: rma = is TO ‘THE RIGHT HONOURABLE ELIZA AMELIA, Countess of Brroll, WHO, THOUGH RECENTLY DOMESTICATED IN THE DISTRICT OF BUCHAN, IS HAPPILY BECOMING ASSOCIATED WITH ALL THAT IS DEAR TO THE SCOTTISH HEART ; THESE PAGES ARE (BY PERMISSION) RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. ~ ‘ MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. THERE is little to be recorded of the life of the Author of Buchan. The events of the life of a country pastor belong chiefly to his ministerial calling, and are scarcely admissible in a prefatory Memoir to a work like the present. Of his genial temper, amiable disposition, and fond appreciation of everything re- lating to his native district, the work itself will bear ample testimony. JOHN BuRNETT PRATT was born at Cairnbanno, New Deer, and received the rudiments of his edu- cation at the parish school. After passing through the University curriculum at King’s College, Aber- deen, where he took the degree of M.A., he was ordained Deacon of the Scotch Episcopal Church in 71821 by Bishop William Skinner, and appointed to the small cure of Stuartfield, which, ten years after, was merged into the Episcopal congregation at Old Deer. After ministering for four years to an at- tached and increasing flock, in 1825 a vacancy oc- curred in S. James’s Church, Cruden, and Mr. PRAtr was unanimously elected pastor to that numerous congregation, to the deep regret of the little flock at é ie MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. Stuartfield, to whom he had greatly endeared himself. Of his diligent, arduous, and self-denying labours at Cruden, there is no need to speak here; they must — be judged of at a higher tribunal than mere public opinion. Asa proof of the estimation in which his theological learning, literary accomplishments, and professional character were held,ait is sufficient to say that he was appointed by the Bishop of the diocese as one of his examining chaplains, In 1865, the University of Aberdeen conferred upon him the degree of LL.D., an honour, however well merited, his» humility never would have led him to covet. Dr. Pratt was, widely and favour- ably known, not only in his own Church, but also in England and in the colonies, by various theo- logical works, the latest of which is a contribution to the Unity of Christendom—an object very dear to his peaceoving heart—in the shape of a little volume, under the title of Letters on the Scandinavian Ohurches, their Doctrine, Worship, and Polity. Outside his own community, and to the general public, Dr. Prarr will be known chiefly by this volume, descriptive of his native district, which he made his specialty by his profound and accurate knowledge of the histories and genealogies of its representative families, its antiquarian objects of in- terest, and by his careful collection of local traditions, - MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. e 1x Sayings, and usages, which were fast falling into oblivion,. The materials for this work were carefully searched for and verified, by the enthusiastic Author himself, to whom it was a labour of love, journeying on foot through every parish within the district de- scribed in this volume. It would ill beeome the partial pen to which this Memoir of Dr. Pratt has been entrusted, to speak of those amiable characteristics so peculiarly his own, - and which were evidenced through all the relations of life. Has gentleness, patience, tolerance; his un- consciousness of evil in the designs of others, and the utter absence of resentment where he himself chanced to be the sufferer, will live in the memory and undying love of those who knew him best. He died on the 20th of March, 1869, in the seventy-first year of his age, having filled the office of pastor of S. James’s at Cruden for the long period of forty four years : ‘‘ Through all this tract of years, Wearing the white flower of a blameless life.” CRUDEN, 1870. % 4 & PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. IN offering a Third Edition of Buchan to the public, it may be necessary to state that the entire revision it _ has undergone, was completed by the lamented Author himself, shortly before his demise, although the busi- ness of conducting it through the press was neces- sarily left to less efficient hands. ‘This, it is hoped, will plead the best excuse for any inaccuracies that may have inadvertently crept in. The kind friends who have lent their assistance towards the greater accuracy of this edition will believe that their communications and suggestions were fully appreciated, and would, had it been so permitted, have been thankfully acknowledged by the Author, as they now are by her to whom the watching of the work through the press has been at once a labour of love, and a source of deep and un- availing regret. 72 Gg ef MorpetaH, 1870. APOLOGIES are respectfully tendered to parties who had kindly furnished the Author with some beautiful fac similes .of monumental and other inscriptions, for their non-appear- ance in Buchan. But the individual on whom devolved the mournful task of editing this work, was unable to discover the proper places for their insertion. % Oia 4a es . “ ‘ hen, BMA OD Steppes h adlk’ hae <2 - 5 i” oo PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. In coming before the Public with a New Hdition of Buchan, I cannot omit the opportunity it affords me of expressing my deep sense of the favourable reception of the first impression of the work, and of the obligations Ihave been laid under to the editors of the many journals and periodicals in which it has been reviewed and recom- mended. ‘To these I consider the rapid sale of the first _ edition to be mainly owing. It would be mere affectation to conceal the pleasure I feel in having had the voice of the public so unequivocally expressed in favour of the work ; although I must not be unmindful of the fact, that a great portion of this favour is to be ascribed to the nature of the subject rather than to the merits of the compiler. The only adequate return I could make was by using every avail- able means within my reach to enhance the value of the work by additional facts and incidents ; and I have therefore to express my thanks to many kind friends— some of whom are personally unknown to me—who have favoured me withremarks which have put it in my power to correct a few things that were erroneously stated, and to supply others that were wanting. Let me xiv PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. hope, then, that the present edition will be worthy of a continuation of that favour which has been so generously accorded to the former. tek S. JameEs’s, CRUDEN, April 20, 1859. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. It could scarcely be expected that a record should be made of circumstances, physical and moral, relating to a particular district, without betraying some peculiarity or bias of opinion. I trust, however, that nothing in the following pages will bear to be construed into an invidious attack on those who may chance to entertain different or adverse sentiments from my own. With a view to avoid, as much as possible, the appear- ance of such a design, I have, in the compilation of these fragmentary notices of Buchan, preferred, in every instance where authorities were attainable, giving their ipsissima verba, to moulding the information thus acquired into language of my own. This little work, therefore, must be considered chiefly in the character of Notes. These have been drawn from every available source ;—from written records, popular tradition, and—in all practicable cases—from personal observation and inquiry; my sole aim being to ‘present, in a compact, accessible form, whatever can be gathered of the earlier history, customs, manners, and traditions of the district. The aged will frequently find the reproduction of their “‘ old-world stories ;”’ the young. will possibly meet with subjects to awaken their interests ; XV1 “PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. and all, let me hope, with something to stimulate their conservative patriotism. I beg to tender my most grateful thanks to those parties who, kindly and cordially entering into my object, have furnished me with facts relating to localities with which they were necessarily better acquainted than I could possibly be. I have also to acknowledge having freely availed my- self of the labours of an occasional contributor to the Aberdeen Free Press, whose enlarged and intimate ac- quaintance with the neighbourhood of Old Deer has been of important service to me. I have generally intimated my obligations in this quarter under the brief form of “ Gossip about Old Deer,” in preference to a constant recurrence to a fuller reference. I have also drawn much useful information from other and similar sources —which I here beg to mention with all due acknow- ledgement. One more remark, and I have done. The unassigned poetical contributions to this work it is necessary that I should disclaim. Iam only permitted to say that they are derived from a source to which such productions are more congenial than they are to myself. J. Deak, S. JaAmsEs’s PARSONAGE, CRUDEN. ‘ CONTENTS. fy) PAGE INTRODUCTION, : ; ; F : d 1-3 CHAPTER I. Name, Boundary, and Produce, . é 2 : 4-11 j ( CHAPTER II. Hills—Rivers—Roads— Climate — General Character—Manners and Customs—Farm Implements—Farm Leases—Rood-day— Festivals—Funerals—Fasten’s Eve—Hallow Fires—Christ- mas—Sand-Glass—Candles—Packmen, ; ~ sbdesz ———- _ CHAPTER III. FROM FORVIE TO PETERHEAD. Waterside—Forvie—Maidens’ Malison—Collieston—St.. Cath- arine’s Dub—Caves—Smuggling—The Crooked Mary—Philip Kennedy—Old Slains Castle—Dropping Cave—Whinnyfold— Cruden Bay—Hawklaw—Barrows—St. Olaus’ Well—Battle of Cruden—Conditions of Peace—St. Olaus’ Church—Tumuli —St. James’s Church—Water of Cruden—Bridges—Parish Church—Free Church—Moat Hill—High Law—Knockie Hil- ~ be XVill CONTENTS. GE ’ Pa lock—Mills—Slains Castle —Erroll Family—Battle of Loncarty —Flight of the Faleoon—Dun Buy—Bullers of Buchan—Cleft- Stone —Dundony—Castle of Boddam—Marine Villa—Buchan- ness Lighthouse—Boddam—Burnhaven, : . 28-62 CHAPTER IV. PETERHEAD. Name—Erection — Population — Inscriptions — Castle—Town- House—Parish Church—St. Peter’s—Places of Worship— Hotels—Museum—Batteries—Act of Council—Town Guard in 1715—Wine Well—Baths—Greenland Fishery—Herring Fishery —Manufactures—Harbours—Great Storm—Tremend- ous Wave, ; ; : . : . 63-79 CHAPTER V. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF PETERHEAD, Old Inverugie Castle—Collieburn—Howes of Buchan—Dens of Peterhead—Cairn Catta— Mounds — Dun-a-Cluach — Camp Fauld—Silver Cairn—Hill of Gask—Leacha House—Enclosed | Mound—Morris Wells—Den of Boddom—Picts’ Houses—In- fluences of Old Traditions—Sterling-Hill Quarries—-Reform - ‘Tower—Brick and Rope Works, : . . 80-92 CHAPTER VI. THE UGIE. Inverugie Castle—Tammas’ Stane—Keiths Marischal—Raven’s Craig—Mount Pleasant —HEllishill—Castle Brae—Haughs of Rora—Bridge of Auchlee—Inverquhomery— Valley and Vil- CONTENTS. xix Pace lage of Deer—Parish Church of Deer—Old Tombstgnes—Epis- copacy in the North — Rabbling of Deer — Acts of Tolera- tion and Patronage — Episcopal Church — Denominational ~ Churches—Fetterangus— Aden House—Pitfour House—Abbey of St. Mary of Deer—Abbey Church—Monastery of St. Mary —Abbot of St. Mary’s—Monks—Labours of the Monks—The Fall of the Comyns—The Commendator of Deer—The Lord- ship of Altrie—Robert Keith of Benholn—Wonderful Vision —Confiscation of the Marischal Estates—Remains of the Abbey—The Last of the Abbey—The Columban Monastery— The Stone at Deer—Druidical Circles—Picts’ Houses—Aiky Brae—Harrying of Buchan—Gordon of Glenbucket—Glack- raich—Cairn of Atherb—Brucklay Castle—Castle of Fedderat —Ground Plan of the Castle—Mill of Fedderat, . 938-141 CHAPTER VII. THE NORTH OR BACK UGIE. The Gonar—Strichen—Town-House— Parish Church—Free Church—Episcopal Church—Strichen House—Railway Station —Parish School—Loch of Auchlee—Scenery of the North Ugie,:,... ‘ ; : ; : . 142-149 CHAPTER VIII. FROM PETERHEAD TO BANFF, BY THE HIGH ROAD. Cairngall—Episcopal Church—Village of Longside—Linshart —New Church—Mintlaw—Monument to Pitt and Dundas —New Pitsligo—Churches—Episcopal Chapel—Pitsligo Arms —Standing Stones of Auchnagorth — Byth House — Mac- duff, , . 