Old harbour landing-placed san ease th t n coasso t of Scotland by Angus Graham

INTRODUCTION Recent wor e olden somth ko f ro e Scottish harbours, respectivel e south-easterth n yi n counties (Graham e Solwath 1969 n o y, 200d Firtan ) h (Graha d Truckelman l 1977)s ha , prompte extensioe dth studief no similaa f so r kin otheo dt rseaboard e partpresene th f th so d tan , paper describes some of the results. Whereas, however, the papers just mentioned were primarily archaeological, being based on the observation of existing structural remains, the extension of fiele prejudices th dha systematiy dan ctherebs visitin ha sitese d th yf an ,g o severel y reducee dth archaeological element upshoe Th . thus i t s mainl ytopographicaa l catalogue, accompaniey db historical comment. The stretch of coast covered by the study extends from Dundee to Nairn, a distanc jusf eo t unde milesconveniena 0 d 20 r an , t terminal date f 185o provides 0i Parliaa y db - mentary Report of 1847 (Harbours, xxxii). No attempt has been made to follow up later com- mercial and industrial developments at modernised ports such as Dundee, Aberdeen or Peterhead. The disposition and character of harbours and landing-places in general being naturally

coasE f Scotlane o t Th FI G1 d between Dunded an e Nairn, showinn sectionte e e th gs th user fo d classificatio sitee th sf no GRAHAM HARBOURD OL : LANDING-PLACED SAN EASE TTH COASN S O SCOTLAN F TO 3 33 | D governed by the physical features of the coast on which they are set, the stretch now under review should be thought of as falling, in these respects, into ten separate sections (fig 1). These are distinguished from one another primarily by the possession of a rocky or a sandy foreshore; in another category may be placed those which are largely rock-bound but which are broken intermittentlp u covey yb r bayss o differend an ; t agai estuariese nar , som f whiceo h fore mth sites of harbours of leading importance. Fishing-villages have been included along with the larger places, but those which lack any features of particular interest have not been given detailed treatment, being simply listed section by section with the necessary apparatus of references. descriptive Th e note list d arrangee san sar topographican di l order from sout northo ht alonr o , g Morae th y Firth coast from eas westo t . The followee yar somy db e general remarks.

DESCRIPTION Section 1 From Dundee Arbroathto (exclusive) Apart from some rocks near Dundee rocka d y,an stretch som milee3 s Carnoustielonf o gN , the shores of this section are mainly of sand. DUNDEE NCR NO 4030 The natural advantages for maritime trading that Dundee must have enjoyed throughout its history are summarised by the Commissioners for Tidal Harbours in their report of 1847 (Harbours xxviii): 'Situate on the north bank of the estuary of the Tay - so far a deep navigable midse fertila th prosperouf tidd e timen l o trivei al eth an - t f sra o s country seae extensivf ,th to e manufactures, holdin gfavourabla e position with respec Baltice th o t , whenc chiee eth f parf to its raw material is obtained, Dundee has great advantages for an extensive coasting and foreign traffic, which have been well seconded by the energy of her merchants and shipowners'. They might well have added tha estuare th t y above Dundee finas it n li , reac Pertho ht bedevilles i , d by shallows and sandbanks. earliese Th t notice harboue th f so r perished burgh' e wit th rese f hth o t s records durine gth English occupatio cleas f 1547-8i no t i r t tha pore tradins bu , th t wa t g with some wine-growing region, very probably Bordeaux t leasa , earls a t s 1262ya , when 16 pipe f winso e were landed for transference to Forfar (Jervise 1882 1, 293). In 1393 customs were being collected at the port i nregulaa r manner (Records, 1,414) allusion a burgh' e d th ;an n i s charte 144f ranchorago o t 7 e fees 'as use and custom is, and was in tyme by gane' is a further indication that the port was no new institution earle sitth e yf e .o medievaTh l harbou gives ri Maxwely nb l (1884,103 naturaa s )a l haven just W of the Castle Rock, no tributary stream entering the Tay hereabouts to provide a naturally sheltered refuge; he quotes the same charter as stating that it was unsafe, and as authorisin burgessee gth merchantd an s s themselve undertako t s constructioe eth maind nan - tenance of a harbour permitting large or small ships to enter or leave in safety. He believes that this harbou give e smalls h boundariess d day rswa n it Castls a an ,, ow terms e ehi th Lan f n so i , e line Crichtof th eo Tyndal' f lowed o e th d an , , en rn N W s Streete e Wynth th n n o ,do projecte d seawards, on the W. Whether or not as part of the same operation, a sea-wall was built on Butchers Row and the older harbour behind it was filled up and reclaimed; but this wall was late rShore w supersede furthet Ne se ,e th r y forward b deepe n i d dran watetere th m r- 'Shore' being used here, as so often elsewhere, as the name of a length of combined street and quay, with houses on its landward side and open wharfage opposite. Maxwell's account of these works suffers from a confused chronology - for example, in the passage just referred to he dates the New Shore to the end of the 15th century, but in another (1884, 473) to only a short time before 334 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 the building of the Packhouse, the date of which is securely recorded as 1643. Two 'bulwarks' were also erecte t somda e date which must have been earlier than tha1567n i s t a ,yea r they, along wit e pierhth , have shored nan , were describe s ruinouda s (Maxwell 1884, 106); these bulwarks were detached breakwaters partially enclosing an outer harbour (Maxwell 1884, 168), and seem to have been openwork wooden structures of piles and planking, though the rest of worke th s wer masonryf eo 158y bulwarke B . 1th s were tendin leao gt n over inwards shipd an , s were accordingly instructe attaco dt h their cableoutee th o rst timber leao t dd thesan mthrougn i h the openwork construction latet s thi bu ;swa ballaste rd fillean n di d with material fro mpiea r longeo whicn s rhwa needed bulwarke Th . s were strengthene 1582n di . Fro 17te m18td th han h centuries some further note available s ar harbour' e th n eo s affairs. 160 n agaiI d 6an 161n i burg e 0applyinth s h imposwa 'reparatioun e a th r r gfo tfo theif no r schore and herbere' (Records, 2, 216, 299), and in 1612 the place was described as a 'commodious haven' (Jervise 1882, 1strucs , 166violen294)n a i wa t y t k8b i ;bu t stor 'utterld man y demolished' (Acts, 1, 659). For its repair an impost was granted on wine sold in the burgh, valid for 5 years, 167y b t coul8i d an saie db d tha'harboure th t greay b , t labou expensed ran bees ha , n rendered vera y safagreeabld an e e statio vesselsr nfo ' (Jervise 1882 , 294)1 , MacfarlanA . e documenf o t slightly later date records that 'the toune has a good shoar well built with hewen stone with a key, on both sides whereof they load and unload ther ships with a great house on the shore calle packhouse dth e wher theep u the ry merchanyla t goods' (Gear Coll, , 31)2 . This description seem agreo st e with tha f Defoeo t , whose continuator records that 'irathes i t mola r e thana harbour, havin backwateo gn cleao t r nthad itan ;t ther three ear e entrances int t whicoi y hma contain a hundred sail of ships, but not of any great burthen' (1769, 4, 171). In 1700 and 1711 impositions for repairs were applied for in the usual way, and in 1717 a fresh subject appears in the records - that of silting, already the subject of a hint in Defoe's account just quoted yeae th r n I tha. t followed town'e th s a s, trade increase larged dan r ships came more general use, silting evidently became an increasingly serious drawback, and in 1717 the burgesses appealed to the Convention of Royal Burghs 'shewing that their harbour is so rilled up that unless it is speedily cleansed it will be impossible for ships to go out and in'. The matter remained under discussion until 1724, whe sterlin0 £4 ns grante gwa r 'preventindfo g further ruin f theieo r harbour' (Records, , 1745 , 191, 274, 349). Makeshift remedies, however, seem to have been going out of fashion as the century advanced, and a series of radical improve- ments, which set the harbour on the road to its modern form, began in 1770, when J Smeaton was called on for advice. The principal stages of the work carried out thereafter are noted in the New Statistical Account f 1833 o individuad ) an ,53 (1, 132 (F), l operation30 , s undertaken from time to time are described in the Parliamentary Report of 1847 (Harbours, xxviii, 208-19, 226; plan 268); these works, however, are there dealt with at a length which outruns the scope of this paper, while many of the points of detail are unintelligible in the absence of the relative plans drawingsd an . What follow consequentln ca s y cove moro n r e tha generae nth l teno f eventsro , which seems to be reasonably clear. The harbour of Smeaton's day measured only 4^ acres, and comprised two protective piers, detacheo tw d an d , breakwaterW d an E seawardo st , these latter providino tw maie d gon n an narrow entrances. There was also a scouring-basin of $ acre. At about this time the harbour could be described as 'a crooked wall, often enclosing but a few fishing or smuggling craft' (New Stat Acct, 11 (F), 53). It was liable to silting by debris washed in from higher up the Tay, and to counter this tendency Smeaton recommended some re-arrangement of the scouring sluices, opening-ue th d an tunnelf p o protectiv e th n si e piers provido ,t e freer passag tidae th lr currentsefo . These recommendations were only carried out in part, but in 1788 the enclosed area was enlarged GRAHAM HARBOURD OL : LANDING-PLACED SAN EASE TTH COASN S O SCOTLAN F TO 5 33 | D by the building of a pier running W from the end of the E protective pier, and in 1803 a detached breakwate 1814n i added s s ,rwa wa however t .I , tha cruciae tth l poin reaches harbour'e twa th n di s development, whe StevensonR n advise e constructiodth t dock a serie we f f no so s running eastwards from the existing harbour behind a sea-wall. With this plan T Telford agreed, and in passes wa t d 181placinAc n 5a managemene gth harboue th hande f th o t f Harboun ri so r Com- missioners, who then proceeded with works recommended in a second report by Telford. There now followed the construction of a wet dock, King William IV Dock, of 6^ acres, with a tidal entrance-harbou graving-docka d an r protection-walE s it ; l apparently serves quaa it s n da yo oute protection-wallrW sidee Th . , whic s finishet higf d battere hwa 4 han 2 n 1820 i ds dwa , tope outeth s ;it n hammer-dresseo f ro t f fac s widta 2 1 eo wa t f ho d block obliquelyt sse , without mortarheartine f quarrth o d s an ,gy wa rubbish 183n I . 1 ther f thieo sfollowed W work e th ,o t , Earl Grey's Dock f 5^o , acres, designe J Gibb y db , wit hscouring-tunnea landing-slia d an l p for the Tay ferry from Newport. In 1830 another civil engineer, J Jardine, considered that Dundee's growing needs couladdin y existine b t th d f gbeso me gfurthee E tb dockt e th we r o st one accordingld ,an 183n yi 3 work bega doca n 11f nko o ^ acre than si t position Admiralte th n .O y pla f 184names no i t 6i d Victoria markes Doci d kan 'nos da w building' alss i 11-acr n os a a , e tidal harbour communicatin . EasE e t th agaig n witf thio n o t hi s last same th , e plan marksa 'projected dock' of 9^ acres. The Parliamentary Report of 1847 (Harbours, xxviii) sums up the conditio harboue th f n o t tha a r tdoin n i date t seemo gs bu , borroo st w largely fro mrepora t Admiralte madth o et 184n yi Captaiy 4b n Washington, R.N. That officer wrote partn i , , 'Two spaciou t docksswe , containin aren g a f 11ao ^ acres alreade ar , y complete fuln i l d activitydan ; anothe dockt rwe morf o , e than doubl extente eth lais i , d out; wittidao htw l harbours5 f o e on , useacresn 1 othei e acres 1 th ,w f o r;no , besides graving-docks, patent slips everd an , y facility for a first-rate commercial port'. He foresees, however, that silting may still take place along the faces of the quays and at the entrances of the tidal basins; and he notes the danger of the rocks in front of the harbour and their influence on the silt-bearing tidal currents.

Section II From Arbroath (inclusive) Riverthe to SouthEsk This section of the coast is rocky, apart from some 2J- miles of sand in Lunan Bay.

