230 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh, [march 19 , 
markets in the village (Aberchirclir) at Whitsunday and Martinmas ; 
and an annual market for horses and cattle, called “ Marnoch Fair,” 
took place on the second Tuesday of March. There were six 
public-houses, of which five v'ere in the village. 
At present there are no fewer than six places of worship in the 
parish, of which five are situated in the village of Aberchirdir, 
Of these, two pertain to the Church of Scotland, and the four others 
to the Free, U.P., Baptist, and K.C. Churches respectively. Besides 
an Episcopal school, there are four public schools and a large paro- 
chial library ; and the markets appear to be the same as in 1845. 
A recent writer on the illegitimacy of Banffshire, in the columns 
of the Scotsmaii (March 3, 1887), speaks of Marnoch as the 
historical parish, in the Presbytery of Strathbogie, that may 
almost be said to have given birth to the Free Church j” and 
suggests that, along with those of five other representative parishes, 
the registers might divulge some interesting results in connection 
with the occupations of the parents, which “ could not fail to have 
a most instructive and beneficial effect.” He also alludes to the 
unfortunate neglect on the part of so many registrars to make any 
comments on the figures embraced in their quarterly returns, in the 
compartment headed “ Eemarks by Eegistrar.” “ Had registrars,” 
he says, “ carried out their instructions, we should long before 
this have had a mass of evidence on this question of illegitimacy, 
that might have enabled measures to be taken for its amelioration. 
Take, for example, the case of Marnoch. For the long space of 
twenty-nine years the registrar of this interesting parish has pre- 
served an unbroken silence on this subject, even when the cases 
were mounting up to 40 per cent. The experiences of this official 
must be of a valuable character, if he can only be induced to 
break the silence.” After alluding to the failure of philanthropists 
and the local clergy to take any action in the matter, he further 
says : — “ If it does not fall within the province of a Eoyal Commis- 
sion, surely the General Assembly would show its wisdom by 
sending a deputation or commission to investigate and devise 
remedies for the evil. Better send a deputation to Banffshire than 
to Beyrout or Bombay.” * 
* The same intelligent writer has lately contributed a series of valuable 
papers on “Banffshire Illegitimacy” to the columns of the Banffshire 
Journal. 
