PETCOX, village in Stenton parish, Haddingtonshire. It formerly gave name to the parish.

PETERCULTER, parish on left side of the Dee, averagely 6 miles west-south-west of Aberdeen. It contains the post offices of Peterculter and Countesswells, each under Aberdeen ; and it includes 359 acres formerly belonging to Banchory-Devenick. Its length is about 6 miles ; its greatest breadth about 4J miles ; its area 10,547 acres. Real property in 1880-81, 11,726. Pop. 1908. The land includes some haugh adjacent to the Dee, rises thence in gentle slope, and then becomes very uneven and rugged, with interspersions of rocky heights and marshy flats, but is nearly all arable or utilized. The seats are Culter, Murtle, Binghall, Countesswells, and Bieldside ; and the antiquities are a Cale-donian stone circle, a large tumulus, and traces of the Roman camp of Normandykes. The churches are Established and Free; and there are 3 schools with capacity for 237 scholars.

PETERHEAD, town and parish on east coast of Aherdeenshire. The town stands at terminus of branch railway, on peninsula two-thirds engirt by the sea, 32 miles by road but 44 J by railway north-north-east of Aberdeen ; was founded in 1593 adjacent to the fishing village of KeithInch ; ranks now as a head port, the centre of a fishery district, a resort of invalids for sea-bathing and use of medicinal springs, and a burgh uniting with Inverury, Kintore, Banff, Cullen, and Elgin in sending a member to Parliament ; attracts tourists for inspection of a neighbouring reach of romantic coast ; possesses harbour works constructed at a cost of more than 85,000, and designed in 1878 to be improved at a cost of about 30,000; is the largest depot of the whale-fishing of Great Britain ; publishes two weekly newspapers ; and has a head post office with all departments, a rail-way station, 4 banking offices, several hotels, a steepled town hall, 3 Established churches, 2 Free churches, United Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, and Roman Catholic churches, and 4 public schools with upwards of 700 scholars. The town is well-built, clean, and airy, yet presents a confused street arrangement. The vessels belonging to the port at end of 1879 were 66 sailing vessels of 8769 tons, and 7 steam vessels of 1263 tons. The arrivals in 1879 were 739 British vessels of 59,240 tons, and 139 foreign vessels of 12,211 tons ; the departures, 730 British vessels of 60,793 tons, and 143 foreign vessels of 12,323 tons. Real property of the burgh in 1880-81, 33,672. Pop. 10,922. The parish contains also the suburb of Buchanhaven, and the villages of Boddam, Burnhaven, and Ronheads. Its length is 5 miles ; its greatest breadth 4 miles ; its area 9670 acres. Real property of landward part in 1880-81, 16,741. Pop. of the whole, quoad civilia, 14,257 ; quoad sacra, 9906. The river Ugie traces the northern boundary to the sea ; the coast thence to the southern boundary includes the bays of Peterhead and Sandford ; is partly high and rocky, partly flat and sandy ; and, near the southern boundary, projects into the promontory of Buchanness. A sweep of hill bearing four successive names, and nowhere higher than 286 feet above sea-level, goes from that promontory round the southern and western borders; and _is crowned on one summit by a lofty tower in honour of Earl Grey and the Reform Bill. The rest of the land is an undulated or rolling plain. Granite and syenite are extensively quarried and exported. Chief objects of interest are Ravenscrag and Boddam castles. An Established mission church is in the town, and a chapel-of-ease is at Boddam. Eleven schools for 2365 scholars are in the parish, and 1 of them and enlargements for 731 are new.