Aberdeenshire, Scotland

In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Aberdeenshire like this:

Aberdeenshire, a maritime co. in the NE. of Scotland; bounded N. and E. by the German Ocean; S. by the cos. of Kincardine, Forfar, and Perth; and W. by the cos. of Inverness and Banff. Greatest length, NE. and SW., 85 miles; greatest breadth, NW. and SE., 42 miles; coast-line, 60 miles. Area, 1955.4 sq. ...

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m., or 1,251,451 ac. Pop. 267,990, or 137 persons to each sq. m. The coast is mostly bold and rocky, and with little indentation. The chief promontories are Kinnaird's Head, Rattray Head, and Buchan Ness, the last being the most easterly point of Scotland. The surface, on the whole, is hilly and mountainous. It is lowest in the districts bordering on the coasts; hilly in the interior, with much moor, but also with many slopes and hollows in a good state of cultivation; and grandly mountainous in the SW., where numerous summits, including Ben Macdhui (4296 ft.), rise above 3000 ft. Much of the country is well-wooded. The chief rivers are the Dee, Don, Ythan, Ugie, and Deveron. Granite is the principal rock, and is extensively quarried for exportation. The soil has been rendered highly productive under skilful farming. Large numbers of fat cattle are annually reared and sent to the principal markets of Scotland and England. The coast and river fisheries are extensive and valuable. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix). The co. comprises 76 pars. and 9 parts, the parl. burgh of Aberdeen (2 members), the parl. burghs of Inverurie, Kintore, and Peterhead (part of the Elgin Burghs), and the police burghs of Fraserburgh, Huntly, Inverurie, Peterhead, Turriff, &c. For parl. purposes it is divided into 2 divisions -- viz., East and West, 1 member for each division.

Vision of Britain presents long-run change by redistricting historical statistics to modern units. However, none of our modern units covers an area close to that of Aberdeenshire. If you want trends covering a particular location within the county, find it on our historical maps and then select "Tell me more".

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