ARBROATH NGR NO 642403 earliese Th t phase thif so s harbour's historreconstructee b n yca d tentatively fro mrecora d preserved in the cartulary of Arbroath Abbey (Arbroath, 2, 40). This contains the text of an agreement mad 139n ei Abboy 4b townse t handJohe th d on monks ne -e an , th Ged th d n yo ,an me f Arbroatno othere th n ,ho regardin buildine gth harboura f go . Fro infen m ca a thire sw first phase, of earlier date than 1394, in which the town possessed no organised landing-place and ships must have worked off an open beach. It was to remedy this state of affairs that a harbour was now built at the foot of the High Street, and the second phase thus introduced. The agreement, in free translation, provided that the Abbey should, at its own expense, build with all possible speed, and in perpetuity maintain, a port for the burgh which was safe in the judgemen locaf o t l experts t whica d han , ships could fincald quiesafda d an l ean t position irres- pectiv f movemento e e tidee burgessesth Th f . o s r theifo , r part, shoul de wor helth y kb n pi removing, at their own expense, all stones, sand, and other impediments to the construction of porte th , clea pore f th stoner o t sand an sd whenever necessar worke th r ,y fo continuin e gth said clearance fro beginnine mth port'e th f gso construction unti wore completes th l kwa . They should also fill, set in place, and weight with stones, at the first building of the port, all the 336 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 'arenas' ordered for the port at the discretion of the magistrates; and for this find certain instru- ments, namely 'vangas, tributes gavylloxt e ferreos' t theiexpensen a 1 ow r Abboe th ; monkd an t s undertaking the provision of other instruments and burdens. foregoine Th g interpretatio r frofa ma f lucino d text suggest constructioe sth solia f no d breakwater-pier by means of timber cages reinforced with piled-up stones and boulders. (For worte b y thin hwhai ma s t contexti t f Slezer'o e on ,s drawings (1693 ,) show p40 i se parth f o t 17th-century version of this pier as being of masonry and timber.) On this showing, therefore, the statement of the Statistical Account of Scotland (1793, 7, 343) that the harbour was poorly buil woof o t d coul t havdno e been correct mistaka t bu ; thif eo s kind might very well have been made as the author, writing in 1793, could have been deceived by, say, stumps of rotten timbers still surviving on the site some 70 years after the pier had gone out of use. Such remains of an old pier were noted at Waterfoot, near Annan, in 1975, after what must have been nearly a century of disuse (Graham and Truckell 1977, 116). Whatever the method of its construction, the first harbour was most probably a modest affair documenA . late th e f 17tto earlr ho y 18th century (Geogr Coll, 2,46) records that Arbroath possessed a shore, some shipping, and 'a little small trade'. Applications for financial help in repairs were made from time to time, Parliament authorising the burgh to exact shore-dues for the support of the harbour in 1698 (Acts, 10, 174a) and the Convention of Royal Burghs making grants, or recommending voluntary contributions from the burghs in general, between 158 d 1702an 4 (Records, , 1341 , 329, 359 , 3062 ; , 352, 536 , 3703 ; , 265 37923 , 4 ;342 , 356). In 1716 a crisis seems to have been reached - the term 'ruinous' had been used in 1702, and no wpetitioa submittes nwa d which laid blam formen eo r magistrate alsd soan cited exceptional storm-damage suffere precedine th n di g winter inspection A . mades nwa , much wor founs kwa d to be necessary, and in 1723 the place was still ruinous (Records, 5, 161, 168, 190, 200, 331); 172y b t 4 worbu begud 'nea kha n wno pieharbour'd an r , casn witi h0 hgran a fro £3 e f mo th t Conventio voluntard nan y contributions recommended fro individuae mth l burghs. Such expres- sion s 'buildinsa gharboura harbour'thd w an ene ' frequentle ar ' y used (Records, , 3495 , 433, 457, 461, 482 arrangement,w 512ne e , th 553) t usualle bu ; ar s y date 172o dt 5 (New Stat Acct, 11 (F), 91; Harbours, xxix). The site chosen was a fresh one, on the opposite (W) side of the Brothock Water; the new work was of stone, with an entrance 31 ft wide which could be closed with booms operated by a crane. It was dry at low tide, but the water of the Brothock could be t higsluicea t hf 6 springd1 fluso into t t d siltt entrance depte t oi san ou hp th th ; u t hs a ewa t neapsa t f dow 9 . Beforo nt e 173 harboue 6th littld di r e trade excep smugglinn i t fishingd gan , thoug f sufficien o place s hth ewa t importanc markee b f 1747-55o et o Roy'n do e p th sma n i ; 1790s about 30 ships seem to have been owned in the town, though two passages in the Stat Acct give slightly divergent figures (5, 39; 7, 340). 183n I harboue 9th 1725f regardero w 'olde ,no th s 'd a harbour considerabls ,wa y improved, and was enlarged to contain an area of 6 acres. New works included the construction of a sea-wall outen a d r an harbour outee th , r entrance e t width f bein havin d t 0 a ean t g10 f gdepta 2 1 f ho provides wa t widpier-heads f d 7 e2 an d s wit wa innee he th ;booms on r piere Th . s were founded on rock, which permitted dredgin poina g- t which suggest contrasa s t with earlie lesd san r stable foundations simply resting on the foreshore. The sea-wall was of red-sandstone ashlar. The plans, by J Leslie, could not be realised in full for lack of funds, but further work was recommended (Harbours, xxix). In this connection it is interesting to see that an Admiralty plan of 1833 shows, in addition, a disconnected stretch of breakwater outside the outer harbour, creating, as it were, an outer compartment for it (Harbours, 268). The harbour of 1725 was mad 1870s e et doc th int we n k i o.a GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 337 Section III From the River South Esk to Milton Ness Apart fro e moute Soutmth th f ho Esk, wit s tidahit l lagoon, where there existee dth special conditions that are discussed below, this section of the coast contains nothing of interest harbourf o y wa r landings se o th sandn s i i t I . y throughou lengts it t abouf ho miles7 t .

MONTROSE NC 715O RN 7 towe Montrosf Th no e occupie broasa d tongu lanf eo d which formsidE Montrosf e o sth e Basin Basie squarisa Th .s ni h tidal lagoon some 1,900 acre extentn si , throug parS f e o t hth which run corner channee E debouco t S Soute th s river'e s th k it f Th . hEs o t l ha s lowermost reach, a further mile in length, passes the town and reaches the sea between Scurdie Ness on Annad , thian N S ste lattee Santh th n do r bein southernmose gth t lone pointh gf o tsand y stretch mentioned above. The town's quays are set on the N bank of this lowermost reach, with village th Ferrydef eo n opposite statemene .Th tont0 tha6 so t coult ship0 5 dE f so e com th o et and W sides of the basin (Stat Acct, 5 (1793), 26) is hard to square with the topography, but if the SE and SW corners of the basin are meant, rather than the E and W sides, this record would agree with tha f 184o t 7 (Harbours, xxx), thatidae th t l river-channel coul usee db smaly db l upstrear craffa Montrosed s a tOl ms a . additionn I , however givino ,t g acces inlano st d sites Basie ,th n evidently playe importann da t part in the functioning of Montrose harbour. The river-mouth reach was difficult to navigate, entrys it being note dangerous da reasoy sb sandbana f no k (Geogr Coll., , 41)2 . Siltin keps gwa t in check by the flushing action of impounded sea-water, rushing out from the basin and reinforcing river'e th s flow t evera , y fallin consequentlgs tidewa t I . y essentia retaio t l n this tidal reservoir in sufficient volume; and the importance of the matter is shown by the vigorous reaction of the tow attempto nt inlany sb d proprietor reclaio st m Basi e part th agriculturar f nfo so l purposes, thereby reducing the volume of the water retained on the rise of the tide and proportionately diminishin outflos force falle it g th th f .eo n Thuwo s whe nschema launches ewa 167n di r 6fo drainine th f somgo e land belongin formea o gt r provost appean a d helr mads fo lan , p wa o et Conventioe th Royaf no l Burghs, that body appointe dcommittea likelihooe reporo et th n o t d of damage to the harbour, with powers to collaborate, if necessary, with the town's magistrates projece th t ge t stoppeo t d (Records, , 659)3 . Thiprobabls swa same yth e schem recordes i s ea d in the Stat Acct as having failed through storm-damage before the work was finished (5, 26); traces of it, with the name Dronners (drainers') Dyke, are marked on the OS maps. Further controvers somd yan e litigation attended similar project 1817n i s , 183d 1841 1an lase f th ;o t these would hav t ofefcu 10J million cubic fee watef o t t evera r y spring tide (Harbours, xxxi). The Macfarlane document just quoted mention 'goosa d shoretowne thith d t san ,a ' was doubo n streeta t wit hquay-frontagea Dundet a s a , e (supra), seeing that Parliamentar burghar yo l hel repairinn pi harboue gth applies t leasa wa r r t d fo course e 17ttwic th th hn f e i eo centur y (Acts, 10, 145 a; Records, 3, 407). Much shipping used the harbour in the early 18th century, it being regarded in 1793 as the 'most commodious' one between the Tay and Cromarty. At that date gooa ther t docks dwe ewa , where ships were buil repairedd ship3 an t5 sd weran , e owned there jointly with Ferryden. Smuggling flourished s everywhera , e (Stat Acct, , 36)5 n I . 184 givins channee a 7wids th d recorde s yd gdept a ean 0 wa l 17 h e s froda th t m a 1o t t 8f 1 t 5f town quays. In 1837 a wet dock had been built to the plans of 3 Leslie, with an entrance 55 ft sildepte a frowidf o th ld mt hean a 19o t . Scurdi 1t Jft 6f e Nes stils slwa unlighted conn i d - an , sequence ships sometimes gave its dangerous rocks too wide a berth, were unable to turn into th Annae mout noteth riverbank s e N n pile d tth o e wa dSan f ,p han t th .d o I tha u n d o beacota n 2u 338 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 was needed there alsd an o, that some awkward e channespotth n i s l neede deepenede b o dt . Craf t coul f drawin8 do t pas p drawbridgee gu s th carrd an , y cargoer f limcoafa d so s ean a l upstream as Old Montrose (Harbours, xxx).

Section IV From Milton Ness Girdleto Ness This sectio coaste th f no , abou mile0 3 t s long rock-bounds i , rocke th , y formations rising, in many places, to sheer cliffs which make it difficult to approach the navigable coves from the fishing-villages above. A document, probably of 17th-century date, describes the seaboard S of Girdle Ness as 'a whole coast of rocks, which the seamen call an Iron Coast, and of great height all along the shore of Cowie'; adding that S of Stonehaven 'begins again a great tract of Rocks to the Water of Bervie' (Geogr Coll, iii, 232).

JOHNSHAVE79567O N 0R NG N 1720e th n sI Johnshave vera s y nwa prosperou s fishing-town, thoug hrecora perhapf do s a century earlier dismisses it as 'a little shore for fisher-boats' (Geogr Coll, 3,236). In later years, however, the fishing gradually deteriorated as a result of casualties among the crews and the frequent impressment of fishermen into the Navy (Stat Acct, 15, 230). By 1795 a small wharf had recently been built, but it was expected to remain unsafe until it could be protected by a breakwater ordinare Th . y watee dept thes th yearf o wa hnro betweeTw s d . 1 2earlieft an 0 n1 r it had been noted that 12 ships, totalling 475 tons, were owned in the village (Stat Acct, 5, 39). In 1847 Johnshaven was described as an inlet protected by 'high-water rocks', with no pier or landing-place t thei ; n supporte fishing-boatn dte somd di ed smalan s l e exportradth f n ei o t local grain (Harbours, xxxi).

GOURDON NGR NO 825707 Though classed in the 17th century among 'little shores for fisher-boats' (Geogr Coll, 3,236), by 1794 Gourdon seem havo st e absorbe maritime th f do l muceal businesr ho f Bervio s e q.v. (Stat Acct, 13, 3). Its harbour was then neither commodious nor safe, and the fishing was deterio- rating. Two further entries in the Stat Acct (5, 39; 13, 6) give conflicting figures for the ships owned havt they bu ,y ema numbered aboueightr o x 183n I si .t 7 smala ther s elwa harbour with quaya , accommodating eigh r nino t e small vessel givind san gf wate o 1 t 7f r high springs (New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 16.) Ten years later the works included an E pier, half of the cost of which had been met by the Government, and a detached breakwater; the entrance was narrow and furnishes crookedwa t i t d bu ,wit h beacons (Harbours, xxxi; plan 268) t thaA . t tim place eth e supporte fishing-boats7 d2 exported an , d local grain.

