In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Barry like this:
Barry, a village and a coast parish of SE Forfarshire, The village lies towards the middle of the parish, on Pitairlie Burn, ¾ mile NNW of Barry station, which is 8 miles WSW of Arbroath, 5¼ ENE of Broughty Ferry, and 8¾ ENE of Dundee; at it are an inn, a public school, the old parish church (enlarged in 1818; 673 sittings), and a Free church.
The parish contains also, 1½ mile to the E, the larger village of Carnoustie, with a head post office and another station. ...
Bounded NW by Monikie, NE by Panbride, E by the North Sea, S by the Firth of Tay, and W by Monifieth and Monikie, it has an extreme length from N to S of 3½ miles, a width from E to W of 33/8 miles, and an area of 5328 acres. The coast-line, 5½ miles long, rises at Buddon Ness, its SE point, to but 42 and 95 feet above sea-level; 7 and 5 furlongs westward stand the Tay lighthouses, a high and a low one. Inland, the surface for nearly half of the entire area consists of low sandy links; nor even in the arable district beyond does it anywhere exceed the 153 feet of Upper Victoria near the extreme N, at Deyhouse attaining 19, at Cotsyde 26, at Greenlawhill 100, near Clayholes 107, and at Travebank, 118 feet. Buddon Burn for 2 miles traces the western boundary, and Pitairlie Burn runs 3¼ miles south-eastward through the interior. The soil of the upper division, raised from the lower by a steep green bank that seems to have been the ancient coast-line, is fertile, being variously gravel, light loam, and deep black earth; and nearly 3000 acres are in tillage, besides some 20 under wood. On the plains of Barry, in 1010, Malcolm II. is said by Buchanan to have overthrown a Viking host, at Camustown slaying their general, Camus; but the story is discredited by Worsaae, and mentioned by neither Hill Burton nor Skene. The principal mansions are, Woodhill (J. Miln) to the W, Grange of Barry (W. Wighton) to the NW, and Ravensby (P. G. Walker) to the N, of the village; and 5 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 8 of between £100 and £500,15 of from £50 to £100, and 44 of from £20 to £50. In the presbytery of Arbroath and synod of Angus and Mearns, this parish is ecclesiastically divided into Barry (living, £355) and Carnoustie. The Barry school, with accommodation for 153 children, had (1879) an average attendance of 63, and a grant of £43, 15s. Valuation (1881) £15,064, 18s. 2d., including £1531 for 3¼ miles of the Dundee and Arbroath railway. Pop. of q. s. parish (1871) 2003; of civil parish (1801) 886, (1831) 1682, (1861) 2465, (1871) 3008, (1881) 3228.—Ord. Sur., sh. 49, 1865.
Barry through time
Barry is now part of Angus district. Click here for graphs and data of how Angus has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Barry itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Barry in Angus | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/16364
Date accessed: 01st May 2024
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