Kincardineshire
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Template:Infobox Scotland traditional county
Kincardineshire, also known as The Mearns (from A' Mhaoirne meaning 'The Stewartry') was a county of Scotland on the coast of Northeast Scotland. It was bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and west, and by Angus on the south. The county town was originally the town of Kincardine (not, as many believe, the village of Kincardine O Neil in neighbouring Aberdeenshire). However that town ceased to exist during the Middle ages. The only visible sign of its previous existence is the ruin of Kincardine Castle. In 1296, King John Balliol wrote a letter of surrender from the castle to Edward I of England after a short war which marked the beginning of the wars of Scottish independence.
In modern times the county town became Stonehaven. The county was abolished in 1975, and was subsumed into the Grampian region as Kincardine district. When the Grampian region was broken up into unitary authorities more recently, it was absorbed into the unitary authority of Aberdeenshire. The name is retained as a Lieutenancy area.
See also
- Richard Henry Brunton, born in Kincardine
- James Murdoch, born in Stonehaven