150-161 xx CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. FROM PETERHEAD TO BANFF, BY THE COAST ROAD. PaGE Church and Village of St. Fergus—Rattray House—Old Chapel —Burgh of Rattray—Castle Hill—Rattray Head—Loch of Strathbeg — Lonmay — Crimonmogate — Cairness — Parish Church of Lonmay—Presbytery Records—Episcopal Church —Druidical Circle—St. Colm’s Kirk—Inverallochy—Cairn- bulg—View from the Castle—Links of Philorth—Old Church —Crimond—Logie-Crimond—Sir James the Rose—Chapel ~ and Loch of Kininmonth — Blair-Mormond — Craigellie— Church of Rathen—Trefor and St. Oyne’s Hill—Mormond House—Auchiries— Mrs. Donaldson’s Dream—House and Cairns of Memzie—Philorth—The Rhymer’s Prophecy, 162-190 CHAPTER X. FROM FRASERBURGH TO BANFF, BY THE COAST ROAD. Fraserburgh—The Origin of the Burgh—Harbour—University —Kinnaird’s Head—Old Wine Tower—Legend of the Wine Tower—Railway Terminus—Harbour—New Pier—Exports— Imports—Temperature of Fraserburgh—Chapel Hill—Sand- haven—Castle of Pittulie—Old Chapel—Castle of Pitsligo— Nine Maidens’ Well—Parish Church of Pitsligo—Andrew Cant—Rosehearty—New Town—Lord Pitsligo’s Cave—Castle of Dundarg—Old Kirk of Aberdour—St. Drostane’s Well— Mess John’s Well—Aberdour House—Dens of Auchmedden— Pitjossie—Garslaw—The Law—Loch of Minwig—Auchmed- den—Glenquithle — Pennan—Chapel Den—Tor of Troup— Hell’s Lum—Neddle’s Eye—Brodie’s Cairns—Eagles of Pen- nan—Rhymer’s Prophecy—Pennan Lodge—Troup House— — Cot-Town of Middleton—Bracoden—Gardenston—Crovie— Lethnot—Dens—Old Church of Gamrie—Bloody Pots—Mer- nane—Old Church of Gamrie—Battle-field—Greenskairs— Wallace Castle--Melrose— Cullen of Buchan—-The Heughs— CONTENTS. , Xx1 PAGE The Geologist’s Tour —Melrose—Castle of Cullen-of-Buchan— - Auld Haven-~Macduff—Bridge of Banff, ‘i 191-242 CHAPTER XI. FROM THE BRIDGE OF BANFF TO TURRIFF, BY THE OLD ROAD. Castle of Eden—Old Church of Kin-Edar—New Parish Church and Castle of Kin-Edar— Beaver Craig—Wreck of the Family of Comyn—The Caged Lady of Buchan—Garniston— Craigston Castle—Dalgaty Castle—Turriff—Old Church— Knights Templars—Grammar School—The Lodging—Market Cross—Churches—Castle Rainy—Gask — Balquholly—Hat- ton Castle—Covenanters at Turriff—First Raid of Turriff— Muiresk—Scobbach—Drachlaw, : ; . 248-261 CHAPTER XII. FROM TURRIFF TO OLD DEER, BY CUMINESTOWN. Cuminestown — Parish Church — Episcopal Church—Auchry House — Garmond— New Byth— Allanthan — Auchmunziel— New Deer—Muckle Stane of Auchmaliddie— Religious Edifices, ; ; ; : : . 262-268 CHAPTER XIII. FROM NEW DEER TO FYVIE AND AUCHTERLESS. Deer Hill—Kethan—Lendrum—Battle of Lendrum—Waggle Cairn—Charlie’s Houff—Ogre’s Howe—Macterry, . 262-268 XXll CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIV. THE YTHAN AND ITS TRIBUTARIES, PA The Ythan—Burn of Forvie—Kenmuick—Kirkhill—Dudwick —Auchleuchries — Pitlurg — Burn of Collieston—Lochs of Slains—Auchmacoy—Birness—Castle of Waterton— Village of Ellon—Parish Church—Kirk Lands—Ellon Castle—Places of Worship—Inns—Trade in the Last Century—Moot Hill— Auchterellon — Turner-hall—The Ebrie—Arnage—Coldwells —Tillydesk—School of Savock—Auchnagat—Nethermuir— Shivas—Mill of Kelly—Little Water of Gight—Den of Arno —Cairns—Relics—Cairnbanno— Auchsleed—House of Gight — —Braes of Gight—The Rhymer’s Prophecies—Traditions— Woodhead of I’etterletter—Episcopal Church—Free Church— Burgh of Fyvie—Windy Hills—Braes of Fetterletter—The Priory—Sacrilege and its Consequences—Fyvie Castle—Skir- mish between the Royalists and Covenanters—Fyvie Castie— The Rhymer’s Prophecy—Mill of Tiftie—Towie-Barclay— Tollie Mills—Barclay de Tolly—The Rhymer’s Prophecy— Parish Church—Moat-head—Eminent Men—Mill of Knock- 2eito, aes ; , ; : : . 274-331 GE CHAPTER? XV. FROM ELLON TO BIRNESS TOLL-BAR. Auquharney House—Midmill of Cruden—Aldie—Moorseat— Auquharney—Bog of Ardallie—Kinmundy—Kirk of Clola— Mintlaw—New Leeds—Cortes—Rathen—Philorth, . 882-847 CONTENTS. xxiii CHAPTER XVI. , FROM FRASERBURGH TO NEW PITSLIGO, BY TYRIE. The Kirk of Tyrie—The Stone at Tyrie—Boyndlie House — Tyrie House—Bridge of Craigmaud—New Pitsligo, . 338-344 PaGcE ConcLUSION, ; . A - ; . 845-350 APPENDIX, . , : A ? : . 8538-485 INDEX, : : : ; ; : . 487-494 ILLUSTRATIONS. Portrait, Frontispiece. BEN-NA-CHIE, Op Siartns CASTLE, : F ; ; : 4 THE WATER OF CRUDEN, THE OLD, oR BisHop’s BRIDGE, CRUDEN, PETERHEAD, . ; > 5 es. : ‘ INVERUGIE CASTLE, from the West, RAVEN’S CRAIG, . INVERUGIE CASTLE, from under, Parliamentary Bridge, CASTLE OF CAIRNBULG, FRASERBURGH, Ruins oF Kin-Epar, Otp AND New Bripess at Kin-Epar, . : ; , ELLon CASTLE, ‘ Oup Hovusk oF GIGHT, : ’ § : ; Map, BUCHAN. INTRODUCTION. In this age of railways and steamboats, the facilities of reaching countries and places likely to afford either pleasure or profit, or remarkable for their natural char- acter or historical reputation—for the enjoyment they are likely to yield, or the dangers and difficulties they are known to present—have not only tempted crowds of visitors, but also loaded our book-shelves with infor- mation of all kinds concerning them. LEvery tourist publishes his journal; every traveller writes a book. Everybody, therefore, seems to know everything of every country and every place. From the north of Russia to the south of Africa—from the Himalayas to the Andes—every river and rock, pass and resting place, is known. ‘There is not a building on the Rhine, nor a rapid in the Danube, that is not familiar to us; the Nile, from the Delta to the mountains of Abyssinia; the Huphrates in the Hast, and the Mississippi in the West, are all, as it were, brought before us. Palestine and Idumza have been explored; the great deserts have been tra- versed ; even China and Tartary, Thibet and Japan, have been penetrated: the ruins of the mighty cities of the Old World have been laid bare ; whilst places less distant—Italy and Greece, and toe cities on the shores of the Mediterranean—are like home-scenes, and objects of every-day observation. But while these foreign and far-remote scenes are 2 INTRODUCTION. thus made familiar to us, is there not some reason to suspect that we know less of things nearer home—less of things which more closely concern ourselves? Yet it has almost passed into an aphorism, that if a man is unacquainted with the history and peculiarities of his own country, he can scarcely be said to have his mind usefully stored, however intimate he may be with things farther afield. For example, how few, who have been born and brought up in the District of Buchan, could give anything like an accurate account of its natural phenomena, its hoar antiquities, or its extent and bound- aries. Few, perhaps, have imagined that it contains anything deserving of particular notice, or of interest either to the naturalist, the antiquarian, or the student of archeology. The truth is, not that Buchan is barren of materials, but that it has never yet had the good fortune to find one who has made its streams and glens, its crumbling ruins and relics of pre-historic times, the theme of his story. It is not, however, that the compiler of these Notes entertains the idea of supplying this deficiency. All he proposes is, to take the reader over the ground at rather a raking pace, just taking time to direct his attention to the salient points, natural and artificial, biographical and historical, connected with the several localities, and then leave him to fill up the outline for himself. And while it is not pretended that this district contains anything to be compared with the wild grandeur of the Trosachs, or the gentler beauties of T'weeddale, or the streams and woodlands of the land of Burns, it will be found that there are many things within its range to interest the stranger, and which the native will scarcely fail to appreciate. It has been facetiously said—a pleasantry of which the professed joker has made ample use—that Buchan is incapable of growing anything higher than a cabbage stock; but although in its external aspect it is in many places barren enough, it is far from being deficient in other objects in which the naturalist and the geologist feel an interest, whilst in archeological remains it may be favourably compared with any of the ‘ INTRODUCTION. 3 neighbouring districts. To the lovers of the picturesque there are ruins in abundance, sacred and secular; wild ravines and rambling water-courses ; verdant knolls and deep and tangled dells; and to the scientific stu- dent there are wildflowers, marine shells, sea-weeds, and petrifactions ; there is the limestone, porphyry, granite, and trap; and last, not least, the old red sandstone. Before we proceed farther, however, there are one or two points which it may be as well to settle. O HateP TE eee NAME, BOUNDARY, AND PRODUCE. Namse.—The origin of this, like many other things coming down from remote antiquity, is rather doubtful. All accounts agree in supposing it to be of Celtic deriva- tion. ‘‘ Buchan,” says Keith,’ “is so called, because abounding of old in pasture, paying its rent in cattle— for the word, in Irish, signifies cow-tribute.’’ Another deri- vation has been suggested, by one well acquainted with the Gaelic language : ‘‘ Bow Chwan—the land in the bend of the ocean.” As the district i¢ thus situated, and as it is a characteristic of Gaelic names to indicate the peculiar features of the designated locality, we are in- clined to give the preference to this latter deriva- tion.” Bovunpary.—Leaving the name, we proceed to a point of more importance—the settlement of the boundary of Buchan. In feudal times, what is now termed a district, was commensurate with a Thanedom. Buchan was that portion of the country over which the jurisdiction of the Thane of Buchan extended. Originally it reached from the Don to the Duveron. Subsequently the district of /urmartine was taken out of this immense ! See Appendix A. 2 The original name, according to Ptolemy, appears to have been Thezalia, or Taixalium. Boethius, lib. vii. fol. cxxili. § 35, says, ‘‘ Maritimam Thezalize partem, a vectigali quod regiis procuratoribus ab incolis, in annos, pendi solitum erat, quum gregum multitudine abundaret, Buth- quhaniam nomen accepisse ferunt. st etenim Quhain, prisca Scotorum lingua vectigal; Buth, ovium collectio.”’ ie (a> ss ae! BOUNDARY. 5 thanedom, and ever since, the Ythan has formed its southern limit. ‘“‘ Aberdeenshire,’’ says Dr. Skene Keith, “at a remote period, seems to have composed two distinct counties or earldoms—namely, Marr and Buchan; the former com- prehending the divisions of Mar proper, Garioch and Strathbogie; the latter including the thanedoms of For- martine and Belhelvie, which were united in a political connection with the territory, and subject to the jurisdic- tion of the Earls of Buchan, When the feudal system was generally abolished, and when it became expedient to unite several earldoms under the jurisdiction of one sheriff or judge, appointed by the sovereign, all the divisions were included in the general name of the County of Aberdeen. From that period Aberdeenshire has been considered as composed of five divisions—namely, Mar, Formartine, Buchan, Garioch, and Strathbogie.’ In a MS. in the Advocates’ Library, supposed to have been written by the Lady Anne Drummond, daughter of James Harl of Perth, and Countess of John, twelfth Earl of Erroll, about the year 1680, it is said—‘“ All that country in old times was called Buchan, which | - lyeth betwixt the rivers Donand Diveran.. . . . But now, generally, what is betwixt Don and Ythan is called Formartine ; and that only hath the name of Buchan which is found betwixt Ythan and Diveran.” There is one portion of the boundary which we have not been able to trace with complete certainty—viz., the line which marks its western border between the Duveron and the Ythan. After the most diligent in- quiries made on the spot, the following may be given as not far wide of the mark. The boundary on the Duveron is at the point where the Herne or Heron Burn,’ falls into the river about three miles above Turriff, and a quarter of a mile below Drachlaw. The whole course of this streamlet is little more than a quarter of a mile. 1 See Appendix, B. 2 General View of Aberdeenshire. By Gro. Skene Kertu, D.D. 3 Hither from its being frequented by herons ; or, what is more probable, from the Saxon word hyrne or hurne—a corner or mark. 6 BOUNDARY. ; Before the marsh, out of which it rises, was drained, the Herne Burn, for great part of the year, was a tiny rivulet; now, it scarcely amounts even to this. Its course is through a deep and narrow ravine, forming part of the boundary of the parishes of Turriff and Inverkeithny, and of the shires of Aberdeen and Banff, — as well as of the district or thanedom of Buchan. Ascending the ravine, and then holding in a direction ~ almost due south by the compass for about a quarter of. a mile, and near the apex of the hill of Drachlaw, we reach the Caerlin-ring, or, as it is locally termed, the Oairn-riv stone, which marks the boundary of the district at this point. This stone approaches in shape to a triangular prism—its broadest side being about eight, and each of the other two sides about six feet, and its height upwards of eight feet. It stands at a short distance from the public road from Turriff to Inver- keithny, on a piece of uncultivated ground on the Back- jill of Drachlaw, being one of the stones of a large Druidical circle of about thirty-six yards in diameter. It is placed in the south side of the circumfrence. From this point the boundary of the district runs in a south- westerly direction to the Huare-stone,* on the farm of Feith-hill, about two miles. and a half from Drachlaw. This stone had also been part of-a Druidical circle, and is now nearly all that remains of it: it projects above ground about three feet. From the Hare-stone of Feith- hill, the boundary proceeds in nearly the same south- westerly direction for about a mile, when it reaches the Woof, or Oof-stone,” on the hill of Monduff, which indi- cates not only the limit of the district, but also that of the parishes of Forgue and Inverkeithny, the shires of Banff and Aberdeen, and the estates of Cluny, Gerries- ford, and Drumblair, which all meet at this point. Thence the line turns southward till it reaches the 1 See Appendix, C. 2 Probably a corruption of e/f cr elve ; woof or oof, in the Buchan dialect, signifying a fairy, or wicked sprite. A boundary-stone is also termed the Youffing-stone, from a practice familiar to those who have ever been present at ‘‘the riding of the marches.” 