a burgh of barony and market-town of Scotland, in the county of Kincardine, at the mouth of the rivers Carron and Cowie, in a small bay on the German Ocean, 15 miles S. by W. of Aberdeen. It consists of an old and a new town, the former on the right and the latter on the left bank of the Carron, which is here crossed by a bridge connecting them. The old town has one principal street, broad but irregular, and is in general but ill built; the new town, on the contrary, has a spacious square and several streets running in straight lines parallel or at right angles to each other. In the square stands a fine market-house, and the houses in this part of the town are for the most part superior to those in the older portion. In the vicinity of Stonehaven stand the parish churches of Dunottar and Fetteresso, and there are also others belonging to the Free Church, the United Presbyterians, and the Scottish Episcopal Church. The town has several schools, a literary institution, library, court-house, and jail. Cotton and linen fabrics are manufactured here, and there are also a distillery and a brewery. Haddock and herring fishing give employment to many of the people. The harbour is a natural basin, but has been improved by the erection of piers; it is, however, only accessible to small vessels. Two miles further south, on a rock overhanging the sea, and separated from the mainland by a deep chasm, stand the ruins of Dunottar Castle, once the seat of the Earls Marischal. Pop. 3240.