county of Aberdeen; containing 1814 inhabitants, of whom 1363 are in the village, 11 miles (S. W.) from Fraserburgh. This place was separated for ecclesiastical purposes from the parish of Tyrie by the late Sir William Forbes, of Pitsligo, under the sanction of the General Assembly, in 1799, and in 1834 erected into a quoad sacra parish. The village is beautifully situated on the eastern brow of the hill of Tirlundie, which is clothed with verdure to its very summit; and consists of two spacious streets about a mile in length, and two smaller ranges of building called respectively Churchstreet and School-street. The houses are neatly built; and attached to each of them are some acres of arable land, with garden-ground and plantations, imparting to the village a pleasingly rural aspect, and affording to the inhabitants ample means of profitable employment. A horticultural society has been established, and is well supported under the patronage of the superior, Sir John Stuart Forbes; and much improvement has taken place in the production of fruits, flowers, plants, and vegetables of every kind. The linen and cotton manufactures have been introduced with success; and about 100 of the inhabitants are engaged in hand-loom weaving, for the wholesale houses in neighbouring towns. The postoffice has a tolerably good delivery; there is a respectable inn with excellent accommodation, and the several shops are well stored with various kinds of merchandise. Fairs for cattle, sheep, and horses, are held on the Wednesdays after the 26th of February, the 25th May, and the 5th October. Facility of communication is maintained by good roads, of which the turnpike-road leading to Banff passes through the western, and that to Peterhead through the south-eastern part of the village. The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Deer and synod of Aberdeen. The church, erected by Sir William Forbes in 1828, is in excellent repair; the minister has a stipend of £80, with a manse, and a glebe of eight acres from Sir John Stuart Forbes, who is patron. An Episcopalian chapel, a handsome structure in the later English style of architecture, has been recently erected by Sir John, who has endowed it with £80 per annum, as a stipend to the minister, to whom he has also given a manse and a portion of land. A parochial school, of which the master has a salary of £25, with a house and garden, affords instruction to nearly 100 children; and there is also a school established by the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, of which the mistress receives £5 from the society, with a house and garden from the superior, and £10 paid by the sisters of Sir John Forbes.