7 hres i ae a PARISHES. 7 source of a streamlet on the northern borders of the farm of Lenshee. This rivulet forms the boundary, till it meets another small stream at the Mill of Gerriesford. These, after their junction, flow down by Thorny-bank., and form the boundary to their confluence with the Ythan at the farm of Mill of Knockleith. This line of the western boundary of the district is _. confirmed by the statement of Mr. Alexander Hepburn, who, in his Description of the Parish of Turriff, A.D. M.DCC_XXI., says, “Up the river Divern, towards the S.W., stands the Manor of Muiresk, and a mile farther to the south lyes Laithers, the countrey-seat of General Gordon. Buthquhan reaches not a mile above this place.* Again, with reference to the south-eastern border, the same author says, “‘ About a mile farther stands the Castle of Towie, belonging to the heirs of Barclay of Towie: it is situate on the river Ythan. Buthquhan runs up some two miles farther to the S.W., where stands the kirk of Auchterless. Buthquhan is narrow at this point: the distance betwixt Ythan and Divern does not exceed three miles.” This carries the line much farther into the interior than is generally supposed. It is, however, commonly divided into the upper and lower districts. If we can trust Willox, who wrote a “ Description of the Parish of Old Deer,” about the year 1723, the line of division was marked by a regular series of march-stones. ‘“‘ The Ear! of Buchan,” says he, ‘“‘ dying without heirs male, left two daughters, the one whereof was married to one of the predecessors of the Harl Marischall, and the other to the oldest son of the family of Marr; by which daughters both familys got considerable additions to their estates ; the Harl of Buchan’s lands being divided between them. It seems the men of those times were not so nice upon land marches as now, for, upon the south side of Mor- mount—a great hill north of the church of Deer about six miles—there was erected a very high stone, vulgarly 1See View of the Diocese of Aberdeen, p. 465. Scotch miles are here meant, one of which is equal to about one and a half statute miles. 8 PARISHES. known by the Hunt-stone of Mormount; to the south whereof, at five miles distance, and in view of the first, upon the top of a hill near the house of Pitfour, was another high stone, perpendicularly set up: and south of the second, a third stone, at Denns or Meikle Creichie, in view of the second: two miles distant, and south of the third, a fourth stone, at Parcock, and in view of the third, like a meridian line; the lands on either side falling, it seems, by lot to the two families above men- tioned.” Two of these stones were known as “The White Cow of Pitfour,’ and “The White Cow of Crichie.’’ The line, if extended in the direction Willox indicated, would approach an immense rocky boulder on the hill of Hlphin, near Turnerhall, and thence to near a point where the Ebrie joins the Ythan. The whole district comprises the following parishes, which have been denominated the outer and the inner. Commencing at the mouth of the Ythan, and passing along the eastern border, the outer parishes are H'orvie—overblown with sand, and the name as a parish almost forgotten— Slains, Cruden, and Peterhead; on the north-east and north, St. Fergus, Crimond, Lonmay, Rathen, Fraser- burgh, Pitsligo, Aberdour, and Gamrie, which extends to the Duveron; on the western border, and between | the Duveron and the Ythan, part of Forglen, including its church; King-Hdward, and Turriff; and on the south-west and southern border, lying along the north- east bank of the Ythan, part of Auchterless, with its church ; part of Fyvie, with its church ; part of Methlick, part of Tarves, part of Ellon, with its church; and part of Logie-Buchan. The inner parishes ‘are Longside, Old Deer, New Deer, Strichen, Tyrie, and Monquhitter. In the Countess of Erroll’s MS. volume we have the following quaint account of the district: “ This countrey is neither altogether high nor levell, but rather a mixture of both. Towards the head it is somewhat an hilly countrey ; but downward to the sea it is more low and plain, without any considerable risings, except that of Mormounth, a great hill within some six miles of Fraser- burgh. That land which lyeth along the sea-coast is PRODUCE. 9 generally a , clay soil; the rest, for the most part, is moss and moor, and full of bogis and marishes.”’ Propucr.—* It so abounds,” says Keith,! “ with oats at this day ‘about ann. 1730], though not of the richest kind—heing of that sort which is called small-corn, except on the coast, where they enrich the soil with wreck (sea- weed)—that it is sometimes called proverbially the granary of Scotland, and, at other times, the land of cakes.” The Buchan of that day conveys a very tolerable idea of what it is at the present, being still famed for its cattle and oats. Of cattle, the pure Buchan breed, though smaller than those of the more southern counties, is of a peculiarly fine kind, and considered by many of the native farmers as preferable to the larger breeds, and more suited to the soil and climate; ‘but the Short- horned, Ayrshire, and Hereford breeds are extensively raised on the larger farms. Oats are still produced in large quantities; the small-corn has almost disappeared. Earlier and better kinds began to be cultivated subse- quently to the late and disastrous season of 1782. Twenty years ago, patches of small-corn might be seen in the moorland parts of the district, but it is doubtful whether a single pure specimen of it could now be found. But no account of the productions of the district would be complete were we to omit A Description of the Countries of Buchan, written by Mr. Alexander Hepburn in 1721.2 “It’s to be observed,” says he, “‘ that every parish on the Buthquhan coast hath one fisher toun at least, and many of them have two. The seas abound with fishes, such as killing, leing, codfish small and great ; turbet, scate, mackrell, haddocks, whittings, flooks, sea-dogs and sea-catts, herrings, seaths, podlers, gaudnes, lobsters, partens, and several others. Like- wise, all the rivers in Buthquhan abound with fresh water fishes, such as eels, trouts, flooks, and pearl-shells. The two rivers, Ithan and Rattray, have great plenty of 1See View of the Diocese of Aberdeen. 2 See Macrarzane’s Geographical Collections, vol. i., preserved among the MSS., Advocates’ Library. 10 PRODUCE. cockles and mussels. I must not forget to tell you that there are here, along the sea-coast, a great many sea- calves. There is no such fishing round the island as we have in our Buthquhan coast; nor any such place for drying, salting, and curing fish for export, as the toun of Peterhead.” This, we must admit, is sufficiently flattering ; but Mr: Hepburn has yet something more to say: “ The greatest part of the coast of Buthquhan is rock, and abounds with sea-fowls of several kinds. Where the rocks are not, the coast is sandie. The sea, being tossed with an east and north wind, yields a great quantity of salt- water weeds, which the country call ware; it fattens the ground and makes it yield plentifully. The soil near the coast, for the most part, is deep clay, and very fertile : it produces abundantly barley, oates, wheat, rye, and pease; but the inhabitants labour mostly for bear and oates. The gardens in it likewise abound with roots, small fruit, and herbs; and in some of them there are apples, pyres, prunes.” ‘'T'o the westward,” con- tinues he, “the ground is not fertile, except in some places; yet the countreys affoord bread, with barley for malt liquor, sufficient for the inhabitants ; with severall thousand bolls of grain to be exported yearly for the benefite of others. There is likewise in it plenty of black cattel, of which many are carried to other places. There is in it great store of sheep; but the people con- sume most of the wool, so that there is little exported. There is a great deal of black earth thorow the countrey, which the people call moss; and this, being digged up, and dryed in the summer-time, burns like wood or coal, and serves the inhabitants plentifully for feuille. I must not forget that there are with us abundance of swine; of which some are carried off to Aberdeen, some are salted and exported, and others are used by the inhabit- ants. We have likewise cocks, hens, turkies, geese, ducks, and wild-foule; so that, if we consider the vast fishing in our seas, the great quantity of grain, beef, moutain, pork, pullet, venison, roots, and herbs, with conveniency of feuille, Buthquhan may be justly PRODUCE. Ee reckoned the best place in Scotland for a man to live in.’ Now, although we should hardly be ay Sneed to en- dorse this statement without some reservation, we may yet safely say that few districts in Scotland are better calculated than Buchan to conduce to the health, com- fort, and contentment of their inhabitants.’ 1 See Appendix, D. helt Ae R TR le ASPECT AND CLIMATE, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. Hitts.—The Mormoan, or Mormounth, is the only hill of any note in Buchan. The Mhor-moan of the Gaelic is said to be synonymous with the Ormond of the Irish, viz., The Great Moss; and Mormounth to be The Great Hill. The character of the hill is consistent with either the one or the otber of these derivations. The Mormond, according to Dr. Skene Keith, rises 810 feet above the level of the sea, and is about twelve miles in circumference ; but according to the Ordnance Survey, the height is only 744 feet; while Robertson makes it 766 feet. A considerable part of it is covered with heath and peat-bog. These, however, are gradually diminishing. Cultivation has already mastered two- thirds of the southern slope of the hill, and is slowly creeping up on the north. The Mormond lies principally in the parishes of Strichen and Rathen. Ben-na-chie, although not belonging to Buchan, is a conspicuous object from almost every part of it, and though at a distance of thirty or forty miles, the bold peak and graceful outline of this mountain are continu- ally meeting the eye, and must ever be intimately and pleasantly associated with it.’ There are two ranges of lesser hills ;—the one, spring- ing as it were from the Mormond as a root, and stretch- ing westward, forming the hills of Craik, Torlundie, Culsh, Brucehill, and Crossgight, with the Waggle, the Deer, and the Windyhills; the other range takes its rise at the Buchanness, stretching in the same direction, and "Height, “Ordnance Survey,” 1676 feet; Professor Dickie, 1700 feet. S¥. Sp MS J.B Pratt. del® J.Gellatly, scalp’ — * RIVERS. 13 embrading i Sterling and Plover Hills, the hills of Skelmuir,* Dudwick,’? Skelmafilly, Balnagoak,* and Bal- _ quhaindochy. ‘The general height of these hills is inconsiderable. The hill of Culsh and Brucehill, in the Wicinity of the village of New Deer, and the hill of _ Dudwick, in the northern part of the parish of Ellon, are the highest. The Sterling hill, rising immediately from the verge of the sea, is 282 feet above its level, according to Roderick Gray in his Statistical Account of Peterhead; but only 260 feet 6 inches according to the Ordnance Survey. Rivers.—The rivers in Buchan are, Ist, the Ythan, bounding the district on the south and south-west; 2nd, the Duveron,’ forming its western boundary from Turriff to Banff; and 3rd, the Ugie,; intersecting it near the middle. The smaller streams are the Water of Idoch,. which—flowing through the Vale of Idoch in a westerly 1 These are two peaks of the same hill—the former overlooking the Buchanness Lighthouse, and famous for its granite quarries ; the latter nearly a mile westward, and marked by a cairn of stones raised by the Trigonometrical Surveyors. They are also known as the Great and Little Sterling Hilis ; the Great Sterling is in the parish of Peterhead ; the Little Sterling in that of Cruden. It has been suggested, on what appears to be good authority, that the name is a corruption of Easterling —the eastern face of the District ; a derivation claimed for the term, as applied to Sterling money— the money of the Easterlings or Flemings. 2 Height above the sea, 482 feet. 3 Height above the sea, 563 feet.—See JAmMriEson’s Pleistocene De- posits of Aberdeenshire. 