Books

Staring out across Aberdeen beach, the waves crashing on the shore, the sea a mass of grey-green and swirling white foam, it is hard to imagine that there could be much in the way of life lurking beneath those waves. Yet don a mask and snorkel and another world is revealed, overflowing with a wealth of spectacular marine life.

Nestled in a thicket of trees just beyond New Deer, Brucklay Castle has stood for over 400 years. Originally called Brock’s Hillock, the castle site was no more than a badger set.

Jessie Kesson went from the slums of Elgin, where her mother was a prostitute, to an orphanage, then on to a hard life in service and on the land. Eventually her talent for writing brought her recognition.

One of Aberdeenshire’s most attractive castles reached the end of an era last year with the death of Mrs Mhairi Bogdan, the last of the Ramsay and Irvine families for whom the castle had been home for more than 250 years.

Elizabeth Craigmyle – a pupil of the Aberdeen High School for Girls – and Charles Murray were almost exact contemporaries. Their lives and poetry, however, could not have been more different. While Murray’s poems gave an insight into prevailing opinion, Bessie wrote of her love for Maggie Dale, with whom she had what the Victorians called a ‘romantic friendship’.

Aberdeen-born David Logie has worked with Greenpeace for 13 years.  Here he shares his experiences of the harsh realities facing an eco-warrior, from our own Scottish shores to the banks of the Amazon.

When did Scots first emerge as a distinct language? There is a clear answer, and one with particular interest for the North-East. The Bruce, the first literary work to survive in the Scots tongue, dates from 1375, pre-dating Chaucer; its author was John Barbour, Archdeacon of Aberdeen.

The shameful footsteps of his North-East past brought Peter Gordon to one of the most fulfilling projects of his life – finding Scotland’s rural past in the footprints of smugglers.

The Freedom Lands and their march stones never cease to intrigue, relating as they do to Robert the Bruce and the development of Aberdeen into an independent and self governing community in the 14th century.

In this year the first women were allowed to serve on Local Government Councils; the Territorial Army was introduced, and across the Atlantic, the electric washing machine was invented. In Aberdeen, the Town Council Watch & Lighting Committee agreed to form a pipe band for the City Police Force. Here we look at the Pipe-Majors who led it.

Her popularity as a teacher can be gauged by that fact that in 1876, the school board had to prohibit parents from trying to enrol their sons in the girls’, rather than the boys’ department of St Paul Street School!

The discovery of medieval human remains at St Nicholas Kirk reminds us of its 800 years in which it has witnessed every major event in the life of the city. It is custodian of its secrets and treasures. Not least of these are the unique tapestries made by a 16th century Aberdeen embroideress which hang in a transept.

In the autumn of 1926 Mrs Fenella Paton of Grandhome made a brave decision to set up a birth control clinic in Aberdeen for working class mothers. This was highly significant, as it was one of the first birth control clinics in Britain and only the second in Scotland.

Union Bridge is a living structure, an inhabited bridge, with an arcade of shops and offices suspended above the tracks of the Invernes railway line.

In 1696, at the time when Glenbucket Castle was held by the Gordons, Upperton was a thriving clachan, supporting seven families. Today only one ruin remains.

The composer Sir Edward Elgar struck up an unlikely friendship with Charles Sanford Terry, Professor of History at Aberdeen University, and an enthusiastic amateur musician.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust – a body for whom I have some admiration – errs, in my view, in opposing the Trump plan on the grounds that the proposal would lead to an unacceptable level of impact. But it is right to flag up the fact that much valuable habitat will be irretrievably lost.

It is a great chance to dress up. Like wearing a fancy hat at a wedding or at Ascot, you can be slightly larger-than-life.

Oh! the youthful pleasure of dookin in the open air pools around our rocky coasts. When mixed bathing become common in the 1920s, swimming pools provided shelter from snell winds; places where manly youths could display their physique and nubile females their charms.

When the writer learned of his Aberdeen forebear, the ‘Harbour Master at Fittie’, coincidence revealed links to the present day. It was as if the story of Captain Alexander Morrison beckoned to be told.

Over the centuries, the settlement grew and prospered and was known as Kilwhang. With ‘Kil’ meaning hill and ‘whang’ the name, or sound of a whip, possibly, the name is derived from the cliffs above the original settlement and the sound of wind whistling around their meagre shelters.

Mention of the Aberdeen to Inverurie canal these days often surprises people, unaware of its existence. Most of it has disappeared under the railway, roads and housing, but some short stretches, now dry and ditch-like, can still be found.