BERVIE NGR NO 834724 Listed in the 17th century among 'little shores for fisher-boats' (Geogr Coll, 3, 236), Bervie thed ha n bee nfishing-towna , with landing beache th n o s, since before living memorys i d an , marked on Bleau's map. In 1794, however, the fishermen had removed to Gourdon, q.v. (Stat Acct, 13, 3), and smuggling, formerly rife, was also in decline. The concentration of shipping at Gourdon, mentioned above, was again noted in 1837 (New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 16). It is interestin fino formee gt th d r statu Bervif so fishing-villaga s ea e being base parn d i archaeo n o t - logical evidence, throug chance hth e excavatio fishinf no g geahooksd ran . GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 339

STONEHAVE 878O N 5 R NG N Stonehave shalloa s i y wnBa indentatio coaste th n ni , abou mila t lengthn ei , into which debouc Cowie h th Carro d ean n Waters with their mouths less than hal milfa e apart. Immediately S of the latter, a rocky point called Bellman's Head projects into the bay, cutting off a pocket-like cove between itself and Downie Point, which bounds the bay on the south. It is this pocket, and not the mouth of either of the streams, that forms the site of the harbour and of the old town that it served. The earliest evidence for a port at what was then called Stanehyve seems to be a confirma- tion charte f 158o r Georgeo 7t , Earl Marischal towe th r n fo ,(villam) wit hfrea e port, port dues, petty customs, anchorage fees, etc (RMS, 5, 464). This reference to a free port, however, does t necessarilno y impl existence yth f harbour-workseo similao d r no r, provision subsequenn si t charters, of 1592 (RMS, 5, 747) and 1612 (RMS, 7,282), help to illuminate this point. Comparison suggests itself with a document which states that the burgus at the mouth of the Cowie Water was vetusta magis quam opulenta for lack of a shore or sea-port for ships (Geogr Coll, 3, 236); t thibu s passage must relat somo et e periomore th r les eo n di s distan note t pasth es a goet n so to show that harbour-works of a kind were in existence in the earliest years of the 17th century. Thus it records that the first harbour was built by the Earl Marischal on the open shore, that ruines stora wa y t di b m during construction time thad writinth f ebeino t s an ,ta wa gt g i repaired with the help of voluntary contributions from all the burghs in the country. The operations may therefor associatee eb d wit cale contributionr hth lfo s Conventioe madth y eb f Royano l Burghs 161n i 2 (Records, worts i , 351)t 2 i hd remarkin;an g tha wore th t d used her 'reparatione's ei , not new construction, while it appears further that the Convention had in fact been receiving similar applications for help in repairs since at least 1601. Continuing involvement of the Earl Marischal in the harbour's affairs is proved by the Convention's instruction that the voluntary paymentmade b o et 'ae ssar they sairequyrie Lorb ly m dy b tMarschal doer's hi r o .l Similar applications for help in harbour repairs were made to the Royal Burghs in 1649, 1665, 1679, 1698 d 170an , 5 (Records, , 3453 , 271, 57915 ,, 466)4 ; particulad an ; r interest attachee th o st gran f £30o t 0 made, afte inspectionn a r 1698n i ,tow e prooa s cites this th it a s , n y a sf wa d b o f poverty in applying to Parliament for help in the following year (Acts, 10, app., 122 b). Whateve havy ma re bee e characten th harboue th e 17t th f o rhn i rcentury y 179b , t 4i consisted of nothing more than an open-ended basin in the NW corner of the pocket described above (Stat Acct, 11, 217). It was sheltered on the SE by a 'high rock', presumably Downie Point, and on the NE by a quay, aligned to the SE but swinging at its end towards the SW, which was no doubt founded on the rocks of Bellman Head. A pier is marked in this position on Roy's map of 1747-55. The writer of the account of 1794 called for this quay to be extended, and for another to be built out towards it to enclose the basin. The depth at its entrance was 22 ft. Later developments are described in an account of 1842 (New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 227), according to which, although the harbour was easy to approach in easterly gales, its internal arrangements formerld ha ythad beeba t o shippinns avoided g ha winter n i t di 1825n I . ,t howeverpu s wa t i , into the hands of Commissioners, who spent £8000 on improving it to plans by Robert Stevenson. This work entailed the removal of a mass of rocks at the harbour's entrance, perhaps the origin of the 'stane' in the name 'Stanehyve', and the building of a pier some 500 ft long which ran up, pier,d ol e leavinth f o entrance-ga n d gtoward, a froS en e S m th e sth p between them. This arrange- ment still proved unsatisfactory through lack of an outer breakwater to cover the entrance, but e defecpie S s overcomth e r wa tth landward f d o returniny an eb d , r abouft en fo s0 e gth 10 t building out a jetty some 200 ft long towards it with an opening between them wide enough to 340 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 admit a ship. In this way there was formed a protected inner basin in the S part of the pocket, both basin sgently-curvina beiny b gW flankee th n gdo 'Shore ' t longsomf 0 ,r e 90 whic o y hma ma t havyno e been forme same pars th d a ef o tprogramme . Both harboue partth f so r were tidal, excepentrancee th 184n i t aregivee s a acrest5 d 7th a s wa an n ,a , wit hpier-headepta e th t ha d t springa t f 5 1 s f (Harbours,o xxxi). accoune Th f 184o t 2 record usuae sth l rang importf eo exportsd san chiee th , f e itemth f so former being coal and lime, and of the latter grain, potatoes, fish and whisky. Steamships were betweenn ru calling e th n Leit o ,Aberdeen d han .

Section V From Forvie to River the Dee Ness e wholTh f thieo s sectiocoaste th f no , som mile4 1 e lengthn i s , consist f sando s y links broke nmouthe Rivere th onl th y firse Ythanyf d b o ssth an t Dee n lien pore O . sf th Do o ,t Aberdeen majo,a r subjec itselfn i t secone ;th d seem havo st historo en harboua s ya landinga r ro - place except occasionn o , r smugglersfo , thire th greatl s di d an ; y bedeville shallowy db d an s unstable sandbanks.

