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The Mearns)
Kincardineshire, also known as The Mearns (from A' Mhaoirne meaning 'The Stewartry') is a traditional county on the coast of Northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and west, and by Angus on the south. The county town was originally the town of Kincardine. 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 is Stonehaven. The county is no longer an administrative unit. It was subsumed within Grampian region as Kincardine district in 1975. 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.
