KINROSS, a small inland county of Scotland, is situated between 56° 8' and 56° 18' N. lat., and 3° 14' and 3° 35' W. long. It is of an irregular circular form, and in outline somewhat resembles a toothed wheel, lying between Perthshire on the north-west and Fife on the south-east. Its breadth from west to east is about 12 miles, and its length from north to south about 10 miles; the area is 49,812 acres, or about 78 square miles. Next to Clackmannan it is the smallest county in Scotland.
The surface consists principally of an oval and level plain, which is bounded on the N.W. by the Ochils, on the E. by Bishop Hill and the Lomonds, on the S. by Benarty Hill, and on the S.W. by the Cleish Hills. This plain opens out on the west along the Devon valley towards Stirling, on the north-east towards the valley of the Eden, and more narrowly on the south between the Cleish Hills and Benarty. Kinross is touched by the river Devon at the Crook of Devon, not far from the Rumbling Bridge; and the river Leven, which has its source in the loch of that name, flows for about half a mile in Kinross before entering Fife. Of the streams which flow into Lochleven the principal are the Gairney, the South Queich, and the North Queich. Lochleven, the area of which has been lessened by extensive reclamation works undertaken in 1826, has still a surface of 3406 acres, and its trout fishing is the best of any loch in Scotland. The loch contains several islands, the principal being Queen Mary’s Island, 8 acres in extent, Reed Bowers, 1 acre, and the island of St Serf, 80 acres....
Geology and Agriculture.— The greater part of the county belongs to the upper strata of the Old Red Sandstone, but a portion in the north-west to the porphyry formation of the Ochils, while on the east there is a narrow boundary of the Coal-measure slightly interrupted by trap. Coal is wrought in the southern part of the county, but only to a small extent; limestone is very abundant, and sandstone is obtained for building purposes.
The lower part of the county is generally well sheltered, and suitable for all kinds of crops. In this region the soil is generally of a mossy character, but when well drained and cultivated is very fertile. The eminences are devoted chiefly to the pasturage of sheep and the rearing of cattle. Much land has been reclaimed within recent years, and the methods of farming are now quite equal to those of the most advanced districts of Scotland.
A great proportion of the land is held in fee by small proprietors who farm their own properties. The following table gives a classification of holdings according to size in 1880 and 1875 :— [table]
According to the agricultural returns for 1881, the total area under crops was 31,459 acres, of which 7296 acres were under corn crops, 3698 under green crops, 11,348 under rotation grasses, 9100 permanent pasture, and 17 fallow. 2576 acres were under woods. The percentage of cultivated area in 1870 was 67’9, and in 1880 it was 63 Ό. The area under permanent pasture has increased very much of late years, while there is an unusually large percentage under rotation grasses. 5801 acres, or more than two-thirds of the area under corn crops, is occupied by barley and bere, while oats had 1350 and wheat only 112 acres. Nearly the whole area under green crops was occupied either by turnips and swedes or potatoes, turnips and swedes having 2663 and potatoes 957 acres.
The total number of horses in 1881 was 1039. Of these 699 were used solely for agricultural purposes, and 340, a very large proportion, were unbroken horses or mares kept solely for breeding. Cattle in 1881 numbered 5555. Milch cows numbered 984, less than one-fifth of the whole. A considerable number of cattle are pastured on the lowland farms. They are chiefly a native breed, which has been much improved by crossing. Sheep in 1881 numbered 26,530. They are chiefly pastured on the hills, but a considerable number are also wintered on the lowland farms. Pigs in 1881 numbered 504.
In 1872-73 the land was divided between 728 proprietors, and its gross annual value was £64,671, 14s. Of the owners, 468 or 64 - 3 per cent, possessed less than 1 acre, and the average value per acre was £1, 8s. 10⅛⅛d. There were nine proprietors who held more than 1000 acres, the largest estates being those of the Right Hon. W. P. Adam, 2869 acres, and Sir Graham Montgomery, 2336.
Manufactures and Trade.— Tartan plaids, shawls, and other woollen goods are manufactured at Kinross, which also possesses corn-mills and a brewery. There is a large linen factory at Milnathort, as well as manufactories for woollen goods.
Administration.— The county sheriff courts are held λveekly or fortnightly. Kinross is now joined with Clackmannan and Linlithgow in one sheriffdom, and quarter sessions are held on the first Tuesday of March, July, August, and October. The county unites with Clackmannan in returning a member to parliament.
Population. — Kinross has the smallest population of any county in Scotland. From 6725 in 1801 it rose to a maximum of 9072 in 1831, from which it fell in 1841 to 8763, and, although in 1851 it rose to 8924, it gradually diminished till in 1871 it was 7198, while in 1881 it was 6699, of whom 3112 were males and 3587 females. The principal villages are Kinross (population in 1881, 1960), the capital of the county and a market-town; Milnathort (1269), with linen and woollen manufactures; Kinnesswood (25θ); and a portion of Kelty, the remaindex being in Fife.
History and Antiquities.— The early history of Kinross-shire is given in the article Fife. There are traces of an ancient fort or camp on the top of the hill of Dumglow in the parish of Cleish, and a remarkable cairn called Cairn-a-vain on a hill on the northern boundary of the parish of Orwell, in the centre of which a rude stone cist was discovered with an urn full of bones and charcoal. In 1857 a hoard of seven hundred Roman coins was dug up in the vicinity of the county town. The priory of Portmoak, properly situated on the island of St Serf in Lochleven, although the prior and canons often resided at Kinnesswood, was originally the oldest Culdee establishment in Scotland,—being a gift of the Pictish kings after their conversion. Some time before 961 it was made over to the bishop of St Andrews, and shortly after 1144 a body of canons regular was established in it in connexion with the priory of canons regular established in that year at St Andrews. The castle of Lochleven was a royal residence as far back as 1257. In it Archibald, earl of Douglas, was imprisoned in 1429, and Queen Mary from June 16th 1567 to May 2d 1568. A short distance north-east of Kinross stands the ruined castle of Burleigh.
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