FORFARSHIRE or ANGUS, an eastern county of Scotland, bounded north by the shires of Kincardine and Aberdeen, west by Perthshire, south by the Firth of Tay and east by the North Sea. The island of Rossie and the Bell Rock belong to the shire. The name Angus was officially adopted in 1928.
In the most northerly section many rugged masses of the Grampians are found; this belt is succeeded by Strathmore, or the Howe of Angus, a fertile valley, 6 to 8 m. broad, continuing the Howe of the Mearns, and running south-westwards till it enters Strathearn, to the south-west of Perth; then come the Sidlaw hills and a number of isolated heights, which sink to the plain of the coast and the Firth. The mountains are all in the northern division and belong to the Binchinnin group (some times rather inexactly called the Braes of Angus) of the Grampian ranges. The highest point is Glas Maol (3,502 ft.) on the summit of' which the shires of Aberdeen, Forfar and Perth meet, and sum mits over 2,000 ft. are numerous. This northern division, con sisting of the Silurian and older metamorphic rocks of the High lands, with a great granite mass rising through the schists between Cairn Bannock and Mount Battock, is separated by a fault, ex tending from near Edzell to Loch Lintrathen, from the Old Red Sandstone rocks of the rest of the county. In these, volcanic tuffs and lavas are interbedded in the sandstones and conglom erates. The Sidlaw Hills—the greater part of which belongs to Perthshire—reach 1,493 ft. within Forfarshire. None of the rivers is navigable. The Isla (45 m.) rises in Cairn-na-Glasha, and enters the Tay. Near Bridge of Craig is the fall of Reekie Linn (7o ft.). Near Airlie castle are the cascades called the Slugs of Auchrannie.
The North Esk, formed by the confluence of Lee and Mark at Invermark, after a south-easterly course of 28 m. enters the North sea 3 m. N. of Montrose. It gives the title of earl of Northesk to a branch of the Carnegie family. The South Esk (48 m.) rises in the Grampians near Mount Fafernie and not far from its source forms the Falls of Bachnagairn; it reaches the North sea at Mon trose. It supplies the title of earl of Southesk to another branch of the Carnegies. Lintrathen (circular in shape and about m. across), north of Airlie Castle, supplies Dundee with drinking water. The glens of the Forfarshire Grampians are beautiful, and rich in botanical interest ; they include Glen Isla, in which are the ruins of Forter castle, destroyed by Argyll in 1640, Glen Clova, Glen Esk and Glen Prosen.
In the time of the Romans the country now known as Forfarshire was inhabited by Picts, and there are remains of weems, or underground houses. Traces of Roman camps and stone forts are common, and there are vitrified forts at Finhaven, Dumsturdy Muir, the hill of Laws near Monifieth and at other points. The battle in which Agricola defeated Galgacus is sup posed to have occurred in the Forfarshire Grampians (A.D. 84) ; the Northumbrian King Egfrith and the Pictish king Burde fought near Dunnichen in 685, the former being slain; conflicts with the Danes took place at Aberlemno and other spots; Elpin king of the Scots was defeated by Aengus in the parish of Liff in 73o; at Restennet, about 835, the Picts and Scots had a bitter en counter. There is some doubt whether the county was named Angus, its title for several centuries, after a legendary Scottish prince or from the hill of Angus to the east of the church of Aberlemno. It was early governed by hereditary earls and was made a hereditary sheriffdom by David II. The first earl of Angus (by charter of 1389) was George Douglas, illegitimate son of the 1st earl of Douglas by Margaret Stuart, countess of Angus in her own right. On the death of the 1st and only duke of Doug las, who was also 13th earl of Angus, in 1761, the earldom merged in the dukedom of Hamilton. Precisely when the shire became known by the name of the county town, Forfar, has not been ascertained, but probably the usage dates from the 16th century. Among old castles are the roofless square tower of Red castle at the mouth of the Lunan; the tower of the castle of Auchinleck; the stronghold of Inverquharity near Kirriemuir; the castle of Finhaven ; the two towers of Edzell castle ; the ruins of Melgund castle, fairly complete ; the small castle of Newtyle, and the square tower and gateway of the castle of Craig.
During the Glacial period the ice travelled south-eastward across Strathmore and over the Sidlaw hills ; abundant evidence of this transporting agent is to be seen in the form of morainic deposits, the most striking of which is the great transverse barrier of Glen airn in the valley of the South Esk, half a mile in length and about 200 ft. high. Relics of the same period are found round the coast in the form of raised beaches at ioo, 5o and 25 ft. above the present sea-level.
The principal wheat districts are Strathmore and the neighbourhood of Dundee and Arbroath. Oats, however, are the chief crop; barley and turnips are grown, and potatoes on the higher ground near the coast. The northern belt has been turned into sheep walks and deer forests. The black-faced sheep are the most common in the mountainous country; cross-bred sheep in the lowlands. Though it is their native county (where they date from 18o8), polled Angus are not generally reared, but shorthorns are a favourite stock and Irish cattle are imported for winter-feeding. Excepting near towns there are no dairy farms. Pigs and Clydesdale horses are reared.
The staple industries are the jute and flax manufactures. Flax-spinning, linen and jute manufactures, and bleaching are carried on extensively at Dundee, Arbroath, Mon trose, Brechin and Kirriemuir. Dundee is famous for jams and confectionery, and here and at Arbroath there are engineering works, iron-foundries, boot and shoe factories, breweries and distilleries. Shipbuilding is carried on at Dundee, Arbroath and Montrose. Sandstone quarries employ many hands and the deep sea fisheries of Montrose are important. The netting of salmon at the mouth of the North Esk is profitable. Fish is cured at Montrose, and paper is made at Brechin.
The L.N.E.R., entering from the south by the Tay bridge, follows the coast north-eastwards, sending off at Montrose a branch to Bervie. An L.M.S.R. line runs up Strathmore to Forfar, Guthrie, Dubton and Marykirk; it reaches Dundee from Perth by the shore of the estuary of the Tay, and sends branches from Dundee to Kirriemuir via Monikie and Forfar and to Alyth Junction via Newtyle, while a short line from Dubton gives it touch with Montrose.
population was 270,190 in 1931, when 762 spoke Gaelic and English and 5 Gaelic only. The chief towns are Arbroath (pop. in 1931, 17,637), Brechin (6,838), Carnoustie (4,806), Dundee (175,583), Forfar (9,660), Kirriemuir (4,755), Monifieth (2,984) and Montrose (10,196). Forfarshire returns one member to Parliament. It is a sheriffdom and there are two resident sheriffs-substitute at Dundee and courts are held also at Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose.
