Laurencekirk
Laurencekirk is a small town in the historical area of Kincardineshire, Scotland, simply off the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen main road, which bypassed it in 1985. It is provided as part of Aberdeenshire. It is the biggest settlement in the Howe o' the Mearns area and houses the regional high school; Mearns Academy, which was granted the Charter Mark in 2003. Its old name was Conveth, an anglification of the Gaelic Coinmheadh, describing a responsibility to provide complimentary food and also board to passing troops. Laurencekirk remains in the valley in between the Hill of Garvock and the Cairn O' Mount. The famous landmark of the Johnston Tower can be seen on the peak of the Garvock. Laurencekirk was, in the past, known for making snuff boxes with a special type of airtight joint (called a "Laurencekirk hinge") developed by James Sandy. Laurencekirk Golf Club (currently obsolete) initially appeared in the early 1900s. The club shut at the time of WW2. Lewis Grassic Gibbon wrote much concerning The Mearns and the surrounding area in his book Sunset Song. A homage centre can be seen at Arbuthnott a couple of miles from Laurencekirk. Fred Urquhart worked on the land at Laurencekirk in the 2nd World War, and his short stories take advantage of his monitorings of rural life below.