Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Tyrie

Tyrie, a parish of Buchan, N Aberdeenshire, whose church stands close to the northern border, 3½ miles S of Rosehearty and 5 SW of Fraserburgh, under which there is a post office. Containing also the town of New Pitsligo, the parish is bounded N by Aberdour and Pitsligo, E and SE by Rathen, Fraserburgh (detached), Aberdour (detached), and Strichen, S by New Deer, and W and NW by Aberdour. It utmost length, from NE to SW, is 75/8 miles; its breadth varies between 1¼ and 33/8 miles; and its area is 17½ square miles or 11,1934/5 acres, of which 11¾ are water. Streams there are none of any size; but the drainage of the northern district goes to the Water of Philorth, and of the rest of the parish to either North or South Ugie Water. The surface is somewhat hilly, declining near the parish church to 148 feet above sea-level, and rising thence to 411 feet near Blackrigg, 454 near Monkswell, and 651 at the Hill of Turlundie. Granite is the predominant rock; and the soil on the hills is comparatively shallow, in the valleys is generally deep, and, except where mossy or moorish, is mostly a fertile reddish coloured loam. Great improvements have been effected during the last sixty years in the way of draining, reclaiming, fencing, and building. Several tumuli, cairns, and Picts' houses have been demolished, as well as a mote-hill near the parish church, in whose porch is the 'Raven Stone,' which formed the foundation stone of the ancient church. That church, St Andrew's or the White Kirk of Buchan, is said to have been founded about the year 1004, when a Mormaer of Buchan had routed a Danish host on the neighbouring hills. Boyndlie, noticed separately, is the only mansion; and the property is mostly divided among three. Giving off its south-western portion to the quoad sacra parish of New Pitsligo, Tyrie is in the presbytery of Deer and the synod of Aberdeen; the living is worth £203. The present church, built in 1800, contains 400 sittings. Tyrie public and Boyndlie Episcopalian schools, with respective accommodation for 156 and 129 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 89 and 68, and grants of £87, 7s. 6d. and £58, 4s. Valuation (1860) £6206, (1885) £10,300, 11s. 2d. Pop. (1801) 1044, (1831) 1613, (1861) 3043, (1871) 3446, (1881) 3391, of whom 871 were in the ecclesiastical parish.—Ord. Sur., shs. 97, 87, 1876.


(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 4th order divisions")
Administrative units: Tyrie ScoP       Aberdeenshire ScoCnty
Place: Tyrie

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