ABERDEEN NO J 9405RN , 9505, 9605, 9406, 9506 harboue Th Aberdeef ro grows nha ovep ncenturiee u rth estuare Rivee th th n si f ryo Dee, originall aren y a f sandbank ao waterlogged san d marshes, roughly triangulat shapse n i r d ean on an E-W axis; including marshland at the inflow of a small tributary, the Den Burn, it may have measured about f miles from N to S at its inner or W end by 1J miles in length from W appeare De e cornerhavo st W northerlTh a S e. n e E entereo , th o t t a y t di course thed an o ,nt have turned eastwards to traverse it by a system of channels, which left between them islets, mainly tidal, locally known as 'inches'. The northernmost of these channels evidently followed a course more or less corresponding with today's Upper and Victoria Docks, and was here reinforced by the Den Burn, which had joined it on its curve from the northerly to the easterly course. It was on this channel that the town's harbour lay, the others cutting through the Inches varioun o s courses which see mhavo t e been liabl chango et e from perio periodo dt ; their dis- position, for example, as shown respectively on the maps of the Rev J Gordon (1661) and G Taylor (draw 1773n ni ) being markedly different .Inchee pooa Easth f f y opeo o ltsla n water, which narrowed towards the apex of the triangle where the river debouched into the sea. harboua sita r s efo A r this tidal area suffered fro mnumbea drawbacksf ro mose ,th t serious r obstructinba f whica o s entrancehe wa gth . Coastal current northerld san y winds kept sann di constant movement from the vast reservoir formed by the links and dunes stretching northwards beyono t mout e Ythae dth th f hno (cf.Newburgh);and this sand, whe movemens nit checkes twa d by the projection of Girdle Ness, tended to settle down and form a bar outside the mouth of the Dee. Under certain condition r mighf tide o deptse ba th , e f watet hth o decreas w n fe o r a o et feet only; the bar itself was unstable, and its presence could also make the turn from the open sea into the river-mouth a dangerous manoeuvre for ships. In addition, the tidal area lacked protection from easterly channee stormsth d an l, leadin towe shallos th nwa o g t d wan obstructed. Measures of improvement appear, on the available evidence, to have fallen into three principal phases. Records of the first of these begin with a charter of 1281 (Robertson 1839, 275) which mention bulwarsa k running southwards fro fooe mf Shiprow,th o t thud an 2s placee sth early medieval harbour much in the position of the nucleus of the later port. Nothing further is said as to the size or character of this work, but the N-S alignment that seems to be implied GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 341 fo t recalli r 'Ole sth d Pier' marke Taylor'n do s pla 177f no 3 - connecteshows a t nno d wite hth town's quay but as projecting towards it from Trinity Inch opposite, with a narrow gap between its head and the quay at a short distance W of the Weigh-house. Nothing more seems to be on record until 1399, whe 'kee f Aberdennth yo mentiones i ' contracta n di 'keye th ;describe s i ' d as a 'platea communis' in 1413, in 1453 it was repaired, and in 1484 either repaired or rebuilt (RMS, 1, 415a; Robertson 1839, 275). In 1844, remains of an ancient quay-wall, then believed oldee b o rt than 1400 somewherp ,u wer g edu e nea Weigh-house th r e (Milne 1911, 389). Other late-medieval improvements wer erectioe eth beaconf no harboue th t sa r entrance clearance th , e of obstructions fro channele mth , further repair quae th installatio 151e y n i o 1526s d t th 2d an ,an n ocrana f 158n ei 2 (Robertson 1839, 276) wore hewf o f Th .152e k o n us stone6e calleth r a , dfo fact which suggests that the earlier quay or bulwark may have been of rough drystone masonry and timbering. A second phase, in which improvement moved at a brisker tempo, seems to have begun at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. Thus in 1596 the burgh was authorised to apply for imposition a buildine th r repairind nfo gan bulwarks it f go , pier, shor harboud ean r (Records,, 1 486) thid an s, language must imply worconsiderabla n ko e scale 160n I . 9a seriou s attempt was mad deao et l wit bare hth meany , b bulwarka f so 'Soute th , e shorS h th e f Pier'eo th n o , entrance, so sited as to deflect the river's current northwards, directly on to the bar, with the idea tha t shouli t d wash awa sandbanke yth . This bulwar f drystono s kwa e construction with timber stakes, and took 3 years to build (Robertson 1839, 278). The bar, however, continued to give trouble entrance-channee th s a , unabls wa l carro et floodsf yof , wit resule hth t that water tende overflod baco an dt p quayke u w th s (Clark 1921, 47) 1610n .I , David Anderson removed the great boulder known as Craig Maitland from the channel by floating it with empty barrels (Robertson 1839, 279). Conditions existing in the middle of the 17th century are illustrated by a document of the time (Geogr Coll, 2,246). This distinguishes betwee 'portus',e nth whic placet hi thousansa d paces from the town, and the 'cothon', by which it evidently means the quay discussed above; and it records a plan to extend the latter downstream so as to join it up with the former. At this time, high tides covered everything as far upstream as the quay, thereby giving small craft access to quae th y whil largee eth r vessels discharged their cargoes 'in portu'. Wor thin ko s schems ewa begu Covenandelayes e onlwars e 1623n th ni wa th f wa yt so y completed b ,bu an t 165n di 9 (Robertson 1839, 280) generall.A y similar pictur s presenteei Gordon'y db s account (1661) s accompanyinit d an g plan. Gordon place quaye sth , wit hweigh-housa e buil 1634n e i t th t ,a quay's head, somewhere just E of Shiprow, and carries it thence to Futty, which occupied an area behind what is now Waterloo Quay. He gives the distance as 500 paces, which agrees pretty well with his plan. The extension of the quay cut off, and permitted the reclamation for agriculture of a large area of what had previously been tidal ground. The Latin text reads 'e macerie arena congesta magno labore demum anno 1659 peractus agger', but this does not seem to justify the rather improbable statement that the work was faced on both sides with drystone masonry and cora sandf d eo ha . Futt describes yi stretchins da g alon shore g th r som s pacese0 a fo ed 40 an , being inhabited mainl fishermeny yb sailorsd an ; t anchoshipa y sla doubo rn of, it ft primarily those of too great a draught to reach the town's quay. It also possessed a dock for building and repairing ships. Beyond Futty lay the fishing-boat harbour of Pockra, where, as at Futty, the plan shows ships lying at anchor. A third phase in the harbour's development may be thought of as having opened in 1770, with Smeaton's report on really far-reaching improvements. The outline here given of the ensuing course of events has been put together from the sources already quoted without individual 342 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 references avoio t , d suc hplethora thesf ao wouls ea d have obscure narrativee tenoe th dth f o r . The state of affairs that existed when Smeaton arrived is illustrated by the plan prepared by Taylo 1773n i r , which differs from Gordon's pla importann ni t respects r exampleFo . , Taylor shows the main channel of the Dee as separated from the harbour by a block of tidal 'inch', with the harbour sited on a subsidiary channel lying north of the 'inch' and representing the tidal portion of the mouth of the Den Burn. From the main stream, slightly higher up, there branches another subsidiary channel which join harbouse thath downstreae f th o t t a rf o d men the extended pier described and planned by Gordon (supra), while the main stream itself runs out into the open water off Pockra and Torry. In so doing it passes N of the Point Law 'inch', t alsbu o throw branca f of s h which passe f Poino sS t Law, forming Torry village e Pooth t a l . Torry possesses a pier, and from Torry a long bulwark, presumably the South Pier of 1609, runs eastwards along the S side of the entrance-channel. One of Slezer's drawings (1693, 19) shows this work as being of timber and masonry. A 'new pier' has also appeared at Pockra. factuae Th l reliabilit f sucyo h plans, however, shoul t perhapdno takee sb n entirel r grantedyfo , Paterson, anothers W a d an f 1746G o , showy b , somewhasa t different arrangemen channelf o t s 'inchesd an ' from thos eithef eo r Gordo Taylorr no ; though agai discrepance e nth du e b y yma sandbankse th o t ' instability fro perioe mon anothero dt . waterw accordinglyd lo t nearlan s ,a y wa yr dr n ba 1773deepeo I t ,e th ,approache nth , Smeaton proposed building of the great North Pier. This work was of rubble masonry faced with ashlar, some of the blocks weighing over 3 tons and masses of up to 40 tons being used to protec foundationse th t carriepies e rwa Th t .seaward dou s from e Sandnesssidth N f e o th n o , entrance-channel, at right angles to the line of the shore, for a distance of 500 yds; its breadth parapes it wa d s an nearl t, stooft t abov f 0 5 y3 d1 e high-water level s objectIt . s wer preveno et t influe th sanf xo d from outsid entrancee eth direco t river'e d th tan , s deposit int pate a oth f ho tidal current which would carry it round Girdle Ness. It was under construction from 1775 to f 177'design'a o s p 3a founs ma 178n showI s .e wa i 1781 dt th 9i d necessarn nan o , narroo yt w entrance-channele th , Smeaton's pier havinthio d t sen d gan , beeN ne th site o t d r rathefa o to r 'Abercromby's jetty buils wa 'endt neaW .s rit Improvements inside the harbour were recommended in later years by several leading engineers, the names of Rennie, Telford, Walker, Gibb and Stevenson all appearing in the record, wels a thaAberneths J la f appointes to wa o ywh d resident enginee 1840n ri . Renni consultes ewa d in 1797, and although his recommendations were not carried out it is important to remember that they include formatioe dockt dth we .a Telforf no d mad reporea Bila 1802n ti d l basean , d on it was passed in 1810 which authorised an extension of Smeaton's North Pier, the construction of a wet dock and spillway, and the diversion of the river's current. By 1829 all these works had been carrie t apardou t dock t we frowhicf o ,e mth h onl quay-walle yth beed sha n completed; the length of the North Pier, no doubt in its extended form, is given as 2000 ft at this date. Other major works of this period were the South Breakwater (1812-15), stretching 800 ft from the S shore at a point outside the entrance and reaching to within 250 ft of the end of the North Pier; and wharfage along the whole length of Waterloo and Regent Quays. attempo T describo t t detain ei whole th l e proces harbour'e th f o s s developmene th n i t firs 19te t halth hf centurfo rewardinya woule b t dno g exercise, dangee partlth r obscurinf yfo ro g wooe th d through over-attentio tree e partld th san o n t y because procese th s itself continued long afte terminae th r l dat f thieo s study. Reference, however usefully ma , made generaa yb o et l accoun f wha dono s t wa te between 184 184d 0an gives 6a evidencn ni Tidae th o let Harbours Commission by J Abernethy, the resident engineer; this shows that, in the course of these years, the harbour as a whole had been widened and deepened, some sand-banks at the entrance had GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND 343 been dredged away, part of Abercromby's jetty, found to be unserviceable, had been removed, and likewise old warping-posts and cairns of stones which had caused obstruction in the fairway. At the same time, 330 yds of new wharfage had been built and effective leading-lights set up at the harbour-entrance. The depth of water at the entrance was now 19 ft at high springs, and the width between the pier-heads 380 ft; that between Pockra jetty and the point of the 'inch' opposite to it was 350 ft. Navigation at this point was difficult, especially for long steamers, as it was necessary to make a turn of almost 90 degrees. O nbroaa d vie f thiwo s harbour'e phasth f eo s enclosure historyth docke s i th t i f , seo that stands out as of prime importance. In effect, the old channel on to which the town's quays fronted ha turnes dwa acres d4 t doc 3 int f we capabld ko ,a an wit t f accomf hdepta e6 o 1 f ho - modating up to 300 vessels. In 1847 its entrance-lock was still under construction; its gates were mainly of iron. An Admiralty plan of 1833, evidently marking features which were then still unfinished, show largsa e dock wit hsmallea r upper dock endabuttinW e s , it whil De n e go eth followe coursda e slightl correspondinand yS furthethe to rg mor leseor s with today's Albert Basin. Further diversion of the river towards the S was authorised only by the Bill of 1868; but coursw ne markeds s ei it project,a Ordnance s th a , n o e Survey's areae firsth tf ,o 6-inc p hma surveyed in 1862. It is interesting to find that the engineers and others responsible for the harbour's improvement devoted much attentio possible th o nt e actiodocke rive e e effecth th th f f rn nso o o t bare questione th .Th t whethea s wa diversioe th r river' e th f nso embankmencoursee th d an , f to som acre0 e8 f tidaso l ground, woul diminiso ds amoune hth f backwateo t r availabl fale th l t ea affec o tidt same river'e e os th feth a th t e - sproblemr abilitba s e scou o th yfact t wa n t i , s a ou r, noted above as having arisen at Montrose. The Tidal Harbours Commissioners recognised that, to compensate for the enclosure of the docks, the river's channel should be deepened above the bridge to increase its capacity as a reservoir. The Blockhouse. handtowe e defence e harbouth e th th Th nf th n i sf o f itself o s eo t rwa no , central government, just as had been the case at Dunbar in 1781 (Graham 1967, 188). According Gordon'o t s account (Geogr Coll, 2,482), fora t divided into rooms, presumably casematess ,wa established on Sandness in 1513 but only completed in 1542; its purpose was to repel attacks t leasa r keeo t o a p se froobservatio e mth piratesn no ' attempts furnishes wa t I . d with brasr so bronze guns. Whe emergencn na y cours arose 1540sstile s th th ln wa ef i unfinishee t o i , d ha d dan to be covered with turf and given a 'half-roof (Robertson 1839, 43); the entrance-channel was also blocked with a boom of timbers and iron chains, which could be opened or closed as required. These arrangements, however use,f subsequentl d weno t ,an tou blockhouse yth onls eywa manned whe townsmee nth n were alarme inroady db f enemieso r pirateso s (Geogr Coll, , 482)2 . The structure depicted by Slezer more than a century later (1693, 19) seems to have been oblon plan go n wit hroundea whicd d en channel e hth facef drawininnee o e d th .Th ren g shows wide gun-loops at two levels, representing presumably ground-floor rooms and a high roof- parapet with loops instea f embrasuresdo smalA . l cap-house suggest internan a s l stair giving mannee accesrooe th Martella th n i f o o rst o tower dimensionse Th . e th f , o whethe t no r o r same building thicknese ,t (Robertsoth havf wale 6 d th es an a lf bee , 1sy o 8 ft b t nf n give6 3 s na 1839, 43) n 178.I blockhouse 1 th iro w nne demolishes twelve-poundern te ewa s it d dan s were moved to a rather more elevated position; but this battery proved useless when, in the same year, Captain Fall, the American privateer who had attempted a raid on Dunbar, successfully vesselo tw t s ou fro t mcu unde guns rit s (Stat Acct, , app19 . 11). A further defensive measure was the provision of a watch-tower on the opposite side e entranceoth f , wit rune warnina b h bela approace s ga o th t l f go f shipho s (Geogr Coll,, 2 482). 34 | 4PROCEEDING S OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 NEWBURG00425K N R 5 NG H Newburgh's utilit harboura s ya , notwithstandin apparentls git y favourable situation inside estuare Ythane th th beef s yo ,ha n prejudice unstably db e littoral sand shallod san obstructed wan d water. Such as it was, it seems to have been kept open largely by the backwater of the falling tides river'e curren,th n sow havint tno g been strong enoug sane flusth ho dt t (Harbours,hou 271). As a document of the 17th century puts it, arenosa littora portui nocent, qui non nisi minoribus navibus aditur' (Geogr Coll, , 235)2 . Collins likewise call 'placa t si e onl smalr yfo l vessels' (1776, 24)describes 179n I .wa t 3i d (Statfishing-villaga s a ) Acct,63 , 6 decayn ei formers it , totaf o l seven boats having shrun singla o kt e oneuses thid an swa ,d pilotinmainle th r f ycraffo go t bound upstrea f Watertonm(c , infra). Newburgh's situatio s 'exceedinglnwa y convenientr fo ' commerce th surroundine th f eo g parishes larga d e an ,numbe f shipo r s use t riveri e t dth bu , possessed no harbour though one was badly needed. Smuggling was rife, and the six or seven ale-houses were chiefly frequente sailorsy db , smuggler fishermend san 1840n I . , ships were being loade unloadedd dan , thoug numbere hth s involve t indicatedno e dar ; mentio e mads ni th f eo boulder fragmentd san f roco s k that encumbere fairwaye dth . Eight vessels were then ownen di villagee th smugglind an , beed gha n checked (New Stat Acct, , 69812 , 700) l thiAl .s evidencf eo maritime activity relates, of course, to comparatively recent times, but that Newburgh possessed some importanc earliee r bac th t lease fa a s ks a r a t 17th centur proves facye i th t y thas db i t i t marke Bleau'n do s map. Indeed existence th , burial-grouna f eo chapel-sitd dan e formerly owned abbee byth Olf yo d Deer (Geogr Coll, 1,98) recall hospitale sth chapelr so s founde t manda y ferry- terminals and exits from mountain passes, and suggests that the landing-place of a ferry across here pre-Reformatious n e i Ytha e n i th s nwa n times. The harbour is now represented by the remains of a quay set on a tidal islet, with causeway connexio mainlande th o nt shora , t distance abov Foverae infloe th eth f wo n Burn. Thers ei nothin suggeso gt t tha structuree th t s antedat 19te eth h century wormuce d th an ,quits f ki ho e recent. Neacauseway e landware th th rf o d d,en however, there stand warehoussa e about f 5 9 t portiolongW e whichf rateth y ,no an , t migha , latee th trf o wel18t e b lhd centuryen E e Th . addition n centrae a seemth e b d o lst an , doorwa bees yha n narrowed fro mlargea r opening. ruinouss i d outsid n slatef roo e en o A ther d s Th .fi remaine W an , ear e stailoadingth a t f rsa o - pulley. (Visited 1973.)

WATERTOJ 97130N R 8 NG N This site, in itself insignificant, is interesting on account of its connexion with a stretch of inland waterway such as occurs only rarely in Scotland and nowhere else in the area now under study geologicae .Th l structur countre th wholf a e o s ya e naturally rule inlant sou d naviga- tion exceplowee th n ri t reache Taye th Solwae ,f so th Fort n Clydd i yh d an Firth ean ; buts a , bees ha n mentioned abovnote Newburghth n eo n ei Ythae th , n gave convenient acces watey sb r to the riverside parishes for a distance of about 6 miles from Newburgh bar. Of the communities so served the most important was certainly Ellon, traditionally the seat of the ancient Mormaer of Buchan towe Th .itsels ni f just abov heae eth navigationf do , being reached only occasionally highese byth t tides Watertod an , n could well have 'port's acteit arrangemens n da A . f thio t s kind would accounmarkine th r fo f tWaterto go Bleau'n no s map, whic s otherwishi e rather surprising. Bleau no doubt reflects the conditions of the earlier 17th century, and Roy (1747-55) likewise marks 'Waterside' in a corresponding position. In 1792 it was recorded that boats could come t higa , h tide 'vero t , y near t ordinarEllona d an , y tides within hal milfa itf eo ' (Stat Acct, 3, 99); and in 1845 coal, lime, etc, was delivered in flat-bottomed lighters to 'the meadow of GRAHAM HARBOURD OL : LANDING-PLACED SAN THN SO E EAST COAS SCOTLANF T5 O 34 | D Waterton, about a quarter of a mile below Ellon' (New Stat Acct, 12, 901). The site at Waterton to which this note relates was remembered personally by an old inhabitant, recently deceased, terminae th s a boatr lfo s fro seae mth . Toda t yshowi s remain recena f t neglecteso tbu d landing- place, with industrial buildings and stores, some of which were still in use in 1973; one of the latter, which was ruinous, must originally have measured some 200 ft in length, and bore a significant resemblanc quayside th o et e warehous t Newburgea h (q.v.). (Visited 1973.)

Section VI From Forvie Ness to the Urie Water

COLLIESTO04028K N R 5 NC N This place is marked by Bleau, and Groome states (1901, s.v.), without quoting an authority, that in the early 19th century it was famous for smuggling. A document of 1803 supports this reputation, recording fights between preventive officers and the armed crews of luggers here and in neighbouring creeks (Clark 1921, 136). Otherwis place eth e seemmentionee b o t s d onln yi 1840 (New Stat Acct, 12, 590, 595), when it was described as one of the two fishing-villages in Slains parish, the other being Old Castle. Some old cottages, all modernised, no doubt belong to this phase of its history. The existing harbour-works date only from 1894, and consequently fall outsid scope eth f thieo s study t thebu ;y embod yfeatura f somo e e interes connexion i t n with harbour-construction in general, in the shape of a tunnel piercing the foundations of the break- water-pie rwalkways it nea presene f o th r d ,en t evidently designed, like those recommendet da Dundee by Smeaton in 1770 (supra), for the flushing-out of silt. What are probably the remains of another appea poina t a r t further out, wher walkwae eth ruinouss yi . (Visited 1973.)

