Since 1996, most of the pre-1975 county has formed part of the Aberdeenshire council area, with the exception of Nigg, which is in Aberdeen City.

[1] From the 12th century, sheriffs were also gradually introduced across Scotland, with responsibility for administering justice across an area known as a sheriffdom or shire.

A charter granted to the burgh of Kincardine in 1532 noted the town's established role in hosting the shire's courts.

[5] Kincardine's decline continued after 1600; its market and fair relocated to Fettercairn, and by the mid-19th century no trace remained of the former county town.

The older territory of the Mearns was therefore gradually eclipsed in legal importance by the shire of Kincardine (or Kincardineshire) which covered the same area.

In 1667 Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890.

[8] Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, taking most of the functions of the commissioners, which were eventually abolished in 1930.

[11] The parish of Nigg in the north-east of the county included the Torry area on the south bank of the River Dee, which by the late 19th century was developing into a suburb of Aberdeen.

[24] Roughly triangular in shape, Kincardineshire consists of the largely flat Strathmore area running parallel with the coast, with hillier, forested country in the interior, the latter forming part of the Grampian Mountains.

In 1983, eight years after the abolition of the local government county of Kincardineshire, North Angus and Mearns was replaced by new constituencies.

The ancient Causey Mounth road was built on high ground to make passable this only available medieval route from coastal points south to Aberdeen.

The route was that taken by the Earl Marischal and Marquess of Montrose when they led a Covenanter army of 9,000 men in the first battle of the Bishops' Wars in 1639.

[27] Elsick Mounth is a prehistoric trackway used by the Caledonian tribes as well as the Roman army in their northern invasion of the Scottish Highlands.

One of the key features of the book, and some of his other writing, is the balanced and immersive use of the local Doric Scots dialect mixed with standard English, in a manner easily and enjoyably accessible to someone unfamiliar with the North East of Scotland.