In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Kingoldrum like this:
Kingoldrum, a village and a parish of W Forfarshire. The village, Kirkton of Kingoldrum, stands, 600 feet above sea-level, on Crombie Burn, 4½ miles W by N of its station and post-town, Kirriemuir.
The parish is bounded N by the upland section of Kirriemuir, E by Cortachy and the main body of Kirriemuir, S by Airlie, and W by Lintrathen. ...
Its utmost length, from N to S, is 5¾ miles; its breadth varies between 1½ and 37/8 miles; and its area is 9636½ acres, of which 17½ are water. Prosen Water winds 31/8 miles south-south-eastward along the north-eastern border, and its affluents Corogle and Carity Burns traverse the northern district to the Prosen; Melgam Water flows ½ mile along the Lintrathen border on to a point within 1½ mile of its confluence with the Isla; and Crombie Burn, its affluent, winds 6 miles east-south-eastward and west-south-westward through the interior. Along Melgam Water the surface sinks to 480, along Prosen Water to 590, feet above sea-level; and thence it rises to 798 feet at Schurroch Hill, 1164 at the Carrach, 1233 near Wester Pearsie, 2196 at Cat Law, 1863 at Long Goat, and 1018 at Turf Hill, the three last of these summits falling on or close to the northern boundary. The southern district is undulating or hilly, comprising several parallel ridges extending south-westward, with considerable tracts of level land between; and the northern is mostly occupied with spurs of the Benchinnan Grampians, and has an upland pastoral character. The rocks range from various kinds of trap, through metamorphic and Silurian rocks, to Old Red sandstone, and include greenstone, serpentine, clay porphyry, clay slate, mica slate, greywacke, and a sandstone much used for building. The soil of the arable lands is in places a lightish sand or a cold wet clay, but is mostly a rich black mould. About three-elevenths of the entire area are in tillage, one-eighth is under wood, and all the rest of the land is either pastoral or waste. The antiquities are a large cairn on the summit of Cat Law, three ancient Caledonian stone circles on Schurroch Hill, and Balfour Castle. Pearsie is the only mansion; but the property is divided among seven. Kingoldrum is in the presbytery of Meigle and synod of Angus and Mearns; the living is worth £200. The parish church, erected in 1840, contains 240 sittings; and the public school, with accommodation for 95 children, had (1881) an average attendance of 39, and a grant of £45, 11s. 6d. Valuation (1857) £4455, (1883) £6828, 14s. 5d. Pop. (1801) 577, (1831) 444, (1861) 473, (1871) 409, (1881) 389.—Ord. Sur., sh. 56, 1870.
Kingoldrum through time
Kingoldrum is now part of Angus district. Click here for graphs and data of how Angus has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Kingoldrum itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Kingoldrum in Angus | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/16403
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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