13442K N BODDA R 6 NG M In 1795, Boddam and the Ramheads of Peterhead (q.v.) were described simply as the two fishing-town parise th f ho s (Stat Acct, apparentle , 551)th 6 t bu ; y factual description givey nb the New Stat Acct (12, 378) in 1840, as a revision of an earlier version drafted in 1837, is at variance with the official plan dated 1834 that was published in 1847 (Harbours, 346). The former records a fishing-village owning 23 boats and set, as it were back to back, respectively on the N sidenarroS a f d so an w beach-isthmus joinin rocke gth y mas Buchaf so n mainland e Nesth o st , as Bridge Street does today. The latter, however, shows a 'boat haven' on the N side of the isthmus, enclosed on the N by a pier with a returned end, and nothing on the S side; while it add basisa n entitled 'harbou existine buildingw th site no f r eth o gn o harbou' r (134427), some , abouN e 60awas tth 0 whicyd o yt h nothin note saith s f 1840 eo n d gi wa . Obscurit increases yi d relative byth e passag repore th f 1847n ei o t , which mention smalo stw l harbours, remarking tha t mighti worte tb h whil neares'enlarge o et th s completed tewa an shippingt onei N s e a , th ' - pine pointh kr granit tfo Sterlin e th f eo g Hill quarries (Harbours, xxxiii) discrepanciee Th . s have no doubt arisen through editorial oversight. The modern OS map shows nothing on either side of the isthmus apart from the warning word 'boulders'.

PETERHEAD NGR NK 1345,1346 oldee Th towre par th Peterheaf nf o o t d stands nose shortpartla th f eo n y,o broad pro- montory and partly on the island of Keith Inch, which has been joined to the mainland by a causeway since about 1735 (Arbuthnot 1815, lOn). Greenhill, now likewise linked up, constitutes in fact the easternmost point of Scotland; and it may be remarked in passing that Roy's map of 346 I PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 1747-55 attache name sth e Buchan Nes thio st s projection notd dons i an ,s ,ea todaye th o t , headlan t Boddada m. CoastaS abou e mileNortd o th an shippinga tw lto t shSe , particularly fishing-craft, must no doubt have frequented the sheltered channel behind Keith Inch at all period history f ideVikine sa o f th a o t gbu , landing-place 'amon Almanythie gth e rocks' (137466), which has been ventilated (Findlay 1933, 14), is insufficiently substantial to be considered here. factuaA l accoun Peterheadf to , however, dateabl internan eo l evidenc 1670e attributeth d o est an d to the then Countess of Erroll (Geogr Coll, 3, 229), describes the harbour of her day as 'most commodious', and states that it 'imbosoms itself in the said Keyth Inch, and makes a Defence Inc e fronumeroud th ease han my th b t s Rocks round about'. earliese Th t positive mentio f Peterheano d harbou containes i r grana n di t e madth o et Earl Marischal in 1587, which includes 'lie Fischertoun de Peterheid cum portis, anchoragiis et piscariis ejusdem' (RMS, , 1309)5 muc o plurae To . hth f shoulreae o l b e 'portis'dt us intd no e oth rather tha singulae nth r 'portu',simple b thiy s a ylawyer'a s ma s indicatioexpression a t no d nnan that more than one harbour existed; while conversely a document of 1738 (Arbuthnot 1815, app. 81), at which date two harbours were certainly in use (infra), employs the singular form. This gran f 158o t 7 likewise covere erectioe dth Peterheaf no burga s d a baronyf ho 159n i d 3an , it was followed by a contract between the Earl and the feuars of the burgh (Arbuthnot 1815, appwhic) 73 . h boun formee dth 'builo t r erecd dan bulwar a t moute havene th y n kf i h o , called Port latteHenry'e th 'givo t rd ean , personal servic concurrencd ean erectine saith e th o de t f go bulwark, with aiken timber' similarld an ,maintenance s it o yt . Thi somd san e later referenceo t s oaken timber interestine sar methoe gth hintso t f constructio do s a n employed. More facts emerge from Lady ErrolFs description, just quoted respecn i , f whao s t wa t know Pors na t Henry goee Sh .s on: 'The harbou , calleit n ri d Port Henry, hat nams hit e froe mon Henry Middleto Clerkhiln ni l saiwhoe . Georgdth E n ,timei s ehi - i.e'Ear e 159.f th lo 3 - 'wa s instrumental unde saie th rd Ear havo t l e this erected fro open ma n shor secura o et e Harbour. ..Sout the hat.it thahh on calle sidis bay t Soutea dthe h Road, which will contain several hundred f shipso s most securel t Anchoya r except whe wine nth d bloweth fro east'e me th Th . South Roa presumabls dwa large yth e natural anchorag Peterheaf eo d Bayfurthea d ,an r note, tha t containei t d 'a North harbour, very secure', called Saltcoat Hive, point somo st e harbour- works at the S. end of the Keith Inch channel. Port Henr furtheys i r discusse charg d ArbuthnotPeterheae y dha b th d f eo ha o d harbour,wh s e 1790sinth . Writin earle th yn g i 19th century recorde h , s (1815 tha) 13 ,t there were theo ntw harbours North and South, formerly known respectively as Port Henry and Sackit-hive. The basin of the former contained about three-quarters of an acre, with a depth of 11 ft at high springs; its entrance-channel was very narrow, but it admitted craft of up to 100 tons. It was mouna y parapeb d E dan S d t piean a recentl largf y E ro b e defendeeth N stonesye n o th d n do ,an formed with rubbish excavated fro Soute mth h Harbour (infra). Thoug 'Norte hth h Quays wa ' built of very rough material and without cement, it had, according to Arbuthnot, withstood storms undamaged for more than 200 years; but this statement seems to conflict with an earlier record of its having been almost ruined at some date which must have been very early in its life (Geogr Coll, 2,237; Findlay 1933, 52). The New Stat Acct likewise notes, in 1840 (12, 372), that it was very roughly built with masses of undressed granite, that it had never had to be repaired, and that the original oak timbers used as mooring-posts were still 'in a serviceable state'. finaA l recor f Pordo t Henry destroyew no ,expansioe th modere n di th f no n harbours i , preserve Ordnance th y db e Surve 6-incs it n yo h e 186map th d 196 f 8so an 8 editions lattee Th . r marks the trace of the harbours' vanished N quadrant as lying just below the converging ends of Brook Lane and Ellis Street; while the former, surveyed before the building of the modern GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 347 Port Henry Pier, shows it as a semi-oval enclosure among rocks, in a corresponding position outsidd an harbour e thee limieth W th nf N to . With this showin gplaa f 183no 4 (Harbours, 346) generan i s i l agreement, except tha t marki t basie s th sub-rectangulas na enclosed ran piery db s or wharfage. There can be little doubt that the 'bulwark' of the Earl's contract survived, whether repairebreakwater-pierE N e notr dth o n i , . Port Henry has called for this longish digression as having been a major feature of the Earl's programm improvementf eo alsd throwins o,an a g som econstructionae lighth n to l methods of the day. But with the opening of the 18th century the principal interest shifts to the Keith Inc hwatee channelth o rt immediateld an , . S yd adjoininan N o t t gi The course of events in this area has been well described by Arbuthnot (1815, 14; app. 78), adequatn a d an eharbour'e ideth f ao s growtobtainee b n hca followiny db leads ghi . Thut si appears that, until about 1735 Keite ,th h Inch channe onlopens s thad ywa wa l t an ,thei t n that blockeds wa t i givo ,t e land accesislande th 'o asy t ,b moun d compose severaf do l thousand tons of rough material and rubbish', derived presumably from the deepening of a basin which already existed here in 1700 (Findlay 1933,54). Roy's map of 1747-55 shows such a basin, with what seem to be a pair of piers at the entrance, and also indicates that the block constituted a fairly wide t simplno s ygrouncausewaya y wa stri dr d f po dan basiA . n must certainly have existe thin di s position for many years, as Collins, in 1682 (ed. 1776, 24), noted two little piers, only suitable for small vessels, and Defoe 'two little piers for fishing' (1769, 4, 188). In both cases the second membe paie pierf th o rf o rs must presumably have been Port Henry procesA . enlargementf so , deepenin repairsd gan , describe detain di Arbuthnoty b l , wen durinn o t 18te gth h centuryd an ; 1795n i conditio e s harbour S recordeth s i ,wa e Statt e th i th f s no a ,n d i Acct (16, 598). There were the'excellento ntw ' piers, whichW ,d respectivel, an witS he Keitth , n E yo h e Incth n ho forme basida t f 0 nwidet 4 f capabld 2 4 ,an long t o f t holdin f 0 ep o ,u 46 pies shipsS 0 g6 e r wa .Th high at its head; the W pier was 633 ft long and 26 ft high, and both were well built of large granite blocks. This last statement should be read in conjunction with one by Arbuthnot (1815, effece 16)th o tt , that onl yeary2 s earlier (1793) qua S bee d e yha th ,n damage storma y 0 db 30 , ton 'pavemenf so cribsd an t ' having been thrown down int harboure oth stonee Th . se useth n di t beeno nd foundebuildinha d quae beesolid n en th dsmallo o yf ha gn e do W to th rocks it ,d an , 'hearting and packing' had also been 'very indifferent'. A point of some social interest arises from the note in the Old Statistical Account, namely that the whole fishing community was concen- Ronheadtratee th n di towe convenientld parsth E nquarterf an N o t e th n i , y clos Poro et t Henry - which was, in fact, still used by fishermen well into the 19th century (New Stat Acct, 12, 372). 'Fishers town likewiss i ' e marke Ronheade th n di plae s th f are183n o n ao 4 mentioned above, and similar segregation of fishermen at other sites will be considered later. Wit developmente hth latee th rf so 18t earlied han r 19th centurie associatee sar d somf eo the great pioneers of contemporary civil engineering. In 1771 the S harbour was in disrepair, and a new plan was obtained for it from J Smeaton on which work started in 1773. Notwith-

