County Dossier
Kincardineshire
A coastal shire of fishing villages and castles.
Kincardineshire is a maritime county along the North Sea coast of Scotland. The north-west rises into the Grampian Mountains, with Glen Dye noted for its remarkable scenery.
At a glance
Kincardineshire at a glance
A coastal shire of fishing villages and castles.
- Coastal Mearns of the Picts
- Sheriffdom by 12th century
- Kincardine & Stonehaven
- Area: 380 sq miles / 984 sq km
- Population: 77,670
- County Top: Mount Battock (2,552ft / 778m)
County Geography
Kincardineshire meets Aberdeenshire to the north, Perthshire to the west, and Angus to the south, while the North Sea forms the county’s eastern edge. The county is shaped by its rocky coast, the Howe o’ the Mearns, the Grampian rise inland, and the Dee-side and southern hill lines around the county’s margins.
Kincardineshire is easy to recognise through its North Sea coast, fertile Mearns, and upland rim.
Map Reference
View Kincardineshire on the map
Kincardineshire is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Stonehaven, Laurencekirk, Banchory, Inverbervie, and Fettercairn show the county from its main coast town and inland plain to the Dee-side north and the southern hill-foot.
Connections
The county’s routes have long followed the coast, crossed the Howe o’ the Mearns, and run inland toward the passes and glens of the north-west. Movement follows the same coast, plain, and upland pattern.
Names
- Kincardineshire
- County of Kincardine
- The Mearns
- Siorrachd Chinn Chàrdainn
Siorrachd Chinn Chàrdainn is the Gaelic form of Kincardineshire. County of Kincardine is the formal historical style, while The Mearns is the long-standing alternative name rooted in the county’s own regional identity.
The county was a sheriffdom by the twelfth century in coastal Pictish territory where Kincardine and Stonehaven both held county importance at different times. The coast, Howe, and upland rim still define Kincardineshire clearly.