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Rayne

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"RAYNE, a parish, in the district of Garioch, county of Aberdeen; containing 1542 inhabitants, of whom 112 are in the village of Old Rain, 12 miles (S. E. by E.) from Huntly. This place is supposed to take its name from the Gaelic word Raon, signifying "a field of good ground", which is pretty descriptive of the land throughout. . . Of the area of 7300 acres, about 5820 acres are under tillage, 390 consist of moors and ordinary pasture unfit for cultivation, 360 are occupied by wood, and 730 are peat-moss and pasture. Wheat is not much cultivated; the principal crops are oats and bear, with a considerable proportion of turnips. Large numbers of blackcattle are reared, chiefly of the native breed. . . The farmhouses are mostly plain substantial buildings, of one floor, with thatched roofs; those lately built are of two floors, and slated. . . There are two small villages, Meiklewarthill and Old Rain. The knitting of coarse worsted vests or under jackets for seafaring persons, of blue woollen bonnets for labouring men and boys, and worsted stockings, is carried on to a considerable extent in the parish, employing about 300 women. . . Ecclesiastically this place is in the presbytery of Garioch and synod of Aberdeen; patron, the Crown. The stipend is £225, with a manse, and a glebe of about eight acres, valued at £12 per annum. The church, which was buil in 1789, is situated in the centre of the parish, and seats about 700 persons. . . More"
[From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1851) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]

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Cemeteries

A book of monumental inscriptions for this parish is available from the Aberdeen & NE Scotland FHS.

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Churches

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Church Records

Presbytery of Garioch - Synod of Aberdeen

Here are details of the Birth, Marriage and Death records for this parish, available on the OPR films.

FilmBirthsMarriagesDeaths
236/11679-1819  
236/2 1672-18161783-85
236/31820-531820-501847-50
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Description & Travel

Here is a detailed description of the parish, written in 1875.

You can see pictures of Rayne which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Maps

This parish appears on sheets 38 & 29 of the OS Landranger Series, and on sheet 214 of the OS Pathfinder Series.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NJ703309 (Lat/Lon: 57.367955, -2.494691), Rayne which are provided by:

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Names, Geographical

Here is a list of place names in the parish.

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Taxation

A booklet containing extracts from the 1696 Poll Book for this parish is available from the Aberdeen & NE Scotland FHS.