standin resultine gth g improvements 180y b ,basie demande stils 7smalo th th nto lwa r fo l f so 3 e shippingth f Parliamen o J Renni; t consulteds Ac s obtaineewa n a wa t d r enlarginan ,dfo g Soute th h Harbou r buildingfo d an raddition n i , completela , Nortw yne h HarbourS e th n I . Harbour, accordingly, the bottom was further deepened, the W pier was lengthened, and a quay 300 ft long was built on the E side, the capacity of the basin being thus increased to some harbouN w vesselsbegus same 0 ne th 12 wa r10 e t ena o 0 t timeTh . , wit hprotectiva e bulwark of debris excavated from the S harbour; but in 1815 increased accommodation was again found necessary workd an , s planned b TelforyT d were carrie t betweedou n 181 1822d 8an . They were finished by the Stevenson firm in 1827. An additional protective pier was due for completion 34 | 8PROCEEDING S OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 abou exposete 184th harboue n 0 o th sided N thes d ,an nr wa expected readte ob accommodato yt e steamers. A passage through the block in the Keith Inch channel was opened in 1849 or 1850 (Findlay 1933, 221 r communicatiofo ) harboursS d n an betwee N ; e thibeed nth ha sn under discussio raty an e t sincStatisticane a daye th eth f o s l Account plae th f 183n o d 4an , already marks 'proposed opening'. financine Th l thesal f ego works calle varieta r dfo expedientsf yo , beginning wit Eare hth l Marischal's impos f 1593to . Grant assistancd san sore anotherwerr on o t f eo e received from time timo t e fro Prive mth y Council Conventioe th , f Royano l Burghs superiore th , s (after 172e 8th Merchant Maiden Hospital) Commissionere th , Forfeiter sfo d Estates privatd an , e sourcest bu , details are not relevant here. A review of the port's trade, and of the fortunes of its fishery, would outrun the scope of this paper, but it must be realised that fishing was of basic importance to the whole economy of the town. Findlay discusses these matters at considerable length (1933). Section VII From the Urie Water to Kinnaird's Head This section, some 16^ mile lengthn si agais i , n mose sandth r t ypartfo , with long bays interrupte rocky db y points. LOCH OF STRATHBEG NCR NK 0659, 0758 Bleau's map, which enjoys the authority of Gordon of Straloch, shows a sizeable estuary at Rattray, near the SE end of the existing loch, and not at the N end, where a small stream now discharges. One of the Macfarlane papers (Geogr Coll, 2, 236), evidently of later date than 1720, states that the small bay or inlet (sinus) of Strathbeg was formerly dignified by a port (portu nobilis) but in the writer's time was almost blocked by sand, the remains of the village (oppidum) of Rattray, which had shared the fate of the port, still being visible. With this showing Roy's map of 1747-55 is in general agreement, as it marks a sand-dune flanking the seaward side and a tidal opening at the SE corner. The mention of a settlement or castleton at Rattray confirms the location in this quarter of the original outlet to the sea; but notwithstanding the expression 'portu nobilis' place hardln th eca y have been more tha nfishing-villagea , perhaps analogouLoce th f Spyniho n o e es on wit(infra). mattee e hth Th clarifies ri State th y Acctdb (11, 418n), which records that, about 1720 gala , e ble wsandhila l int loch'e oth t s outlecu d an t its communication with the sea. Another contemporary account of the same occurrence (Stat Acct, 6, 2) is interesting as showing that the value of marram grass for stabilising wind-blown sand was already understood, and its preservation for that purpose recommended. ST COMBS NGR NK 057631 Two unnamed fishing-villages are mentioned in Lonmay parish in 1795 (Stat Acct, 16, 633) f whico , t CombhS probabls si y one. Forty-five years later onlvillage yon mentiones ei d (New Stat Acct, , 229)12 , supportin herring-boat3 g1 furthea d smalle3 san 1 r r craft poinA . f to interes tha s i earliete th t r writer foun t wortdi h whil remaro et recentln ko y built houses which possessed tiled roof werd an se regularl t alon whicy se gstreeta wa ha suggestn i , contrassa t with more primitive arrangement othen si r village kinde th 184n f I .so plac e describes 7th ewa d (Harbours, xxxiv) as giving shelter to 46 fishing-boats, but as possessing no pier or harbour accommodation. FRASERBURG 006K N 6 R NG H The origins of Fraserburgh harbour are closely associated with the name of Alexander Frase Philorthf ro , chronologwhoe th f i , variour ou f yo s source trustworthys si , appear havo st e GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 349 looked afte town'e th r s affairs throughou remarkablya t , thougfacn i t impossiblyhno , long career. Thus we are led to conclude that he founded the place as a burgh of barony about 1563, year0 5 y s erectesa befors thao burgt wa a t s s ei i td a regalityf ho , again throug influences hhi , in 1613 (Geogr Coll, 2, 236; Stat Acct, 6,10). An alternative account (Groome 1901, s.v.) gives foundatioe th 156 r burge fo 9th f baronyimportantf e discrepance ho no b th t t no bu , y .yma Established, however, is the record (Acts, 3, 170) that between the dates of the burgh of barony s confirmatioit gran d an t burge nth 'reformid hha rebiggid an t sufficiene an t t heavyne', used by both nativ foreigd ean n vessels. Groome dates this wor o 1576kt attributed r an Si , o t t si Alexander Fraser. More details about Eraser's operations are given in the Macfarlane document just mentioned worte ar d h quotinan , detailn gi . 'Molem autem lapideam', t saysi , 'magnis sump- tibus oceano objecit, primum loco iniquiore, dein translatis alia operibus portum munivit, unde hodie locus frequentior' three stona t (H w eou bulwark agains seae t greatth a , t expense t firsa , t positiond ba in a t then bu , , movin works ghi s elsewhere buile h , porta tresula s a f ,whic o t h the place is today used by more ships). It is perhaps allowable to expect that, given a certain amount of chronological confusion, these operations of Eraser's may in fact be the same as those mentioned in the Act of 1579, but no certain conclusion can be drawn. By the same charter as erected the town as a burgh of regality (1613), the burgesses were made responsible for the harbour's upkeep; but in this they seem to have been less than successful, as in 1728 a report was made to the Convention of Royal Burghs that the harbour was going to ruin (Records, 5, wely 481).lma hav t I e bee meeo nt t this danger that Lord Saltoun recordes i s ,a d by Defoe's continuator (ed. 1769, 4, 227), built in 1738 'an excellent new pier and bulwark, all of freestone', thereby making the harbour 'as safe and commodious as any on the East Coast'. No doubt it was this phase of the harbour's development that was recorded on Roy's map of 1747-55, which shows a N and a S pier enclosing a sub-oval basin; but these works, as well as Eraser's moles lapidea, see mhavo t e been overlooke Parliamentare th y db y Repor f 1847o t s a , this states that a stone pier was built in the bay 'as early as 1745' (Harbours, xxxiii), with the implication that no stone construction had existed before that date. However this may be, in 1793 the harbour was described as small but good, with a depth of 11 ft inside and 20 ft outside t higa h springs good an , d anchorin (Staty g ba groun e Acct,th n , d10)i 6 . Seven vessels were owned in the town at the time, engaged in coasting and foreign trade, and shipbulding was also writee carrieTh . r dsuggeston s tha harboue tth r shoul enlargede db breakwatera d ,an , presumably additional to Lord Saltoun's of 1738, should be built to control a current. e developmentTh e 19tth h f o scenture reconstructe b n yca Statisticalw d Ne fro e mth Account and the Parliamentary Report of 1847. Thus at the beginning of the century the harbour was still smal insecured an l accordingld an , yNorta h builPies wa rt between 180d 181an 71 (or 1812) to plans supplied by Rennie. This structure was of granite. Disabilities evidently persisted aftet ,bu Sout a r h Piebeed 181f rha undend o t built8an rAc virtu n Stevenson',n i a f eo s direction, and also a Middle Pier in 1830, Fraserburgh could rank as the best tidal harbour in

eastern Scotland. The area enclosed was 8 4 acres, with a depth of 15 ft at high springs in the outer innere th n i . t Enlargemenf portio2 1 d n an othe d an t r improvements hav f courseo e continued since the terminal date of this study. The New Statistical Account records that, in 1840, 8 ships herring-boat0 22 d an s were owned locally; whil Parliamentare eth y Repor f 184o t 7 gives figures of 341 ships entering the harbour in 1846, of which 34 were foreign, and 300 fishing-boats, of which 109 were owned in the town. The export trade was chiefly in agricultural produce and fish; imports were such usual commoditie timbers sa , coal, salt, limconsumed ean r goods. n interestinA g ligh throws i repore t e scalth scopd th f y 184 no b te an n f coasta o 7eo l shipping in the years preceding the arrival of railways, good roads and steam navigation, in 350 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 remarkin advantage th n go e enjoye Fraserburgy db h throug positios hit trace th f tradko n no e to the Moray Firth ports and the Caledonian Canal.

Section VIII From Kinnaird's Head to Port Gordon This section, about 40 miles long over its minor irregularities, is mainly rockbound, but it contains numerous coves, t leasbay inletsestuare d no Deveron e th tsan d th f an , yo , which have provided site r importansfo t harbour fishing-townsd san .

MACDUFF NGR NJ 7064 At the end of the 17th century, the navigational hazards of the Deveron estuary (infra) were evidently turning the attention of the Banff burgesses towards the fishing-village of Downe, aboud sidE an Banff e o y mila t th Ba fen o distant fro burghe m169th n i Conventioe s 8a ,th n of Royal Burghs authorise mark0 dgrana 50 Banfo f st o t f 'toward piebuildine w sth rne a f go at the town of Downe, which they are to purchase' (Records, 4, 265). No action seems to have followed 173n i s a 2, Downe still consiste moro n f edo tha nfishew 'afe r houses' (Stat Acct,, 1 475), and Roy's map of 1747-55 shows no buildings on the site; but in 1783 the Earl of Fife began the construction of a harbour, devising the name of Macduff for the new settlement from his family's name of Duff. Another record, of 1847 (Harbours, xxxiv), dates the beginning of construction to 1820, not to 1783; but this cannot be right as the Statistical Account, as quoted above, further states that the work on the harbour was going on at the time of writing (1791), and that ten vessels and six fishing-boats were already owned in the place. An outer harbour was attempted about 1822, but this was destroyed by a storm although its remains served as a breakwater for the inner works; and in 1842 the harbour was described as 'very commodious' and as possessing some import and export trade (New Stat Acct, 13 (B), 290). The report of 1847 further states that, although the harbour had a westerly aspect, it still suffered a 'heavy run of sea'; that the depth of water was only 11 ft to 14 ft at high springs, and that a low-tide harbour was much needed e buildinTh . breakwatea f go springw lo s r t givina wa s t f gdepta 2 2 f ho recommended to this end. three Th e existing basin doubo sn t represent enlargements mad 187n e i laterd 7an .

J 686N 8BANFR NG F Banff is essentially the river-mouth port of the Deveron, and is marked by Pont in one of surveyS M Adairy s s welb sa hi s a l , Blea Royd uan s earlie.It r history, like tha f Macduffo t , seem havo st e been largely influence behavioue th currenty e db th estuarye f th o r n si shifte th , s and vagaries of which bedevilled the navigable channels. A tradition existed (Stat Acct, 20, 350) tha rivee th t r originally estuarydebouchee sidth E f e o th , besidn do Craie eth Downef go t bu , that change course formatiochannee e th th th f n sd i eo an l f awkwarno d sandbanks caller dfo the construction of a harbour in some better position, and that a fresh start was accordingly made at Banff itself, on the W side of the water. With this may be compared a record (Geogr Coll, 2, 234), attributable to the 17th century, which states that Banff was a small and unimportant place, lackin gharboua r (importuosus), thad inhabitante an th t s were consequently unequao t l sea-faring business; while the Latin expression used (defecta portu), though a solecism on any showing possibly ma , y suggesmuco s mer e t whice hth no ton los e f porha lacth so f s ko a t had existed at some former time. The 'lost' harbour could then be thought of as the one on the old channelt actuallno d t Banfyan a , t statemenalle a f Th .Stat e th n i Acctt (20, 350), that 'of GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 351 old' crafentered ha t estuare dth laid ynan 'wher bulware eth is'w , kno doe t hel sno clarifo pt y the question. This same authority states tha earln a t y attemp t constructioa t rivee mads th wa rf eo nW in 1625, thae wor s continuallth t kwa y subjecte o delayt d d misfortune an ss onl wa y d an s finishe 1775 n di date t thawritinth f eo ,y bu b t g (1798) 'a most usefu commodioud an l s harbour' existed. Eight brigantines and 14 sloops were then owned in the burgh, and a considerable trade was carrie . Thidon s was, however meano n e storye wholy b th th ,s s alreadf a o e, n 161yi 3 application had been made to the Convention of Royal Burghs for 'support to the helpe of thair kirk and herberie', and a grant of £100 had been made in 1615 (Records, 2, 418; 3, 12). In 1727, again voluntara , y contributio buildine th r harboua nfo f g o recommendes wa r d (Records,, 5 460). Parliament, likewise approached, went no further than to authorise, in 1696, a public subscription in all kirks (Acts, 10, 46 a); but by this time, perhaps as a result of the delays and set-backs just mentioned, eyes were again being turned toward Downe sth 169n ei sited 8a an , mark0 gran50 f sto toward developmens sit obtaineds twa bees ha ns note,a d above under Macduff. evidentls wa t I y hoped that constructio banE e kth wouln no d increas currene force th eth f eo t discouragd an piling-ue eth f alluviapo l sand which 1701n i , 'liks ,rendeo wa e t existine th r g harbour useless' (Acts, 10, 338 b). Defoe's continuator noted in 1769 that Banff had two small harbours t thabu , t large vessels coul t comdno e near them (ed. 1769 , 226) 4 ,thid an s; suggests that both the eastern and the western harbours were functioning at the time though neither in a satisfactory way. beginnine th t 19te A th hf go century problee th , evidentls mwa y tackled with considerable vigour, but the precise course of events is difficult to reconstruct as the authorities (New Stat Acct, (B) 3 ; Harbours,1 46 , xxxiv) diffedateo t point d s a sran detaif so positivd an l e criterie aar lacking. According to the Harbours report, however, the existing arrangements had grown up through a series of makeshifts, to meet the drawbacks of shallow water, invading alluvial sand, exposurd an galesE N o ;et they comprise outen a innen da d r an basinr , opening towarde sth NNE and formed by a N quay and an E pier, within which were a W pier and two jetties. In 1806 enlargement was attempted by the enclosure of an inlet on the north; and in 1818 Telford planne outen da pierrN encloso t , ebasina damages t thibu ,swa d before completios wa d nan still insecur thes 1837n ei nwa t repaireI . d with clamp chaid san n cables 183n I . 6 thi pies sN rwa usefue helb preventinn o di t l g 'swel harbourd agitationd ol an l e th ,n i 'tluVlatte r being then regarde whole safese th th n s ei tda Mora y Firth. Non lesse eth 184n i , 7 measure increaso st e securits it y were under discussion, including further reconstruction, dredging deflectioe th d an , n of the river's outfall.