4 Height above the sea, 563 feet. 5 “The Deveron or Duveron—(Dhu vorn, the Black Water)— takes its rise in the upper part of the parish of Cabrach, and, after a course of forty-eight miles, following its windings, and thirty- three in a straight course, it falls into the sea near Banff. It receives the Bogie, about twenty miles from its source, near Huntly, and the Islay at Rothiemay, five miles from Huntly. When these streams are united, the Duveron is about two-thirds the size of the Don. It may be noticed that the banks of the Duveron, like those of the Don, have been celebrated for their fertility. Hence the old uncouth rhyme— **¢ Don and Dhu-vorn, for grass and corn; EgSpey and Dee, for fish and tree.’ ” # Keitu’s Aberdeenshire. F, gi > 14 ROADS. e a a * direction, as the Ugie does in an easterly, Hoth rising in - the north part of the parish of New Deer, and nearly at _ the same spot—forms, with the south ‘branch of the latter, nearly a straight line, dividing the district into _ two almost equal parts. The Water of Idoch, name also, as it proceeds, the Burn of Darra, and afterwards the Burn of Turriff, falls into the Duveron a little below the town of Turriff. The Intile Water of Gight, called, in the upper part of its course, the Burn of Auchsleed, and in the lower the Black Water of Gight, is a tribu- tary of the Ythan, into which it empties itself about a mile below the old castle, or ‘‘ House of Gight.” The Horie, which also loses itself in the Ythan, about three miles above the village of Ellon. The Water of Cruden, which falls into the German Ocean about half a mile _ to the south of Slains Castle; and the Water of Philorth, - which runs into the sea two miles east of Fraserburgh. There are a few still smaller streams, namely, the Burn of Forvie, flowing into the Ythan about three miles from its mouth; the Burn of Rattray or Strathbeg, passing into the loch of the same name; the Burn of Aberdour, running into the Moray Firth near the old kirk; the Quithle, traversing a glen to which it gives its name, near Troup; and the burn which flows through Braca Den near Gamery, both debouching into the same Firth ; and a romantic stream called the Burn of Kin-Hdar— commonly pronounced King Hdward—which runs from east to west through a wild and picturesque gorge near the old castle of that name, and joins the Duveron about a mile westward of the old kirk, Roaps.—The principal public roads by which the dis- . trict is intersected are, 1. The north road from Aber- deen which enters Buchan at Ellon.’ At the Birness toll-bar, four miles north of Hllon, and twenty from Aberdeen, this road branches off in two directions—the one to the north stretching on by Mintlaw to Fraser- burgh; and the other, in a more easterly direction, 1The Bridge of Ellon was built in 1793. It is about 225 feet in length, and contains three fine arches. cm 5 ee ty ; ROADS. 15 . * passing’ through Cruden to Peterhead. 2. The road from Aberdeen to Banff. After skirting the district in a northerly direction, from the Kirk of Fyvie—twenty- four miles and a half from Aberdeen—to Towie Castle, ix miles farther on, it crosses the Ythan and enters Buchan, still stretching in a northerly direction to Turriff, thirty-three miles from Aberdeen ; and passing the old castle of Kin-Edar, about five miles farther on, it continues its course till it reaches the bridge of Banff, where it crosses the Duveron, and leaves the district at the distance of forty-seven miles from Aberdeen. 3. The road from Peterhead to Banff, running in a north- westerly direction. It passes through the village of Longside, six miles from Peterhead ; crosses the south branch of the Ugie three-quarters of a mile farther on, and intersects the Aberdeen and Fraserburgh road at Mintlaw, nine miles from Peterhead—passing within half a mile of Old Deer, which lies on the left, about a mile and a half from Mintlaw, and thence on to New Pitsligo, eighteen miles from Peterhead. It then stretches through a bleak and barren region, leaving the village of New-Byth on the left, and reaches the town of Macduff about a mile from Banff. 4. The road from Peterhead to Fraserburgh. This pursues a more northerly direction than the last mentioned, keeping at no great distance from the sea. It leaves Peterhead by Queen Street, crosses the Ugie at two and a quarter miles distance, a little way below the old castle of Inverugie; stretches along a highly-cultivated line of country till it reaches the village of St Fergus, five miles from Peterhead ; proceeding thence by the corner of the wood of Rattray, it passes close by the Kirk of Crimond, and joins the Aberdeen and Fraserburgh road at Cortes, near Mormond House, at about thirteen miles from Peterhead, and five from Fraserburgh. 5. A road from Fraserburgh, which, passing close by the Church of Tyrie, joins the Peterhead and Banff road about a mile to the north of New Pitsligo, at the distance of ten miles from Fraserburgh, and fifteen from Banff. 6. eo" from Fraserburgh to Strichen, branching 16 CLIMATE. northward from thence to Pitsligo, and thén to Mintlaw in a south-easterly direction. There are also commutation roads intersecting the district in every direction. Of these the principal are —one from Ellon to New Deer and Strichen, by Auch? nagat, at which point there is a cross-road from the Tanglan Ford on the left hand, stretching on to Old Deer on the right—another and older road from Ellon, by New Deer, Pitsligo, and the Moors of Aberdour, to Pennan ;—one from Methlick to New Deer ;—one from Old Deer to Fyvie, by New Deer, with a branch to Cuminestown and Turriff, and another to Auchterless ; —and one from Ellon along the bank of the Ythan to Methlick, and thence to Fyvie. There is also a road from Peterhead to the Newburgh, with a branch to Ellon ;—and one along the coast from Fraserburgh to Banff, but scarcely passable for carriages. There are two railways running through Buchan. 1. ‘The Buchan and Formartine,” which enters the district at Kllon. Stretching northwards, till it reaches the valley of the Hbrie, through which it runs by Arnage, Auchnagat, and Nethermuir, this line reaches the Bank, or Maud Junction, about twelve miles north from Ellon. Here it divides, one branch running east- ward, by Old Deer, Mintlaw and Longside, to Peterhead; the other continuing in a northerly direction, by Bruck- law, Strichen, and Rathen, to Fraserburgh. 2. The “Turriff and Banff Railway.’ This enters the district of Buchan at the point where it crosses the Ythan, about a mile to the north of the Fyvie Station, and pro- ceeds from thence by Turriff, Plaidy, and Kin-Hdar, to Macduff and Banff. Cimiate.—Dr Anderson, in his Report of the County of Aberdeen, drawn up for the “ Board of Agriculture,”’ in 1793, gives the following account of the climate of the country, which may be considered as especially appli- cable to Buchan :—‘ From the high latitude of this district, and the general opinior that is entertained of the inhospitable nature of these northern regions, most persons are inclined to believe that a much greater pte CLIMATE, 17 eae. | _ degree of cold here takes place than is ever experienced. Being washed by the sea on two sides, the county of Aberdeen experiences a mildness of temperature in . even greater than most parts of the™ island. now, in the lower parts of the county, seldom lies long; and it may be considered as a pretty general rule that when snow is one foot deep at Aberdeen, it is nearly two feet deep at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I have reason to believe that the frost is seldom so intense in the lower parts of Aberdeenshire as at Lon- don. But if the winter’s cold be less severe than in many of the southern districts of the island, the sammer’s heats are here, perhaps, still less intense. In short, there is a smaller variation between the heat and cold at different seasons ; and, of course, there are many crops that may be brought to maturity in the south of Britain which are seldom found to ripen here. Grapes there are none without artificial heat, and French beans can scarcely be brought to ripen their seeds in the best- sheltered garden unless in a very favourable season. The great disadvantage attending the climate of this district, and of Scotland in general, when compared to that of the southern part of the island, is the lateness of the spring, owing to the prevalence of eastern winds, and the too frequent fogs and rains at that season, which often render the seed-time both late and ungenial. As a proof that the climate is not uncom- monly backward, I may observe,’ continues Dr. Ander- | son, “that one season (1779) I had a dish of pease gathered from the open field, cultivated by the plough, on the King’s birthday, the 4th of June. Green pease are commonly ripe in the garden not long after this period.” On this passage Dr. Keith remarks: “The climate of the lower part of Aberdeenshire is certainly moderate in this respect, that it is not nearly so warm in summer nor so cold in winter as in the county of Middlesex. From the great length of Aberdeenshire, extending from the north-eastern extremity on the sea coast, in an oblique direction, beyond the middle of the island, it is obvious bad 18 GENERAL CHARACTER, ' that there must be a wide difference between the cli- mate of Peterhead, where the coast of Buchan projects so far into the German Ocean, and that of the moun- tainous districts in the south-western point of Mar. nearly a hundred miles from Cairnbulg-head; and both at a high elevation from the level of the sea, and at nearly an equal distance from the east and west coasts.” Dr. Keith goes on to say, that “the above is a pretty correct account of the state of the climate on the coast both of Formartine and Buchan. There the climate is peculiarly moderate in the winter months, and the snow seldom lies long; nor are the ploughs much impeded by the frost—being seldom idle above two or three weeks, even in a severe winter, , . . . On the other hand, on the south sides of hills, and in sheltered places in the ~ higher districts, the heat is frequently much greater in summer than upon the sea-coast. Betwixt the greatest heat in summer, and the greatest cold in winter, there is a difference of seven or eight degrees more in the inland than the maritime districts.”! The late Rev. Dr. Laing of Peterhead kept an account of the range of the thermometer for many years. From the Tables made by him, it appears that the average heat of the two years, commencing on the Ist of May, 1808, and ending April 30, 1810, and registered at 8 fo) ‘clock, A.M., Was— Dating the 3 spring months, 38° 18’ He 3 summer months, 51° 33’ > 8 autumn months, 50° 45’ ts 3 winter months, 36° 31’ The average of the whole two years being 44° 17’. GENERAL CHARACcTER,—Bpchan generally is undulat- ing, and a considerable portion of it is covered with heath. In the interior parts there are many hundred acres of peat-bog, furnishing the inhabitants with fuel. The coast near Formartine is tame and flat, and much exposed to easterly gales, The greater part of the parish of Forvie was completely buried under sand, asis supposed about the year 1688, though Dr. Keith 1 Ketrn’s Aberdeenshire, p. 21-238, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 19 places the event much further back. To the north of this, the coast becomes bold and precipitous, and is in- dented with sheltered and convenient creeks for fishing- boats and other small vessels. “When we survey the district of Buchan from the brow of Bennachie, or some other out-post of the Grampians, it looks like a great undulating plain, spreading out from the mountains to the sea—a monotonous earth- covered expanse of granite and gneiss, bare, bleak, and brown, with hardly a tree on its surface; a region well enough adapted for agriculture, but not very promising to the geologist. Nevertheless, it will be found on closer examination to present many features of interest.”* Manners anp Customs.