Auchindoir and Kearn

"AUCHINDOIR-AND-KEARN, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 36 miles (W. N. W.) from Aberdeen; containing 1188 inhabitants. The name Auchindoir, which is of Gaelic origin, and signifies "the field of pursuit", is supposed to have been applied from the circumstance of Luthlac, sou of Macbeth, having been pursued through the valley of Auchindoir to that of Bogie, where he was overtaken and slain by Malcolm. Kearn is said to be a corruption of Cairn, there being a remarkable cairn or tumulus in that district, of the history of which nothing, however, is known. The two places were united in 1811, previously to which Kearn was joined to Forbes. . . There are two gentlemen's seats, Craig and Druminnor, both of them of considerable antiquity, the former bearing the date 1518, and the latter, which was once the chief seat of the Forbes family, that of the year 1577. Near the castle of Craig is the "Den", a celebrated spot in this part of the country, surrounded by scenery of a varied and beautiful description, and much resorted to by tourists as an object of curiosity. The only village is Lumsden, which is of recent growth, and contains about 300 persons, chiefly traders and handicraftsmen. . . Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of Alford and synod of Aberdeen; the Earl of Fife is patron. The minister's stipend is £158, part of which is received from the exchequer; there is a manse, erected in 1843, and the glebe is valued at £10 a year. The church, which was built in 1811, accommodates 450 persons. At Lumsden is a place of worship belonging to the United Presbyterian Synod. . . More"
[From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]