Kincardineshire Postcodes — Scotland (SCT)

Kincardineshire

Located on the coast of northeast Scotland, Kincardineshire is a historic county, registration county, and lieutenancy area known as the Mearns. It is bounded to the north and west by Aberdeenshire and to the south by Angus.

Kincardine is also the name of a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council called Kincardine and Mearns, however it encompasses a far smaller geographic region than the county itself.

History of Kincardineshire

In ancient times, the area was known as the Province of Mearns, and it was bounded to the north by Marr and to the west by Angus. Names of provinces reflect their relative importance, with "great steward" (Mormaer) presiding over the more significant regions and "mere steward" (a lesser official) over the less significant regions (Maer).

Stonehaven, Banchory, Inverbervie, and Laurencekirk were among its burghs, while Drumoak, Muchalls, Newtonhill, and Portlethen were among its other settlements. Historically, Mearns included all of the land north of the River Dee, including the town of Hill of Fare; but, in 1891, the Royal Burgh of Torry was annexed by Aberdeenshire, which is located on the south side of the river.

When sheriffs were established in the area in the 11th century, Kincardine became the seat of a competing power. In spite of popular belief, Kincardine was neither the village of Kincardine O'Neil (which was located in Marr) nor the town of Kincardine in Fife. The Kincardine in issue was a medieval ghost town, with just the ruins of Kincardine Castle, located 2 miles northeast of Fettercairn in the vicinity of the hamlet of Phesdo, remaining today. 

After a brief conflict that marked the commencement of the Wars of Scottish Independence in 1296, King John Balliol wrote a letter of submission to Edward I of England from behind the castle walls. The Estates of Parliament decreed in 1600 that the Stonehaven Tolbooth would serve as the seat of shrieval government for the county of Kincardineshire.

Local government reforms in the middle of the nineteenth century saw the replacement of the old provinces with new counties (shires), with boundaries that corresponded to sheriffdoms. Many of Scotland's counties had their boundaries redrawn and renamed with the passage of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, which also standardized the system of county councils throughout the country. As a result, in 1890, the Kincardineshire County Council was established. Starting in the early 1920s, the Kincardine County Council met in a building at 33 Evan Street, Stonehaven. 

In 1975, the county stopped being an administrative division. The northern portion of the county, which included Nigg, was annexed by the City of Aberdeen, while the southern and central portions were merged into the Kincardine and Deeside district in the Grampian region. The district became a part of the Aberdeenshire council area in 1996, when the Grampian region was divided into unitary council areas.

Geography of Kincardineshire

Kincardineshire is roughly triangular in shape, with the coastal Strathmore area being quite flat and the interior being hillier and forested, with the latter comprising part of the Grampian Mountains. Mount Battock, at 2,552 feet (778 meters), is located on the boundary of Angus and is the highest peak in the county.