—It/would leave this part of our subject incomplete were we not to advert to some of the usages which formerly prevailed in this part of the world. Previous to the present century, the manners of the indigenous Scots of the middle class, who may be said to be the true representatives of a people, exhibit a very different picture to that of the age in which we live. Then, schools were rare, and the educa- tion of the masses restricted to the merest elements of learning. But the simple and primitive manners of the. people compensated, in some measure, for this general deficiency. In those days the interests of the family, from the master to the man, were a good deal confined to the household circle. The master was a kind of patriarch ; the servant attached to him by sentiments of filial affection and long habit. Thus, bound by ties of mutual interest, the homestead was their little world. Master, mistress, and domestics occupied the same room, and ate at the same board. And it is no undue stretch of imagination to suppose that under such circumstances a sense of responsibility would suggest many a homily to the young, and many a kindly lesson to all, both from the “‘ gudewife” and from the master of the house. To 1 See *‘ Succinet Account of the General Geological Character of the District,’ drawn up for this edition of Buchan, by T. F. JAMIESON, Esq., Ellon. For the rest of this interesting paper, see Appendix, G. § II. 20 . FARM IMPLEMENTS. this mode of living, we owe the traditionary lore of the district—the adage, the proverb, the prophecy, and the ancient ballad—all which found a ready audience, and, doubtless, was suggestive of many a solemn warning and many a pithy moral; and under any circumstances, must have generated a feeling of mutual affection, which their more ambitious successors look for in vain under a colder and more utilitarian system of domestic government. The change in the method and implements of farming is perhaps even more striking. Highty years ago, horses were much less used. Hvery farmer of any note had twelve, or at least ten, oxen for every plough,’ with the ' In a ten oxen plough, the mid throcks were wanting. The soam chain by which the plough was drawn was hooked to a staple 02-Wyner: fixed in the Jeam on the right- hand side, at about 15 or 18 inches from the point, and went Wyner ox. all the way from the plough to bk: 2 pig the fore yoke, Each yoke had eh Bh a staple and ring, to which the soam was hooked. ‘The soam .... mnrodk Fore Throck was raised or lowered by means 9p jana. sa Fah of links or staffs, 0 o-—0, connecting it with the yoke of the foot-oven, as more or less 454 Throck Mid Throck yird was required—that is, aS _ on land. in fur. the plough was meant to make a more or less deep furrow. It was in the steer-draught where yina Throck Hind Throck young oxen were trained, and on land. in fur they were gradually brought back nearer to the plough as Fit in fur. they became older and more ex- ee oa iy perienced. he ‘‘ Fit-o’-land”’ was not considered a thoroughly trained ox until he lowered his neck when the ploughman called “‘jewk,”’ at such time as, for an instant, he wished the plough to goa little deeper. A sagacious wyner was frequently kept till he was ten or twelve years old—sometimes even longer. The yokes rested on the necks of the oxen, one yoke for every pair ; and the dows, bent round so as to embrace the necks of the oxen, were attached to the ends of the yokes, and were of ash or birch. FARM IMPLEMENTS. 21 ploughman and goadman—the latter generally a stripling, one of whose qualifications was a capability of whistling well and cheerily, a process by which it was supposed the oxen did their work more briskly and conjointly. ~ Streeking the Plough—This was the commencement of the ploughing of the land in the autumn—an event marked in many parts of the district by a species of semi-religious custom, and this as recently as the be- ginning of the present century. About an hour after the plough was at work, the gudewife, or the principal female servant, proceeded to the field with bread, cheese, and a jar of home-brewed ale. The salutation to the ploughman was in the well-known form, “‘ Guid speed the wark!” to which he replied, ‘“‘ May Guid speed it!” He then seated himself on the beam of the plough, and after sundry forms of good wishes for the health and prosperity of the family during the year for which they had just begun the labour, he partook of the refreshment. There were few carts in Buchan eighty or ninety years ago. Currachs—a sort of creels of wicker-work— hung from a crook-saddle, one on each side of the horse, were in use all over the district for carrying the crops from the field, and manure from the farmyard; and when sacks of corn or meal had to be carried to or from the mills, or for longer distances, they were transported on horseback, one sack on each horse, two, three, and often more horses in a line, the halter-string of the one tied to the tail of the other. The state of the roads was such that carts could scarcely have been taken over them. There were no thrashing-machines in the district, regular threshers being employed, who, getting up long before day-light, plied the flail, and thus daily provided straw for the cattle during the season of winter. Nor was there a barn fan in Buchan. Hand-riddles were used; the wind being allowed to blow right A. pad of soft dried rushes, woven together, protected the neck and shoulders from friction. The ridges formed by such a team, assumed something of the form of an §, in order to facilitate the turning of the oxen at the ends of the furrows. 02 FARM IMPLEMENTS. through the barn, which had always two doors—the one opposite the other. . The same was the case at the mills. There were no fans. On a small eminence near the mill, called the shelling-hill, the grain, after passing once through the mill, was winnowed, and thus the husks, or shells, were removed from it. Those who are only acquainted with the highly im- proved implements and modes of operation of the present day, can scarcely form a conception of the rude, inoon- venient, and inefficient system of last century. The wonder to us is, how our forefathers contrived to accom- plish the labours of the farm in any way. ‘The writer has himself heard a man say that he had frequently — made a plough between the ordinary hours of breakfast and dinner, and that the charge for his work was—one shilling! With the exception of the coulter and shure, there was scarcely a bit of iron about the plough—not even a nail—wooden pegs being-used instead. The only ropes in use were made of dried rushes, out of which the pith had been stripped; or of the hair of the horses’ manes and tails. It would appear, however, that in the general use of the hair-tether, there was something more than the mere scarcity of hempen rope. It was the popular belief that the former was a charm against witchcraft, so that long after hemp and chain tethers became common, it was no unusual thing to see a few feet of hair-rope next the animal. The terms on which the landed proprietors granted leases, down to the end of the last century, were, gene- rally speaking, different from those now common. ‘The tenants were then mostly life-renters,' paying a grasswm at the time of entry, and engaging to pay a certain sum, under the same name, at the commencement of every succeeding period of nineteen years. The annual money- rent was trifling; but the bondages, as they were termed, and customs—that is, hens, eggs, and capons, farm-meal and bere, mill-multures, and leet-peats—were exacted in 1See Present State of Husbandry in Scotland. By Wricut. FARM LEASES. oS lieu of money, the tenants being at the laird’s call for a specified number of days whenever he might require their services, clearly indicating that the old feudal notions were still lingering in the country. ¢ The same system was, to a certain extent, carried out among the chief farmers. The Gudeman had, according to the extent of his farm, more or fewer sub-tenants, called Cotéars, who had each a pendicle of land attached to his cottage—some as much as would maintain two cows, a horse, and a sheep; others less; in some cases only a kale-yard. For this they paid partly in money- rent, but chiefly in the labour they were bound to give to the Gudeman, in seed-time and harvest, at hay-making and peat-cutting, at “kiln and mill,” and, in short, on every occasion when their services were required. The Cot-town was, generally speaking, near “‘the Ha’,” or farm house, so that the cottars were always within ‘call ; and once established, they were rarely removed, the farmer looking upon them as his special dependents, and they regarding him as a sort of father or chief, to whose interests and service they were bound. The children generally succeeded the parents in the service, and thus every large farm had its own peculiar and attached colony. When hired servants, in addition to the cottars, were required, it was customary to allow them certain per- quisites as part payment for their services. For instance, a grassman was allowed, in lieu of part fee in money, to keep a stirk* along with the gudeman’s herd. Another less common arrangement was, that the grassman, in addition to a house and kale-yard, had a cow fed, not with the farmer’s cows, but with his herd of young cattle. The grassman was thus in a position similar to the boll-man or bowman of the present day, who, as part wages, receives from the farmer a house, so many bolls of meal, anda certain quantity of milk daily. A singular custom lingered in the district, till about 1830, and probably is not yet quite obsolete. Amongst ‘A year-old ox or quey. 4, ROOD-DAY—FESTIVALS. crofters, and even the smaller farmers, it was thought no degradation, when about to enter on a lease of croft or farm, to go round, in the spring season, among their neighbours and acquaintances, to ‘‘thig””—that is, to ask, as a gratuity, a quantity of corn from each, to enable them to sow their land; and not unfrequently this amounted to a considerable sum. One or two privileged individuals in every parish, such as the bellman or seaton, also levied an annual contribution in this way. On the 2d of May—the eve of the Rood-day—it was customary to make small crosses of twigs of the rowan- tree, and to place them over every aperture leading into the house, as a protection against evil spirits and mal- evolent influences— “ Rowan-tree and red thread Keep the witches frae their speed.” Although the religious observance of the Christian festivals.had, for some time, been generally discontinued, yet their traditional influence was more or less felt down to the earlier portion of the present century: up to this period it had been customary to cease from all kinds of manual labour during the three days of Christmas, O.8. Straw—termed the “ Yule Straw’’—was provided for the cattle beforehand ; fuel brought into the houses from the peat-stacks, cakes baked, beer brewed, and the mart— fatted ox or sheep—killed, in order that all might be at liberty to “hold Yule,” and to pay and receive visits of mutual congratulation. The same conventional respect was paid to Good Friday. There was a general prejudice against its being made a day of ordinary labour; and the blacksmith especially, was a bold man who ventured to lift a hammer, and his wife a bolder woman who dared to wear her apron on that day, since—according to tradition—it was a smith’s wife that was employed to carry in her apron the nails which her husband had made for the sacrifice on Mount Calvary.’ 1'The equinoctial storm which very frequently occurs some time before Easter, is known among the fishermen along the coast as * The Passion Storm.” FUNERALS—FASTEN § EVE—HALLOW FIRES. 25 Again, at funerals it was a practice, and is still far from uncommon, for a lighted candle to be placed near the dead, on the morning of the day of interment, which on no account must be blown out, but left to expire of itself. Another custom is, to stop the clock at the mo- ment a death occurs, and not to put it in motion again till the corpse is removed from the house. The wake, or the watching of the dead through the hours of the night, is still occasionally observed. All these customs were significant of truths becomingly cherished in the Christian mind: the first suggesting the blessing of a calm, quiet, and natural death; the second indicating the closing of time to the departed spirit ; and the last implying a reverence towards the lifeless form, as acknowledging in it the seed of that body which is to spring up again to life and immortality. Fasten’s Hve, or Shrove-Tuesday, the eve of the great Lenten Fast, is very generally observed as a time of social festivity, and is another remnant of religious ob- servance—the Carnival of former times. ‘‘ Beef brose,’’ “‘saute’ bannocks,”’ and the mystic “ring,” which is to decide the fate of the youthful aspirants to the matri- monial estate, are among its chief attractions. Hallow Fires are still kindled on the Hve of all Saints, and present a singular and animated spectacle —from sixty to eighty being frequently seen from one point. Mr. L. Shaw, who about 1745 wrote for private use, ** Dissertations, Historical and Critical, of the Scots, Picts, Druids, and Culdees,”’ has, after speaking of the Druids, the following remarks: ‘“ As to the cairn-fires on the eve of the lst of November, though I have not seen them practised, yet I am well informed that in Buchan, and other places, they have their Hallow-Eve fires annually kept up to this day.” In some parts of the district it is still customary for a tenant, removing from one house to another, to carry “kindling” along with him—that is, “live coals,’ with which to light the fire in his new tenement. This 1 From the French, Sauter ; from the mode of turning the bannock in baking. 26 CHRISTMAS-—SAND GLASS. custom, it is believed, has come down to us from Drnidi- cal times, when our ancestors were bound, by their religious creed, to extinguish their fires on the eve of the Ist of November, and to receive coals from the Hallow Fires, which were lighted that night on every Druidical eminence throughout the kingdom. They were, by this means, to light up anew the fires in their houses for the ensuing year, and it is said, that “ifa man had not cleared with the Druids for his last year’s dues, he was neither to have a spark of the holy fire from the cairns, nor durst any of his neighbours let him take the benefit of theirs, under the pain of excommuni- cation.”’ | The domestic salutations are frequently of a simple and primitive character. It is no uncommon thing for a person on entering the house of another to say, ‘* Peace be here!” to which the reply is, “You are welcome !” or, on his coming upon one employed in his lawful call- ing, to say, in the broad Buchan dialect, “ Guid speed the wark !”’ the rejoinder to which is, ‘* Thank ye; I wish ye weel !” There was a custom among the peasantry of Buchan, as late as the beginning of the present century, and which is not yet extinct, that every animal about the place had an additional feed on Christmas morning. The practice had its origin in the religious sentiment, that, as the festival brought tidings of great joy to all people, so even the irrational creation ought to be made happy on the anniversary of this blessed event; something in the spirit of the ancient Benedicite, which calls upon all nature, animate and inanimate, to praise and bless God.’ A hundred years ago, when there was scarcely a clock and not many watches in the district, the long winter evenings were measured by a sand-glass, or by the rising and setting of the moon, or the “southing of the seven 1 We read that on Christmas morning, every gable, gateway, or barn-door, in Sweden, is decorated with a sheaf of corn, fixed on the top of a tall pole, from which it is intended the dirds shall have their Christmas feast, and that even the poorest of the peasants will contrive to have a handful to set apart for that purpose. CANDLES—PACKMEN. 27 stars’”’—Moore’s or Partridge’s Almanack being the guide as to the exact time when these events took place. The candles in general use were of the simplest de- scription; a rush, from the pith of which, the rind, with the exception of one thin stripe, had been peeled off,— dipped in melted tallow; or aslender split of bog-fir— that is, a fir-tree which had been dug up from moss-bogs, in the upland districts of the county, and which the Highlanders brought down and sold to the Lowlanders, either in the Zimmer Market of Aberdeen, or in St. Lawrence Fair of Old Rayne—was all that could have been found for candles in many a cottage and farmhouse ; whilst an iron lamp, in which the oil of the dog-fish was used, with one of the above-named rushes for a wick, was almost universal among the rural population. As late as the end of the last century, the roads in the rural districts in Scotland were of the worst description. Turnpike roads there were none, and all intercourse between town and country was carried on with difficulty. Most of the business transactions necessary to household convenience was conducted by Packmen—a race of trafiickers now almost extinct. Clothing, hardware, and such ornaments of the person as in those more primitive times were sought for, were furnished by these peripatetic merchants ; the tinkering of pots and pans being chiefly in the hands of the gipsies. Previous to the ’4.5, the sword was a common appendage among men of all grades; and many a representative of the Harry Gows of earlier days did credit to their craft —hbeing at once the public armourers, and the masters and teachers of the broad-sword. CHA PILE Rp glee FROM FORVIE TO PETERHEAD. WE have now some idea of Buchan, its boundaries, ex- tent, and general character, as well as of its ancient manners and customs. We shall therefore endeavour to find our way by high-roads and by-roads, by stream and dale, to the several corners of the district, examining whatever is most interesting, and recording the events which, in bygone days, marked the several localities we shall have to pass. Starting in the direction from Aberdeen, we enter Buchan at Waterside, a point near its south-eastern corner, and in the immediate vicinity of its most desolate and dreary quarter. Waterside, a farmhouse sort of residence belonging to Gordon of Cluny, is close by the Ferry, which crosses the Ythan at about a mile north of the old burgh of Newburgh. Leaving the road at this point, and turning a little to the right, we find a footpath leading through the very centre of the Sands of Forvie. This remarkable waste lies along the north bank of the Ythan, and ex- tends to the village of Collieston, a distance of nearly four miles." 1 « Along both sides of the Ythan, near its junction with the sea, there seems to have existed a settlement of people who used flint tools, and lived a good deal upon the shell fish that are found in the adjoining estuary. There are several spots on either bank of the river, between the village of Ellon and the sea, where I have observed a great quantity of flint chippings and flint flakes, the debris, as it were, of a manufacture of stone weapons; and so thickly are these flints scattered about, that one can sometimes point with confidence to the very spots where the people seem to have sat and wrought at them. This is the case in some places among the drifted sand near the sea, and also to a less extent in a FORVIE, 29 Not far from the centre of the Sands, and at some distance on the right of the footpath, are the foundations and part of the walls of what is said to have been the parish church. The ruin is on the margin of a tiny streamlet.* The late minister of the parish, the Rev. Gavin Gib Dunn, was anxious to discover the time when the parish of Forvie was united to that of Slains, but so com- pletely has the history of this remarkable locality been obliterated by the stream of ages, that he was wholly unsuccessful. ‘All my endeavours,” says he, “‘to ascer- tain the era at which the parish of Forvie was annexed. to that of Slains, have entirely failed.”* Nor is the period at which the parish was over-blown, or the cause by which the catastrophe was brought about, very well authenticated. It is said that the calamity happened in the year 1688, and that it was the result of a furious storm from the east, of nine days’ duration. There was in the library of Slains Castle, as late as 1830, an old rent-roll of great part of the parish, with the names of the farms and their occupants. The recovery of this field on the farm of Mains of Waterton.”—On Some Remains of the Stone Period in the Buchan District of Aberdeenshire. By 'THomas F. Jamizson, Esq., Ellon, 1 See Appendix, EH. § I. ? «The parish of Forvie was under the tutelage of St. Adam- nanus, whose Feast was held on the 23d of September.”’— 82 DENS OF PETERHEAD. “And here, we should think, we have all that could be said about them. Near this stands the pretty cottage of Mr. Walker, which takes its name from the place. It is now the pro- perty of John Brown, Esq., a descendant of the Browns of Asleed, a family of some note in the Parish of Mon- quhitter, previous to the outbreak in 1745. Keeping on the Longside turnpike-road for about two miles, we turn off to the left, and reach the old road from Peterhead to Kinmundy. Pursuing this latter for about a mile, a road again branches off to the left, leading \o Cairn Catta, passing near to the Dens of Peterhead —aty assemblage of pretty, wild glens, of a character to delight a the lovers of natural scenery. ‘Of these the Mill Den is the principal, the salient features of which are rocks of a rude and grotesque form, covered with a variety of lichens and mosses, and jutting up from the bosom of a deep wooded valley. Through this meanders a rippling stream of water, making music as it flows, and, like a. coy beauty, peeping out here and there, to hide itself again behind the next miniature promontory which in- terrupts its course. On the eastern side is a mill, of which we shall allow Mr. Peter Buchan to give the de- scription. ‘‘ There is,” says he, “in this romantic and extensive glen a curiosity in nature—a meal-mill of great antiquity, supposed to be the oldest in Scotland, and which claims the particular attention of the antiquary and the man of taste, One of its ends, and part of one of its sides, were built at the creation of the world, and by the great Architect of nature, so that its antiquity cannot be disputed by the most captious sceptic.”’ The same ~ 7 u writer speaks of the Den being:the haunt of the heron and the wild-duck, and mentions the great number of foxes which formerly found shelter in the caverns and. crevices of these “‘ ghastly rocks.” Here, according to tradition, resided the Lady of Raven’s Cr aig, after the death of her husband, Sir Reginald Cheyne; and though no vestiges of the house are to be found, it still goes under the name of ** the Lady of the Craig’ s Place.” akin \ ¥ = | oa Mts I BPratt dal+ CAIRN CATTA—-MOUNDS—DUN-A-CLUACG. 83 Leaving the Dens, and, at about a mile to the south- ward, we come mpon The Oairn Catta,. a large heap of stones of a hill and farm of the same name, at the southern extremity of the parish of Longside, and about five miles south- west from Peterhead. When entire—for it has been sadly demolished of late years—it is said to have Had something of the appearance of a lion couchant, being higher and broader at the east end than at the west, and a good deal resembling, in shape, Arthur’s Seat, near Edinburgh. ‘The cairn is doubtless on some great battle-field, hich seems to have been chosen with con- siderable skill. Taking the cairn, which is on a piece of level ground, with a gentle rise in the centre, as the point dappui, the right, towards the north, is flanked by an extensive Morass ; the front, to the Peace: is traversed by a narrow ravine, called the Leaca Howe, _extending to the left. for several miles, which, at that time, must have been nearly impassable. The ground in front slopes gradually towards this ravine, becoming steeper as it approaches its margin. On the south-western declivity, in the direction be- tween the Cairn and Aldie House, the hill is covered with small circular mounds, composed of earth and stones. Many of these have been opened; others are apparently untouched. There are also several circular rings, measuring 21 feet in diameter, and level in the middle—the a ae being marked by stones and earth, raised a little above the surface of the heath. Near the south-west boundary of the slope are twin mounds, containing graves, which, we regret to say, have been left open by recent explorers. These are about the usual size, viz., 4 feet long, 22 inches wide, and about 2 feet deep. These graves overlook a ram- part or mound of earth, to some extent artificial, flanked by another narrow glen, which, till drained, had been a morass. The bleak hill, rising abruptly on the opposite margin of this glen, is the bill of Dwn-a-cluach. 1 Cath, Cathie, said to signify a battle—the Battle Cairn. 84, CAMP FAULD—SILVER CAIRN. Near the north-west termination of this rampart there is an immense block of granite, calculated at between sixty and seventy tons, raised a little from the ground, on a platform of supporting blocks. On the slope of the opposite hill, and three-quarters of a mile westward from Cairn Catta, is the Camp Fauld, | the position of the opposing force. Here, till about the year 1840, were a series of round holes, called the Camp Pits. They were eleven in number; from 4 to 5 feet deep, 8 yards apart, and extending in a straight line. There are wells, also, called the Camp Wells, near the . farm-steading of Newton of Savoch. In 1845, an urn, in a good state of preservation, was found not far from this spot. About a quarter of a mile nearer Aldie, in the midst of a lately-reclaimed field, and on the opposite side of the hollow from the large stone already mentioned, are the remains of a sepulchral mound, in which is an ex- cavation known as the King’s Grave. It is 3 feet 10 inches in length, 22 inches in width, and 25 inches deep. It lies east and west. Farther up the acclivity of the hill, in the corner of a field now enclosed, was a mound called the Silver Oairn, which, on being removed, was found to contain an urn with calcined bones. There were other mounds on this hill, but they are now wholly obliterated. 