J 59066N PORTSO R 6 NG Y Portso markes yi Bleau'n do sfirse mapth t t harbou,bu r seem havo st e beenr builSi y b t Patrick Ogilvie of Boyne, perhaps not long before 1701, in which year customs duties on marble from his quarries were remitted for 19 years in recognition of the expenses that he had incurred (Acts, 10,278). In 1724 the place was credited with 'a safe harbour and Bullwork' (Geogr Coll, 1, 73). A new harbour was built by the Earl of Seafield between 1825 and 1828, but the pier enclosing it was demolished by storms in 1839 (New Stat Acct, 13 (B), 191), and in 1842, the date at which the last of these events was recorded, only the old harbour was in use. At that time some eight vesseln te o t s were owneplacesimilaa e th d n dan i , r numbe foreigf o r n ones, mainly froe mth Baltic, traded there. Exports consisted mainl graif yo herringsd nan 184n I . 7 Portso classes ywa d as a 'small pier harbour', having an inner and an outer basin (Harbours, xxxv). 35 | 2PROCEEDING S OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 e existinMosth f o t g structure probably represents rebuilding carrien 1884i t t bu ,d ou the variety of the types of masonry - e.g. rough blocks, small squared blocks, and courses of stone t verticallysse , this last parallele t Burgheada d- point woro st f morko e tha nsingla e period. A bollard on the central jetty, formed from a large undressed block, has an air of consi- derable antiquity; whil warehoused ol e e somth f eo s tha harboue t fronth n o t r probably date fro earln ma y stagdevelopments it n ei . (Visited 1973.)

CULLEN NGR NJ 510674 Royal Burgh though it was, Cullen could be described at some undetermined date in the 17th centur hardls ya y worth name th evef f eyo o nmodesa t township accounn o , lacs it f kf o o t pora t (Geogr Coll, 2,256) respecn I . f thio t s latter point debasee ,th d Latin expression 'defecta case Banff th e o n i fportu's (q.v.)wa used s t i i ,s a wit, possible hth e implication tha harboua t r had once existed but was no longer fit to use; and support for this suggestion may perhaps be markine see th existenc e n i th Cullef n gi o d 161Bleau'n e'decayin a i n an o f 9o p sma t harbarie', repaie foth r whicf o r h helthes pwa n asked fro Conventioe mth f Royano l Burghs (Records,, 3 87). This request does not seem to have been successful, but in 1699 a grant of £500 Scots was authorised for the repair of a pier, the harbour and a bridge (Records, 4, 282). Nevertheless, both Defoe's continuator (ed. 1769, 4, 225) and the parish minister of 1794 (Stat Acct, 12, 145) noted the lack of a harbour, the latter remarking that one was badly needed to serve for the impor coalf o t . Improvement thus seem havo t s e come onl 181n yi 7 (New Stat Acct, (B)3 1 , 340), with the building of a small but substantial harbour, which was itself improved and enlarged with an additional quay in 1834. The writer of this note records that in his time (1842) Cullen harbour Firthe bese th th n i t,f o givin wae son g depth pier-heae f wateso th t . a r ft frof 2 do 1 m o t 8t ^f In 1847 Cullen was classed as a 'small pier harbour' (Harbours, xxxv) and was noted as liable to silting with sea-sand maie .Th n imports were coal, salt, stave exporte barleyd th s an d san , herring, dried fish, timber, oats and potatoes. Earlier construction has no doubt been much altered and disguised by improvements effecte 1886-7n i d stylee ;th masonrf so visiblw yquitno e ear e varied, including smallish coursed blocks, dark in colour, in the N and W piers, and some better-dressed work in the outer part of lattere centrath e f Th .o d l jetten bees e yha th n formet e coverea th d ran d with cement. Industrial archaeolog diametern i recorn t f yca higiro4 n n i d a y 6 nh,b pier t N witcapstaf e 3 ,h th n no socketbarsn te s centrr it ; sfo s inscribeei d BLAIKIE BROTHERS ABERDEE e comb y N- ma 1848 d an , pared with one at Pettycur, Fife, made at Leith and dated 1813 (Graham 1969, 262). (Visited 1973.)

PORTNOCKI J 48768N R 7 NG E existine Th g harbou t Portnockia r e dates only fro e 1880sm th durind an , perioe gth f do this study the place was no more than a fishing-village. It was so described, along with Cullen, 179n i 4 (Stat Acct, , 14512 ) when seven boats were owned 184n therei t d 7stili an ,l possessed no harbour (Harbours, xxxv). As a fishermen's settlement, however, it may go back to the 17th century soms a , e calculations, admittedly base uncertain do n evidence, dat buildine eth e th f go housee firsth f o 167to s t 7 (Harbours, 401) markes i t . I 1747-55f Roy'o n do p t Findochta sma s .A y (q.v.), examples of vernacular building can be seen in some old fishermen's houses beside the harbour. (Visited 1973.) GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 353

FINDOCHTY NGR NJ 461679 In 1794 the parish of Rathven contained four 'fisher-towns' -Buckie,Findochty,Portnockie and Portessie - of which only the first two were regarded as possible sites for piers or quays (Stat Acct, , 40013 , 408). Findochtplansharboua S d M s an , hi r f markes yi o e Ponon y db n o t had in fact been projected in 1602, when the proprietor had applied for help in its construction Conventioe th o t f Royano l Burghs (Records, Conventioe , th 149) 2 t bu ; 'continuedd nha e th ' business and no decision appears to have been taken. There was still no harbour at Findochty in 1847 (Harbours, xxxv). With the foregoing record, which implies the existence of a sea-going community at the beginning of the 17th century, it is difficult to reconcile the tradition that the first settlement was made in 1716, by a group of fishermen from Fraserburgh (Stat Acct, 13, 401); but however that possibls i t i d e an beeformed thas colono ma- e s ha e n th s tyt b give y wa bu lat, o datnea to e- cleas i t i r that unti latee lth r 19th centur boate yth s must have worked opeofe fth n beach, with no better shelter than was given by the natural inlet, at the cost of much hardship and danger (Stat Acct, 13, 408). A block of early fishermen's houses beside the harbour deserves notice as exampln a f vernaculao e r building closn i t e;se the parallee yar l rows, separate narroy db w footways and with their gable-ends turned seawards, with the object in both respects of countering northerly gales. (Visited 1973.)

J 41765N BUCKI R 6 NG E fulle Th y developed modern installation fishine th t sa g por neighbourinBuckief e to th d an , g subsidiary works naturalle ar , y well outsid presen e scope th eth f eo t stud y- apart , perhaps from object-lessoe th f Buckpoono l harbour, choke san y graved b dan p du l washe througn di e hth entrance. Some facts, however, abou port'e th t s traditional quotee originb y o dsma tw fro e mth Statistical Accounts, rea conjunction di n (Stat Acct, , Stat399w 13 ;Ne Acct, (B)3 1 , 260, 262). What is called a fishing-station is said to have existed here since the middle of the 17th century, and in 1723 a single crew removed to Buckie from Gollachy (Port Gordon) as they foun t 'safed i mor d an r e commodious' than their former base. This early settlement, presumably 'Buckie th e Shore f Roy' o (1747-55)'p sma , seem Bure havo sidth st f W nf o eo ee beeth n no , wherE grounBuckie e e evidenco eth th n d t n o dha bu , e forthcomins ei on e date th f th eo r gfo differena t proprietor 179y fisheriee B . 4th comd sha suppor o et yawlboata 4 1 lattetd e th s,an r for inshore work, while merchants and other traders owned six sloops of from 18 to 60 tons burden. A harbour was thus badly needed, and negotiations for building one were going on but had so far borne no fruit; the fact that two proprietors were involved seems to have retarded progress. No positive date is given for the earliest harbour's construction, but in 1847 some improvement recentld ha s y been mad worko et s the existencn ni e (Harbours, xxxv) n 1842I . , Buckie had 117 large fishing-boats and 28 small ones. (Visited 1973.)

PORT GORDON NGR NJ 396644 Though the adjoining village of Gollachy evidently existed early in the 17th century, being marked on one of Font's MS surveys, Port Gordon is said to have been founded as a fishing- village only in 1797, by the Duke of Gordon (New Stat Acct, 13 (B), 262). His harbour, of 1804 (Harbours, 336) replaces existine wa , th y db g structure 1870-4n si 184n I . 2 ship considerablf so e burden were using the place, trading largely in coal, salt and grain; seven large and ten small fishing-boats wer t thaea t time owned village e inth . Thoug existine hth g harbour, derelictitselw fno , 2c 354 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 is later than the end of this study, two of its features may be noted for their general interest. These are an opening in the W pier, to admit tidal currents for the clearance of silt from the basi Dundeef n(c , supra),nicha d holo et an dbarometera , similastile placn li on o t Dunbarret a . (Visited 1973.)

Section IX From Port Gordon to Burghead (inclusive) Mos thif o t s section, whic abous hi mile0 t2 s long, consist tidaf so l sands backe dunesy db , and it is largely conditioned by the estuaries of the Spey and the Lossie. The exception is a rockbound stretch west of Lossiemouth, but this contains little of interest in the present context. GARMOUTJ 346N 4R NG H Garmouth appears in the form of 'Germuch' on Bleau's map of 'Moravia', which incor- porates material from Timothy Font's papers t evidenc t thino s bu s,harbouri a f eo moute Th . h of the Spey, in fact, was never suitable for a harbour, having always been bedevilled by bars and shifting channels, and two 17th-century records describe it respectively as 'importuosus et navibus parum tutus' 'nullod an portu insignis', admitting only small crafthad an tt with difficulty (Geogr Coll, , 3072 , 429). Similar languag 'harboue uses th f ewa do towd an rf Germagh no 1775n i ' , whe harboue nth sais receivo drt wa shipo en burdenf so , being 'choked with san y shud b dp an t u a bar' (Shaw 1882, 1, 301); and when Charles II landed there in 1650 he was rowed in from a ship lying off shore and was carried from the boat to dry land by a local man (Shaw 1882, 1, 301, 309). In 1794 Garmouth lacked a landing-place, and the people of the parish preferred to use Lossiemouth, or Speymouth (Stat Acct, 15, 4). Changes, however, were on the way, as in 1784 a Hull company bought Glenmore forest on the upper Spey and floated their logs down the river, formin village gth Kingstonf eo , named after Kingston-upon-Hull sita en o ,adjoinin g Garmouth, therd an e settin ship-buildina p gu boat-buildind gan expor ge depoa yarth d r timbef do tan tfo r (New Stat Acct, 13 (E), 52). Whatever harbour existe t Garmoutda 182 n hdamagei s 9e wa th y db great floo thaf dsubsequentlo s t yearwa d ,an y 'far from good'184n i place d classe7s th an ; ewa d simply as a river-mouth with a trade in timber and boat-building (Harbours, xxxv). No traces of harbour-work buildinr so g installations coul seee d b 1973n i cottagee t somth e bu , f th e o n so sea-front were said locally to have survived from before the great flood.

SPYNIE NGR c NJ 231658 The former fishing-village of Spynie disappeared long ago, with the interruption of its access to the sea, but it must be noticed here as its history helps to illustrate that of its important neighbour Lossiemouth (infra). topographe Th thif yo s coastal area lying betwee Findhore nth n and the Spey seems always to have been unstable owing to periodical invasions of wind-blown sand, which have altered the courses of streams and the disposition of lochs. The Loch of Spynie adjacene th d an t lowermost reache Rivee th f rso Lossie were evidently subjec centurier fo t o st sand-storm influence, complicated since the Middle Ages by human efforts at improvement through drainag d defensivan e e embankment. Piecemeal improvement f thio s s kind were evidently in progress long before wholesale drainage operations began in 1807. The whole subject has been studied and discussed by R Young (1871, 5ff), and although a full review of his con- clusions would outrun the scope of this paper some of his points are essential. Thus he makes a good case for believing that, at some time during the Middle Ages, the Lossie followed a course W of its present bed, and actually ran through the Loch from somewhere near Spynie to an outlet well dow estuarye nth , thus givin castle gvillagth d ean ecreatind direcan a tse g acces e conth -o st GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 355 ditions under which a sea-fishery could function. S Ross (1976, 16) envisages the river breaking throug hshingla e ridg t Caysbriggea faile h turninsea d e st sth an bu ;f Loce o g th hm ar int n oa mako t t cleaei r whethe attributee h r rivee breae th sth ro kt turnin g westwards fro mchannea l generall currena y o t simila presens r it o t froo e t rpresene on mtth t loch-are W frod e afe m th rivere byth , though pursuins a f o t gmaterialla y different course. Howeve 18thn a , - be r y thisma century writer (Shaw 1882 , 1152 , ) states that Spynie possesse dharboua r until t soma , e date which has not been recorded, 'by an unexpected casualty the lake ceased to be connected with th et seem i sea' d s;an saf assumo et e tha 'casualtye th t violena s wa ' t sand-storm which blocked outlete th similaa s a , r storm Loce seale th Strathbef ho p du g (q.v.). With all these points in mind, we need not hesitate to accept the Bishop of Moray's account of the Spynie fishermen navigating their boats to the sea in 1383 (Moray, 192), as discussed below under Lossiemouth.