There is something chillingly fascinating about natural disasters. Some Scottish towns have always been liable to floods. Elgin. Jedburgh. Perth. But Inverness is my pick for The One To Watch.

Robert MacKenzie was appointed to the headship at Summerhill in 1968 by the Labour-controlled Aberdeen Council. It caused a stir in Scottish educational circles, given MacKenzie’s record as a non-conformist

Ever since the Great Awakening of 1859 and the evangelical revivals which followed, the coastal communities of the North-East have celebrated a vibrant gospel singing tradition.

Somewhat belittled in the ballad, the self-educated Jock Bruce of Fornet was in fact a writer with an interest in radical politics, an ardent campaigner and public speaker, a defender of the rights of the tenant farmer and a social commentator.

The original Scots were Gaelic speakers, so why do we now apply the word to the language of the Lowlands?

Mrs Frances Dunlop of Dunlop was nearly 30 years older than Burns, physically unattractive and the mother of 13 children. Yet, with her, he had a unique friendship.

The Girnock land was poor; when cattle droving declined, the folk were driven to whisky smuggling and the Glen became notorious for its black bothies. Now its abandoned farm-touns carry us back to the time when it bustled with Gordons.

Aberdeen is a better-run city than most, but there is concern for its main artery. Union Street used to be jam-packed with shoppers on Saturdays, and you met everyone you knew there.

A personal recollection of Aberdeen’s mini ‘golden age’ of ballroom dancing – inspired by welcome signs of another just beginning…

As a researcher on farms near Inverness and Aberdeen, the writer has been invading the private world of the secretive corn bunting. His task sounds simple: find where they build their nests, and how successful they are in rearing their young. But he has only one clue to help him solve these puzzles.

How to make the traditional North-East rowie

With news of Glencraft, The Royal Aberdeen Workshops for the Blind and Disabled, having financial difficulties, my mind took me back to 1964.

In September 2006, a dedicated band of engineers and historians from Japan went to Scotland to pay tribute to a man who is virtually unknown in his native land. Who is William Kinninmond Burton? Why do his achievements arouse such devotion?

Two 18th century instruments from the same small workshop in Upperkirkgate, Aberdeen, survive today as unique examples of their type – and the oldest known. Now, through Leopard, a third has entered the ring.

Helen Denerley can be snowed up for weeks on end in her remote studio home, so that she can’t even reach her scrap metal. But in the balmy summer, surrounded by horses, dogs and deer, the entire Donside valley becomes a source of inspiration.

How an Aberdeen town councillor stole 1,044 coffin lids, seven coffins and two shrouds… and an undertaker was found guilty of the reset of 100 coffin lids and two coffins.

In the smaller fishing towns on the Moray coast, many families share a surname; certain first names are favoured, too, so quite a few individuals may have the same names. That’s where the tee-name, or by-name, comes in.

Originally built to defend the port, trade and city of Aberdeen, Torry Point Battery is an enduring landmark on this northern coast. The time has come to tell the tale of two unusual groups which occupied this defensive bulwark, groups with no connection to the Battery’s military past.

Should we cut down 1,000,000 trees, release huge amounts of carbon by excavating a bog for turbine bases, and ruin a river to save us from global warming?

I start with an apology. In 1980 while resident in Hong Kong, I received a letter from Diane Morgan, then editor of Leopard, inviting me to write a few words about our local Grammar and Gordonian Former Pupils’ Club. I never did get around to putting pen to paper, but the seed was sown. Here I am, 26 years later, scribbling away, hopefully before loss of memory and/or dementia set in.

The traditional music of an area reflects the dialect of the people. After an intensive two weeks listening to the Tarland locals talking, an American fiddler commented: ‘North-East people talk in Strathspeys’.

The technology of the next century will help the world of marine science towards a greater understanding of the marine ecosystem and some of its smallest inhabitants.

For the third year in succession controversy has arisen over estate deer culling. In 2004 it was Glen Feshie, in 2005 it was
Mar Lodge, and this year it is Invercauld. These estates are under separate management: the common denominators are the involvement of
the Deer Commission for Scotland – and the use of helicopters.

The one-time Aberdeen printer Thomas Bendelow became the most prolific designer of golf courses in the United States and Canada

For any other firm, being the laughing stock of the district would be a disgrace. But to father and son, Buff and John Hardie, being laughed at in public is the lifeblood of their business – and the louder the laughter, the happier they are!

‘The perfect foal’ suddenly appeared. A six-week-old black colt dancing around his mother, saying, “Look at me. Look at me.”