1 Since this was first written, the mouffd containing the king’s — grave (2) has been examined, and two other graves (1, 3) have been discovered. One of these (1) had been opened. It is three = feet six inches by two feet eight inches, and rude- ly paved in the bottom. Mea- suring from the hE EN OE a north side of this grave to the south side of the king’s grave (2), the distance is seven feet. From the line of the east end of 1 and 2 to the west end of 3, is seven feet. No. 3 is only two feet three inches by one foot four inches. The mound is marked by a circle of stones partly sunk into the ground. HILL OF GASK. 85 Ascending the slope, on the Cairn Catta side, in a south-easterly direction from Duwn-a-cluach, we reach, at a distance of about half-a-mile, the Hill of Gask. Nearly a mile due south from Cairn Catta, on the western slope of the hill, there existed, till 1866, ‘the vestiges of what is supposed to have been a Pictish village; but, as they are in the vicinity of the great battle-field, they may possibly indicate the place of encampment of one of the contending armies. These pits were of a roundish shape, varying in diameter from 7 or 8 to 12 or 16 feet, the depth being from 18 inches to 3 feet. In what seems to have been the centre of this encampment, and near the brow of the hill, there was a cluster of these pits, all within a circle of about 40 yards in diameter. Others, to the number of a hundred or more, might still be counted, ranged around this centre, in something like an arc of a circle. Three, and in some places four rows or lines, were still distinctly traceable. The pits were apart from each other at distances varying from about 15 to 40 feet along the lines; the space between these slightly curved lines was from 20 to 30 yards. The pits were so arranged as that each one in every line faced the vacancy in that immediately in front of it—that is, a diamond-shaped arrangement. From the centre of this camp, and at about 180 yards in a southerly direction, there is a mound, partly artificial, on the highest point of the hill, commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country. It is one of the ancient beacons, and, for the last five and twenty years, has been surmounted by the mark of the Ordnance Sur- veyors. With a view of draining off the water from the hol- low in which the central group of pits was situated, the proprietor—James Shepherd, yr. of Aldie—was having a ditch carried to the westward. When the man em- ployed had reached the centre of the ridge, and was using his mattock in the bottom of the ditch, some three or four feet down, the ground suddenly gave way, and he was precipitated into a sort of subterranean vault or cavern, five or six feet deep. The roof of this cavern ae) Ao eae, ee bet ee | yh ee Be een 86 LEACA HOWE. was a sort of conglomerate, or pan, from 18 inches to 2 feet thick, and extremely hard. The shape of the vault was very irregular, winding round in a circular sort of shape. It lies between the old road from Cruden to Peterhead, and the commutation road which branches off to Longside by Cairn Catta. Another circumstance, in connection with this locality, is worthy of notice. There had been a manufactory of flint arrow-heads here. Along the whole western slope of the hill, might be seen, every here and there, a stone with a flat surface, from a foot to eighteen inches above ground, around which heaps of chips of the flints, so plentiful in this locality, lay scattered. These stones had apparently been used as anvils, on which the rough flints were broken. The Leaca Howe, having the hills of Cairn Catta and Dun-a-Cluach on its eastern margin, and the hills of Aldie on its western, had, at a remote period, been well stocked with trees, the trunks of which are still to be found in the bottom of the hollow. Extending north- wards, this ravine had terminated in an extensive wood, now a bleak and barren waste, known as “the Moss of Savoch of Longside.”’ Both sides of the ravine were, till a comparatively late date, covered with the vestiges of the terrible conflict which had taken place in its vicinity. The number of flint arrow and spear heads that have been picked up, and the endless recurrence of tumuli, may be looked upon as the unwritten records of the battle—its remote date and sanguinary character. Till very lately, the mounds on the slopes of the hills — to the east of the Howe, might be counted by the hundred. They were of different sizes, varying from six to upwards of twenty feet in diameter, and were generally elevated above the surface of the field from eight inches to a foot. Highteen or twenty of these, in a south-westerly direction from the Cairn, were apparently formed with great care, being accurately circular, flat on the top, 7 or 8 feet in diameter, and 1 Lech or Leac, a stone. ENCLOSED MOUND. 87 raised 6 or 8 inches above the surface. ‘They were altogether of a different character from the ordinary _ mounds in the vicinity. For what purpose these were constructed, it is difficult to imagine. In one of the mounds on the estate of Aldie—opened about 1834:— several flint arrow heads were found, together with a long, thin piece of flint, neatly serrated, which had obviously been used as a saw. Celis of various sizes have often been found in this part of the district, more especially in the moss of Loch- lundie, on the south-western border of the parish of Cruden. Specimens may be seen in the possession of Mr. Shepherd of Aldie, in the Museum at Peterhead and at Slains Castle. Two very fine examples were, some time ago, found at Berrymoss, near Hardslacks, lying side by side, on the trunk of a tree which had for centuries lain buried under a peat bog. One of these is in the possession of James Shepherd, Hsq., yr., of Aldie. A stone, inscribed with rude characters, now in the garden at Aldie, was found at some little distance east- ward from the Silver Cairn. It is 26 inches by 17, and about 4 inches thick. The characters have the appearance of common Roman letters reversed. I am not aware that any attempt at deciphering it has ever been made, nor am I at all satisfied that the characters are of ancient date. Near the sky of the Hill of Aldie, about two miles north-west from the house, is a low sort of mound, surrounded, with the exception of small spaces on the north and west, by a broad shallow grassy ditch; the mound itself and the surrounding hill being covered with heath. The enclosure is elliptical, about 60 yards from north to south, and 25 from east to west. It is said that, however much water may be on other parts of the hill, none ever remains in the ditch. The way in which this mysterious circle is spoken of tends to excite rather than gratify curiosity. It brings to mind the tale which so disturbed the rest of Marmion :— 88 MORRIS WELLS. ‘¢ At midnight dark The rampart seek, whose circling crown Crests the ascent of yonder down ; A southern entrance thou shalt find ; There halt, and there thy bugle wind, And trust thine elfin foe to see, In guise of thy worst enemy. That old camp’s deserted round, Sir knight, you well might mark the mound ; The Pictish race, The trench, long since, in blood did trace ; The moor around is brown and bare, The space within is green and fair. The spot our village children know, For there the earliest wild-flowers grow ; But woe betide the wandering wight, That treads its circle in the night!” In short, the battle-field and its neighbourhood is a spot fertile of busy memories and vain conjectures. Who were the belligerents or who the conquerors in the deadly conflict, is now lost in the obscurity of the past—the Cairn and its surrounding tumuli are the only existing records of the event. That which to the eye of the beholder is now a scene of wide desolation or laborious culture, was once contested, inch by inch, by hostile armies; but whether Picts were here opposed to Scots, or whether the conflict was between races still more remote than either—whose implements of war were flints for arrow-heads, sharpened stones for battle-axes, and wooden clubs for swords —is now a matter of vain inquiry. About half a mile north-west of Cairn Catta, near the brink of the ravine we have already mentioned, are nine fine clear springs, called the Morris Wells, which probably take their name from the ancient Scottish custom of dancing round a spring of water on the first of May, somewhat analogous to that of dancing round the May- | pole in England. They rise in a semicircle, separated in three equal divisions, but all within the space of twenty yards. One of them is slightly mineral. Modern improvement has advanced within a few paces of these a DEN OF BODDAM—PICTS’ HOUSES. 89 time-honoured springs. Not long ago, stakes might be seen inserted, marking the line of a ditch, intended to pass through the midst of the group; so that, before this record has passed through the press, the Morris Wells, which have freely poured forth their waters from the creation of the world, will have been lost in a covered ditch, and unrecognised by the eye of man. Returning from Cairn Catta, in the direction of the Buchanness Lighthouse, we reach the Den of Boddam, which runs along the western base of the Sterling Hill, and, passing Mr. MacGlashan’s Granite Polishing Works, terminates in the immediate vicinity of Sandford Lodge. This is a remarkably barren and solitary glen, with scarcely a blade of grass to cover the naked soil. The Den is traversed by a small stream, the waters of. which have been husbanded by means of a barrier built across the glen, forming a pond of considerable extent. Twice, within the last twenty years, this embankment has given way, the water doing great damage by its impetuous outbreak. On the rugged and barren slopes along both sides of the glen are a number of excavations, of different sizes, large enough to contain from four to eight persons. These, tradition says, were the houses of the Picts or Peights. But considering their obscure and inaccessible position, we should rather incline to the opinion of their being places of concealment, probably for the women and children, during the incursions of an invading foe. The place is well adapted for such a purpose, heing little calculated to excite the cupidity of the marauder.’ But even these desolate habitations of a pre-historic race are being invaded by the spade of the husband- man, and, in the course of a few years, every trace of them will probably have been obliterated. It is a haz- ardous thing, in this age of progress, to advocate the preservation of such barbaric remains; but, as charac- ters of the obscure past, legibly impressed on the face of the country, it seems an equal amount of barbarism 1 See Appendix, R. 90 STERLING-HILL QUARRIES. entirely to wipe them out. Such relics as these are the landmarks of the world’s advance. For the sake of a few shillings—for the revenue can hardly be counted by pounds—these rude vestiges of the past, which for so many ages have been the admira- tion of the curious, are being for ever swept away. Hven the poor tenants, who are driven to rear their cottages on these bleak and sterile slopes, manifest some interest in these ancient bouwrachs, or villages; nor can the prospect of a corn plot entirely reconcile them to these enforced acts of vandalism. It is a legitimate question how far the preservation of _ these vestiges of antiquity influences the popular mind. We have only to look at our relatives across the Atlantic to see how their broken interest in things past has util- ised, and, to a certain extent, depraved, the national character; and there is no doubt, on the: other hand, that the memory of great events, like the contemplation of the giant features of a country, have their binding influence on the moral nature. Hven within our own brief recollection, the legendary lore, which fastened itself on the history of every cairn, or ruin, or name of renown, gave a kind of dignity to the present in its association with that which is past. Our ingle-nook foregatherings were not then always taken up with cross-breeds, railroads, and London markets; but with these old-world stories—romanced, it may be, but ro- manced only to give a keener interest to the oft-repeated tradition. ‘* Nor need we blush that such false themes engage The gentle mind, of fairer stores possest ; For not alone they touch the village breast, But filled in elder time th’ historic page.” Our very superstitions, like all human fallacies, had in them the germs of that which was good and true. _ We must not, however, in our lamentations over the past, neglect to look in on the Sterling Hill quarries, whose yawning chasms invite a nearer survey; and, though their work of disembowelment is rapidly work- ing the destruction of the very graceful outline of this REFORM TOWER. 9] fine headland, we must not forget how many structures of dignity and usefulness owe their chief beauty and stability to the excavated treasures of this hill. In Mr. Macdonald’s quarry, about eighty men are constantly employed—some blasting or splitting the rock, some transporting the blocks to the work-sheds, others employed in the first rude dressing of the stones, and others again carting them to the wharves. What with the clinking of huge hammers, the rattling of chains, and the creaking of wheels as they grind along the tramroads, the interest of the observer is never allowed to flag." Passing by the village of Boddam, and following a footpath along the beach, we cross the mouth of the Lower Den of Boddam, in the immediate vicinity of Sandford Lodge. The glen here partially resumes its wild and picturesque character, and considerable taste has been displayed in the formation of winding foot- paths under the snug shelter of the braes, and leading to the best points of view. Proceeding by the margin of the Sandford Bay, we reach a pathway winding up the steep acclivity at its northern extremity, and leading to the Mills of Inver- netite, which, with the number of their mill-wheels, of _ various shapes and sizes, form a striking scene. Crossing the turnpike, and ascending the Moat Hill, we reach the Reform Tower, erected in 1833, soon after the passing of the Reform Bill. Although never com- pleted, it forms a fine object in the landscape, and from the top affords an extensive view of sea and land. The spot on which the tower was raised was an artificial tumulus of earth. ‘Tradition records it as a place for the administration of justice; but, judging from the discovery, while digging for the foundations of the tower, of a stone crypt containing a bowl-shaped kind of urn, which enclosed some fragments of the bones of 1 Another quarry was opened in 1858, a little farther up the hill. The lessee is Mr. Wright, Aberdeen. Three or four other quarries —some near the very apex of the hill, others almost on the sea margin—have since been opened, and are now actively worked. 