|
Laurencekirk lies in the middle of the Howe
of the Mearns and is the focus for much of farming life in the Howe,
however its history is quite a short one, having been founded only in the
late 18th century. It grew out of an existing village called Conveth and
was developed by Francis Garden, Lord Gardenstoun of Troup who purchased
the local estate of Johnston. His contemporary, James Boswell noted, "He
has encouraged the building of a manufacturing village of which he is
exceedingly fond, and has written a pamphlet upon it, as if he had founded
Thebes".
Today Laurencekirk is bypassed by the A90
and is a quiet, unremarkable place.
To the south east of the town the land
rises steeply to Garvock Hill, an excellent viewpoint (below) from which
to look over the Howe to the Grampians with Laurencekirk nestling below. I
must confess it is a favourite spot of mine at all times of the
year.
|
|
The Johnston Tower is a 19th century folly
which lies to the south of the viewpoint and is a landmark that stands out
for miles around. It was on Garvock Hill where occurred the gruesome
murder of John Melville, Sheriff of Kincardine, in 1420. King James I had
obviously found this magistrate to be an irksome character and when in an
off-hand remark he had expressed a wish to see Melville "sodden and
supped in broo", little did he realise that someone would take him at
his word. In the event a party of local lairds slayed , boiled and
seasoned the mortal remains of Melville before supping on their broth.
Also nearby is the estate of Monboddo,
the home of an 18th century eccentric, James Burnett, Lord Monboddo. He
was a leading figure on the Scottish Enlightenment and predated Darwin in
theorising about evolution. In his six-volume Origin and Progress of
Language" he traced the origins of man to the orangutan and
insisted that the Nicobar Islanders of the Indian Ocean still retained
tails.
|
|