Mild-mannered Aberdonian Bill Gavin was the inspiration behind a team of amateur actors who brought what seemed like an unending supply of quality drama to Aberdeen theatre-goers

As one year ends and a new one begins, one’s thoughts turn philosophical. And what makes a gardener more philosophical than choosing a tree. Our gardens correspondent Gordon Smith gives his selection of the 10 best trees for 2006.

Animal-lover Lynn Rutter wrapped a badly-injured cat in her sweater and took it to the vet. Imagine her astonishment next day, when the vet told her that this was no pussycat.

A legend in his field, Ronnie Rose is an inspiration to many young conservationists – and a thorn in the flesh of his adversaries

The woods of Deeside and Donside are critical areas due to invading grey squirrels. Unfortunately, they were introduced into Aberdeen in the Fifties and are spreading out of the city along the Dee and the Don. Grey squirrels can now be found in Peterculter, Banchory, Tarland and Bennachie.

Do you have piles of old letters, memos, articles or essays in your attic, in Aberdeenshire Scots – the Doric – or other language varieties used in Scotland? Do you own the copyright yourself, or know who does? If so, the Scottish Corpus of Texts and Speech – Scots – is interested.

Flamboyant John Anderson was a showman in the grand manner. In 1851 he toured America, where a quarter of a million people saw him during his run at the Broadway Theatre in New York.

St Carol’s bell in the kirkyard at Ruthven, Aberdeenshire was named The Wow o’ Riven by Feel Jock – and it was a bell worth fighting over.

What turned out to be Scotland’s heraldic event of 2005 took place in Glencoe in June when a Macdonald clan herald was installed into office for the first time for 510 years.

It is 700 years since the Martyrdom of William Wallace, Scotland’s greatest patriot – a charismatic leader, a brilliant military commander, and a man of ardent patriotic spirit and dauntless personal courage. As Scotland strives to regain its true place in Europe and the world, the City of Aberdeen is celebrating Wallace’s life on 20 August, remembering him with pride.

Aberdeen has had gates to the medieval city since the 15th century. But what happened to them?

A little-known tradition of North-East violin making has existed alongside the playing tradition since the middle of the 18th century

The Foudland quarries which once supplied the North-East with distinctive roofing slate are being eyed with renewed interest.

Many Aberdonians will have memories of sixpences spent at Greig’s shoppie in the Gallowgate.

A massive bronze key bearing the dents and twists on a long, hard working life could be a long-lost link with the medieval city.

When John Duff worked in Banchory, he often visited Bill and Molly Ogston at Campfield Smiddy. When Molly died, John fell heir to several smiddy ledgers, a priceless record of the lives of successive country blacksmiths.
For years, the Campfield ledgers have languished in John’s loft; now he shares their contents, and his musings on their owners.

The beautiful and magnificent native butterflies are very quick to respond to changes to their environment. But you can help.

Doos have been reared in Scotland since the 12th century. Their doocots – some 500 of them – add charm to our landscapes to this day, but many are reaching the point of no return. Should we intervene, or let them go?

Eileen Ewen was an enigma: an elegant teacher of dance and elocution in Aberdeen, she married Turriff farmer, Bill Howie. Admired in both communities, she was equally at ease on stage or driving a tractor. Her former pupils now wish to dedicate a dressing room in the new His Majestey’s Theatre in tribute to her life.

Recognition for King of the Cornkisters Willie Kemp and – a bothy balled king in his own right – George Morris.

The first of a two-part series on the history of broadcasting in the North-East

One hundred and twenty-five years ago this month, the Tay bridge blew down in a storm. How could this structure, such a source of profit and pride to its owners, vital key in a masterplan to connect Aberdeen to London, become to land communications what the Titanic became to the high seas?”

An insight into the customs of fisherfolk on the east coast of Scotland

Professor Bill Nicolaisen explores the history of the Scottish surname Junner or Junor.

Early last century, Gavin Greig, the well-known song collector, warned that unless the whaling minstrelsy was recorded it was ‘likely to die out with the veteran army of Greenland heroes’. This is a background to some of the songs that survived.

It seems possible that the Horn of Leys, displayed in the great hall at Crathes Castle, is not what it purports to be. Could there be other instances of equally dubious historical claims being accorded authenticity?

Whether evacuating a crag-bound climber in the corrie of Lochnagar, or searching for a crashed jet on Ben Macdui, the 30 members of Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team risk their lives, summer and winter, often in darkness and in appalling weather – and then raise money to pay for the privilege of doing so

Patrick Geddes was an international intellectual giant – scientist, educator, town planner,and cultural champion – but today in Ballater, he is almost forgotten.