92 BRICK AND ROPE WORKS. a human being, including the lower jawbone, with part — of the teeth adhering, we may suppose it to have been a barrow, or place of sepulture. The urn was orna- mented round the brim by a band of circular impres- sions, about the size of a shilling, and about one-eighth of an inch in depth. On our return to Peterhead, we pass the Brick and Tile Work of Messrs. Yule and Milne on the right,’ and on the left the Rope-work belonging to Mr. Hutchison, both prosperous establishments. 1 ** At the Brick Work, about fifty yards from the beach, where the clay has been cut to the depth of from thirty to forty feet, it exhibits various strata, which appear to have been deposited at different times, from their differences in quality and colour. Some of the deposits are not above an inch in depth, while others are several feet. The skeleton of a bird was, in 1837, dug out of the clay here, at the depth of twenty-five feet from the surface, and at about fifteen or twenty feet above the level of the sea. »__New Statistical Account. GWAC PATSE Res V-L rH UL Gels. : “Tuts beautiful serpentine channel,” says the author of the Peterhead Annals, “winds through flowery meads, enriched with all the variety of odoriterous herbs which Scotland can boast of.” And again :—“ The salmon that are caught in it are of excellent quality, and are found in great plenty from the end of April to the end of July. There are also great quantities of trout, finnocks, eels, minnows, and flounders, in the river, with pearl muscle, in which, at times, pearls of value are found.” As the meagre remains of the original castle of the Cheynes, near the mouth of this river, have already been visited, we may leave Peterhead by Queen Street, and, at the distance of rather more than two miles, we reach the compact and well-built bridge of Inverugie, situated about half a mile from the sea. We find that, by Act of Parliament in the reign of James VII. of Scotland and II. of England, there was built over the Ugie ‘“‘a neat little bridge with two arches, which sub- sequently proved of great utility to the king’s forces when passing in this direction.”’' About a quarter of a mile above the bridge, on the north bank of the river, are the ruins of Inverugie Castle, which, according to historians, was founded by Sir John de Keth about the year 1380, who had received the lands of Inverugie as a marriage portion with his wife, Mariot Cheyne. This may substantially be correct, but, from other accounts, it would appear that part of it had been 1 Reprinted Acts of Parliament, James VII., Parl. I. 94, INVERUGIE CASTLE. : erected at a much earlier period. That portion of the structure denominated Cheyne’s Tower was probably built by the family of that name, but at what particular = period cannot now be ascertained. It is certain that the lands of Inverugie belonged to the Cheynes of the Craig, and that they came into the possessions of the Keiths through the heiress already mentioned. Sir Reginald Cheyne, the last of the name that possessed the Craig, died about the year 1850, leaving, by his wife Mary, two daughters, who inherited the estates. Mariot, the elder, married, first, Sir John Douglas, and, secondly —he having died without issae—John de Keth, second son of Edward de Keth, the Marischal, by whom she had a son, Andrew. In 1515 Inverugie again fell into female hands. Sir William Keith of Inverugie, the descendant of John de Keth, the husband of Mariot Cheyne, fell at the battle of Flodden, leaving two infant daughters—the eldest of whom married her kinsman, William, the fourth Earl Marischal, about 1538. By this marriage the castle and estates of Inverugie be- came the property of the Earls Marischal. The greater part of the present fabric is supposed to have been erected about the close of the sixteenth cen- tury, by George, Harl Marischal, the founder of Marischal College, Aberdeen. To the practised eye of the archi- tect, the different styles and dates are sufficiently obvious. Stones, curiously and rudely sculptured, may be seen on the garden walls. The river winds round the Castle on three sides, the banks of which are well wooded, and the general scenery very pleasing. It is sheltered on the north by a rising ground and an artificial mound, called the Castle Hill, where, in feudal times, when the lords superior had “the power of pot and gallows,” criminals are supposed to have been executed. Inverugie, after Dunnottar, was the principal seat of the Keiths, and there are many traditions concerning this splendid residence connected with the decay of the above noble family. Sir Thomas Learmont, the Rhymer, it is said, visited this place, and poured forth his vati- - + TAMMAS’ STANE—KEITHS MARISCHAL. 95 cinations from a stone in the neighbourhood. This stone was removed to build the church of S. Fergus in 1763, but the field in which it lay is still called “ Tam- mas’ Stane.”* The rhyme runs thus :— ‘* As lang’s this stane stands on this craft, a The name o’ Keith shall be alaft ; But when this stane begins to fa’, The name o’ Keith shall wear awa’.” Remarkable coincidences often give point to these traditionary predictions. The removal of the seer’s stone, and the death of the last of the Marischal family, were nearly coincident events. The castle is now a picturesque ruin, and is the favourite resort of pic-nic and pleasure parties from the surrounding neighbourhood, who come here to enjoy the scenery. Milk, cream, and, at the proper season, various kinds of delicious fruit, are to be had in abundance. Of the origin of the Keiths Marischal, as of that of the Hays of Hrroll, there are two accounts. The popu- lar belief is that they were descended from the Catti, a nation or tribe of Germany, which, about the time of the Christian era, inhabited the borders of the Saltus Hercynius, or Black Forest’—the Hesse-Cassel and fe Thuringia of the present day ; that a portion of the tribe, rather than submit to the Roman yoke, left their country and descended into Batavia, where they con- tinued for several centuries ; and that, when eventually thrust out by the natives, they took ship, and were driven on the north-western coast of Scotland, where, finding the country but thinly inhabited, they resolved to make good a settlement. Hence the name of the dis- trict, Catti-ness, or Kethness. From the year 1005 their history becomes more authentic. In that year Malcolm Il. rewarded Robert de Keth with large possessions, and invested him with the responsible office of High Maris- chal of Scotland, an office honourably borne by his descendants till the beginning of the last century.’ Chalmers, in his Caledonia—-in the history of the Scoto- 1 New Statistical Account. *Tacitus. %See Appendix, S. 96 RAVEN’S CRAIG. Saxon period—afiirms that this account of the origin of the Keiths is altogether fabulous. According to him, the first of the race who settled in Scotland was Hervei, the son of Warin, an adherent of David I. This Hervei ob- tained from his sovereign the Barony of Keith, in Hast Lothian, and was succeeded by his son Hervei, who took the name of Keith, and held the office of Marischal under Malcolm IV. and William the Lion. Raven’s Craic.—About a mile from Inverugie Castle, and on the opposite bank of the river, stand thé?ruins of Raven’s Craig, known also as the Craig of Inverugie, the ancient seat of the Cheynes. The Cheynes were of Norman origin. As, at a previ- ous period, the Anglo-Saxons, who followed Margaret, the youthful Queen of Malcolm Canmore, into Scotland, originated some of the noblest families in the realm, so, in the time of David I.,’ who, with his sister Matilda, had been nurtured in England, we find a number of Anglo- Normans in his retinue, who, being raised to places of the highest distinction, and obtaining large possessions, established themselves in the country, and became the heads of other families of no less note. Among these no doubt figured ‘ Le Chien.” ” 1¢¢ David I. had passed his youth in England, had ‘ rubbed off the rust of Scottish barbarity,’as William of Malmesbury com- placently says, and had married an Englishwoman. His education and tastes attached him to the gallant race, who, wherever they went, were first in arms and arts, and mingled the sternest powers of man with his finest social enjoyments. He courted the presence of the lordly Normans. They had nearly exhausted England ; and the new territory open to them, if less rich and fertile, was still worth commanding. It was chiefly in the fertile plains of the south, and in the neighbourhood of the English border, that they © were most thickly congregated ; but some of them found their way farther north, to the wild districts beyond the Grampians, where the greatness of the estate was some compensation for its barren- ness. But wherever their lot was cast—-among the Saxons of Mid-Lothian, the Celts of Inverness, or their brother Norsemen of Caithness—these heroes, who united the courage and fierceness of the old Sea-King to the polished suavity of the Frank, became the lords of the land, and the old inhabitants of the soil became their subordinates.’"—Burron’s Life of Lord Lovat. 2 See Appendix, T. a hl gah ee a i MOUNT PLEASANT—ELLISHILL— CASTLE BRAU: 97 The Craig is a fine rude specimen of the old Scotch baronial residence. Built on a rock, at the northern base of which the river flows naturally, and a branch of the same having evidently been let in as a moat on the south, it must have been a place of considerable strength and security. The walls are of run-work, and extremely thick. The Castle is of that square form common in the early part of the thirteenth century, and this, as far as history throws any light on the subject, was probably about the time when it was erected. Our ancestors, in choosing defensive positions for their castles, seem to have had a quick eye for the beautiful ; for how often do we see these castles placed on a lofty eminence, on the rugged and picturesque rock, or by the side of the flowing river? ‘and, as if in vindication of this selection, we find Inverugie and the Craig form- ing a nucleus for many pleasant mansions of modern date. Among these, Mownt Pleasant, built and beautified by Robert Arbuthnot, Esq., and now the property of John Young, Hsq.; Hilishill (Mrs. Anderson); and the Castle Brae (Andrew Boyd, Hsq.), a delightful residence, in close vicinity to the ruins of the Castle, deserve especial _ notice. One who would seem to be a denizen of the spot has addressed to it the following affectionate lines :— **O Ugie, tho’ nae classic stream, Nae far-famed poet’s chosen theme, Thou are the licht 0’ mony a dream O’er lan’ an’ sea, In hearts aft lichted by a gleam, At thocht 0’ thee. Wha lives, that paddled in thy flood, Or crap amang thy stinted wood, When life an’ hope were baith in bud, But lo’es thee still? Gin there be sic, nae generous blood Those heart-strings thrill. When thou hast on thy simmer dress, Wi life an’ form in ilka trace, When up an’ doun the wild-flowers grace Baith knap an’ lea, Wha is there looks on thy sweet face, An lo’es nae thee ? 98 HAUGHS OF RORA. I’ve seen thee in the fadin’ licht Frae aff Mount Pleasant’s bonny hicht, Half yieldin’ to the shades o’ nicht, Wi cot an ha’, An’ felt a rapture at the sicht That’s nae awa. Thy aul’ grey brig—the steppin’-stanes—! The Craig, an’ Castle, towers that ance Could boast their Marischals an’ their Cheynes, Noo still an’ wae; A’ these an’ mair are treasured scenes, Till life’s last day. Rin on, thou bonny wimplin’ tide, Tho’ thou hast nane to gar thee glide Amang the rivers, sung wi’ pride, To classic ear, Thy sterling beauties winna hide, They sparkle here.’’? The Prospect from Mount Pleasant fully justifies its title. Among the features of the panorama which here presents itself, are the noble ruins of Inverugie and the Craig, the river with its many turnings and windings, the rich and fertile valley of the Ugie, the distant Mor- mond Hill, the north and east view of the sea, and the peaks of the Highland mountains of the far west. The view commanded by the other residences above- mentioned, though less extensive, is exceedingly pleas- ing.” A path lies along the bank of the river, and through some highly cultivated farms, till it reaches the Haughs of Lora, where— 1