How hill-walkers helped conserve the pathway to the summit of one of Aberdeenshire’s most striking peaks – the 1,900-foot granite-topped Clachnaben.

Jimmy Scotland played many roles: an authentic urban lad o’ pairts, he emerged from an east-end tenement to gain three First Class Honours degrees, and became a college principal. He also went on to be the best after-dinner speaker ever heard.

The famous Rhynie war memorial is considered to be one of the finest granite carvings in the world. Here, Douglas Kynoch gives a personal account of the life of his grandfather.

“One of the clarions of every community in Scotland is that there are no characters left. Passing years have made us more bland and less colourful… I can understand that, but beg to differ” argues Norman Harper

Norman Kennedy, the Aberdeen-born traditional singer and handloom weaver, Norman Kennedy, has been awarded the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in the USA.

Our native wild flora is part of our heritage, but rarely gets the enthusiastic support of other aspects of Scottish-ness. We should be as proud of our wild plants as we are of our built heritage, argues Bob Davis.

Are there really leopards and pumas roaming the North-East? Dr David F. Clark hunts for big game in Aberdeenshire

From rattling her first snare drum in Methlick, to being awarded an honorary degree by Edinburgh University, percussionist Evelyn Glennie has followed a singular path to world-wide admiration.

Those people celebrating a century of flying should recognise that this patch of Scotland played its part in ensuring that mankind triumphed in heavier-than-air machines. By Gordon Casely

Norman Harper on the Doric language.

Winnie Carnegie takes a look at the magpie’s curse, and other superstitions.

A supernatural tale by Frank Woods.

The battle of Flodden has appalled Scotland for generations. On the afternoon of Friday, 9 September 1513, King James IV of Scots and a majority of the leaders of our nation had been utterly annihilated. By Gordon Casely.

Zoltan Dragan, assistant engineer on the m.v. Budapest, jumped ship in 1969 with nothing but his seaman’s papers and a little money. Even as the alarm was going up, he was legging it up Marischal Street, dodging on to George Street, running north in the race of his life.

Mel Edwards on the history of Aberdeenshire Cricket Club

Andrew Ralton reports on the recent legislation from the Scottish Executive

Professor Alex Kemp of the University of Aberdeen takes a considered look – in both directions – at the industry which has had an immeasurable impact on the North-East.

The Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh is shrugging off its shrouds of scaffolding and plastic sheeting, in preparation for the next 100 years, at least, of government. Ron Gauld reports.

Tom McKean on Alan Lomax, a vital American link in our folk song chain.

If Robert Burns had been like most of us, falling in love, getting married and staying faithful, he would not have written the most tender and beautiful love poems of all time. Elizabeth Strachan on the Bard’s muses.

In 1601 a company of travelling actors visited Aberdeen. The principal director and playwright of that group was William Shakespeare. Can it be mere coincidence that the dialogue of the Scottish play, Macbeth, describes uncannily much of the content of the Aberdeen witch trials of 1595-96?

Sandy Cheyne has a fresh dig in the roots of the traditional Aberdeenshire ballad.

John Doran on Haddo House, William Adam’s Palladian Mansion.

Charlie Allan, a competitor in the Highland Games from 1954 to 1976 takes an affectionate look at this odd Scottish phenomenon.

Jock Coutts’ memories of steam powered agriculture.

John Doran on the history of one of Aberdeenshire’s finest architectural treasures.

Is Prince Charlie’s famous portrait by Quentin de la Tour really a likeness of the Pretender? Sandy Cheyne does some artistic detective work.

A wood near Grantown on Spey, planted with Abernethy pines in the 1760s, is up for sale. An ancient wood in Nethybridge may be cleared for second homes and a business site. Should this be allowed to continue?

Profile of the exuberant Aberdeen artist Eric Auld by John Doran.

Marion Youngblood on the last in the Heroic Age of Pictish warriors.

A closer look at our ancient northern rituals of flaring fireballs, blazing barrels and boats – and sometimes sacrifice for the greater good of the community.

When the valley of the River Don was selected as the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland’s next large-scale survey area, I felt as though I was returning to home territory.

We’re aa Jock Tamson’s bairns, but how much do we know about him?

Version recorded by James Madison Carpenter of Harvard from Mrs Watson Gray of Fochabers in 1931 (‘learned in Glenlivet over fifty years before’)

By marrying the first Earl of Moray’s daughter, he gained the earldom – but with it a lethal dowry – a longstanding feud with the Earls of Huntly.