LOSSIEMOUT J 2370N R , 237NG H 1 moute Rivee th Th f rho Lossi lona s ge ha history porta s a , particularl relationshis it n yi p wit Royae hth l Burg f Elginho pore mentiones Th .i t earls da s 1383ya 'protestatio'a n ,i then lodgeBishoe th y f Moradb po y agains Ear'petitio'a e t f th Mora o l y b y whic hele h h hav o dt e infringed his rights (Moray, 192). This document, though most interesting throughout, is too long to reproduce here, but its most immediately relevant points may be resumed as follows, (i) The port of 'Losey' and the fishing-grounds concerned in the case were openly and commonly ('palam et notorie') known to be within the limits of the episcopal estates, (ii) Former bishops had habitually kept sea-fishermen (piscatores piscium marinorum') living with their wives and familie village th n Spynief si e o tooo k,wh their boats returne d dowan o nt througa d frose e mth h the port ('per dictun portum'), by the bishop's right, and with the knowledge and consent of the Earls and the Elgin burgesses, (iii) The bishop's predecessor had improved and deepened the channe pore th - teve n i l n sinking some smaldond neithe o ha procese s e l d crafth an n ri ts- by forc r secretlanyone'y b eno r yno s leave ('non , nonvi port'clam,e precarie')th n s no sa t bu regular overlord. (The choice of these expressions suggests that the bishop was preparing to justif claiya m base prescription.n do t thu)I s seems allowabl infeo et r tha pora t t f whico s hwa interest to the Earl of Moray and the Elgin burgesses, and was not merely a fishing-station, existed in the estuary in 1383 and had probably so existed for a longish time. Its precise position canno estimatee b t d with confidence sande th s ya , waterwa certais yi havo nt e shifted morr eo course centuriese lesth th bishop'e n f si eth o t bu ; s language show somewhers s thawa t i t e well downstream of his fishing-station at Spynie, and in the river or estuary itself, not in the loch. Harbour-work unlikele sar havo yt e amounte moro dt e than say maintenance ,th clearea f eo d stretch of landing-beach, such as was required, for example, at Kirkcudbright in the 17th century (Kirkcudbright, 937, 1027). The port and fishery are mentioned again in 1551 (Moray, 223). A harbour in the proper sense seems to have come into being, as the result of a longish somewhad an t obscure process17te ture th 18td hf th nan o t ha , centuries n 168I . burge 5th h council of Elgin called in a German engineer recorded as Peter Bruce, and identifiable as the Peter Brauss who 1676n i , , r WilliacarrieSi t dmou Bruce's plan r supplyinsfo g Edinburgh with water from Comiston Springs (RCAMS 1951 advics ,hi Ixx n eo i n);decided 5an d tha harbouta r was necessary and could be made at a place called Elginehead, already the burgh's property and distant from it less than three miles. It has been suggested (Rampini 1897, 278) that an objec thif o tpor e s movf th Findhorn havto t y pre-empou o e ema s t beed cu an overseao ,ne t th t s trad Forresf eo whico ,t h Findhorn belonged imposition A . accordingls nwa y applie meeo t r tdfo 356 [ PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 the cost (RFC, 11, 335). Elginehead has not survived as a place-name, but the site was probably Harboud Ol mapsam e S e th O thamarkes s th e sra a e f negotiation e (infra).o tth th n dn o I s with Prive th y Counci projectee th l d harbou describes wa r 'as da n grate wor wasd kan t expenseo st build and maintain the same'. Approval was obtained in January 1686, and it was hoped that the harbour would be ready by August of the same year (ibid, 439, 448, 451); but this was not storye th appears f a ,o d en se froth m other records. Thu rine burge sw dth h making application Parliameno t imposition a r tfo financo nt buildine eth repai d harbous git an f ro r (Acts, 23la), 10 , resule completioe th whicf th s o t a r tabl e wore fo reahth drafs a lai d t th e n f kdwa an no o Ac t in 1703 (Acts, 11, 47b). At the same time the matter was under discussion with the Convention of Royal Burghs, which in 1700 authorised a grant of 200 marks for the building of a pier in moute e Lossith th f ho e (Records, , 300)4 . Resumin subjece gth 1702n burge i t th , h reported tha conveniena t t beed siteha n foun'Elgineheade same th d- th whethes ea t no r 168f o o r' - 5 and in view of the general utility of the proposed work the Convention recommended voluntary contributions (Records, , 383) 4 n 172 I furthea . 8 r petitio lodges nwa accounn do f increaseo t d expenses (Records, n 172i visitina 9d , 480) 5 an , g committe f inspectioeo n recommenden a d additional grant of £20 (Records, 5,492). Another account (Groome 1901, s.v. Lossiemouth), for whic authorito hn givens yi Harboud , provideOl origie e differena th th n ri f r no d fo t way. This states that Elgin 1698n i , , feued ground from Kinedda harboure th r rfo ; tha awkwarn a t d sand- existedr ba thad attempn ,an ta mads twa 178 n ei increas0o t currenscoue e eth th f buildinro y tb g another pier on the opposite bank. Whichever of these accounts is preferred, and however the apparent conflict in their dating is composed, the place was reported by Defoe's continuator (1769 , 232havins 4 , a ) g been ruinou choked san d with sand, evidentl t somya e date before 1721. These difficulties apart, however, it seems probable enough that works constructed at the 18td 17te turhan th h f centurieno s were t leas a progenitor e th t t actuallno f i ,physicae yth l core, of the Old Harbour as known in more recent times. The OS maps show this latter as a quay with a short pier projecting from its SW end, flanking the left bank of the river for some 600 ft and finishing about 300 yds downstream from the N end of Seatown. More or less opposite its NE end, and some way back from the river's right bank, among the tidal sands, there is marked 'Old Pier', show lengtn i dispose t d somf s na h0 an emanne50 a dn i r which would agree perfectly with Groome's suggestio wora f no k designe concentrato dt currene eth keed channee an tth p l clear. It is thus possible that the two pieces of construction in this part of the estuary may differ 18te th h f o centur d ien n muc yearss e ydat0 a 9 th Lossiemouth y somr t s ehb a o .A 0 e8 Elgin's a , s seaport carryins usuae wa , th n lg o loca l tradecoult i d dan ; stil callee b l d'fishina g town' though fishing-boato onltw slooe d yon pan s were actually owned time therth et ea (Stat Acct, , 784 ; 15, 94). e lasTh t phas f developmeno e t before 184 s describei 7 e Parliamentarth n i d y Report (Harbours, Harboud xxxv)Ol e Th r. having suffered dilapidation channee th d an ,l betweee nth stone piers being sanded up, Elgin obtained powers in 1834 to build a new harbour on a fresh site. This was at Stotfield, north of the earlier works, where a 'fishing town' was noted in 1792 (Stat Acct, 4,78) and 'old Stotfield harbour' in 1842 (New Stat Acct, 13 (E), 149). The new harbour, represented modere todath y yb n installation t Brandenburghsa , consiste paia communif f dro o - cating basins aligned from eas westo t , wit hsouth-goina g inner basin endinN s g yd som 0 e25 of the N end of the old quay. The new basins, which gave a depth of 12 ft at high springs, were largely resultine quarrie th rockf o d t an ,gd ou debri uses builo swa dt massive dth e breakwater that protects their seaward (N) side. The N quay and the inner basin were improved and extended shortly befor preparatioe eth Parliamentare th f no perioe yth f Reporto d d covere sincd en e ;an eth d presene byth t stud por e s beeyth ha t n modernise deepenedd dan 184y B . 2 considerable trade GRAHAM HARBOURD OL : LANDING-PLACED SAN EASE TTH COASN SO SCOTLANF TO 7 35 | D seem havo st e been passing throug steamerd an , hit s from Leit Londod han n were making their appearance (New Stat Acct, 13 (E), 156). (Visited 1973.)

HOPEMAN NGR NJ 145699 Apart fro mstatemena Groomy tb e (1901, s.v. Hopeman), unsupporte quotey db d authority, that Hopeman was founded in 1805, the earliest piece of relevant evidence seems to date only from 1833. This consist plaa Georgf y sno b e McWilliam,6 which show harboue sth same th en ri positio wit d presene an th hsmal a e juss y na on ttba l t wesmarkei f o t d 'Boat Hythe' recorA . d of 2 years later states that the harbour had 'of late been allowed to go almost completely to wreck' (New Stat f 184Acct,o (E)e 3 71 tha on , 40)d t theran , e then existe rock e covda th n yei coast, which was chiefly used for the shipping of stone from a quarry, covered by a pier which made 'a sor f oute o tinned an r r harbour' (Harbours, xxxv)entrancn a lattee t d f Th . ha 6 r e3 wide outee Th . r harbou thin i r s contex presumabls wa t boat-landine yth g (hythe), protectes da it was by the built harbour-works on the rocks to the E of it. The village then supported 38 fishing- boats and also did some small local trade. The pier was breached in a gale in 1844-5 (the signi- ficance doublth f o ee dat t s subsequentlybeineno wa gp explained)ga e th madd an , e intoa boom-gate. Groome states further that the wrecked harbour was replaced by another in 1838, and that this was enlarged in 1865 and further improved in 1868 and 1901. Comparison of McWilliam' witp shma Ordnance th tha f o t e Survey suggests thaharboue th t f beforo r e 1844 was a narrow, oblong basin on a N-S axis, with a pier crossing and overlapping the N end in a manner which left an entrance in the NW corner; while the sides of the rebuilt structure were not neatly parallel, and that the N pier returned sharply southwards to an entrance about one- third of the way down the W side. At high springs the water was 17 ft deep at the pier-head. It rememberes i d locally tha entrancee th t , presumably this wideneones wa , d when steam drifters were introduced. Wooden wedges, evidently analogous wit t Dunbaa h e thos Nortd us an rn ei h Berwick n stil e seeca b ,l n securin e blocke harbougth th f o s r whico wallst t hbu ; phasf o e •construction they belong does not appear.

BURGHEAD NGR NJ 108690 Of the earliest Burghead, with its great vitrified fort and presumed Pictish associations, •exceedingly little is known as the remains were largely wrecked about 1818 (Young, H W 1891, 435ff). Mere notic Collinsn ei ' Coasting Roy'n o (1747-55p Pilot d sma an littlo d ) dispeo et l the mirk; but the site provides an interesting example of a promontory fort whose landward connexion gave natural shelter to shipping. Some parallels which come to mind are Carradale vanishee th ford an td 'mote t Kirkcudbrighta ' earliese Th . t substantial referenc place s th eo ha e t been parisfoune pleth a y n dhai b ministe constructioe f 179th ro r 3fo harboua f no r (Stat Acct, 8, 391) laye .H s natura e stresth n so l advantages tha site etth possesse dgoo- d shelter, fine bottom, an adequate depth of water, and freedom from the shoals and sandbanks that obstructed harbours set, as Burghead was not, in the mouths of tidal rivers. The place was, at that time, a fishing- village, which alsd somodi e seaborne trade. Improvement bega n 180ni 9 (Harbours, xxxvi; plan 346), when a good harbour was built showing well-squared unmortared blocks with a moulded string-course some 4 ft below the top of the wall. At low-tide water-level the blocks art verticallese Portsoy)f y(c plane Th . , whic dates hi d 1835, show basisa n t longabouf 0 ,65 t aligne promontore th dsid W f aloneo S e witd gth entrancs yan hit e protecte breakwatera y db - jetty projecting SSW 183n I . 4 this breakwate extendes ydsrwa 0 4 y , dwitb hfurthea r extension in 1839; the corresponding changes in the masonry can still be seen. A depth of 16 ft at high 358 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 springs was thus obtained. The report of 1847 likewise notes how the westerly aspect and sheltered position of the harbour made for safety; in 1835 the harbour was used by some 400 vessels, 12 being owned in the village (New Stat Acct, 12 (E), 40). Trade was carried on with Leith, London continentad an l ports steamerd an , s were making their appearance.

Section X From Burghead (exclusive) to Nairn This section, 16 miles long, is of sand throughout, and includes the notorious dunes of the Culbin Sands. The only ports are in the estuaries of two major rivers, the Findhorn and the Nairn, themselves greatly bedevilled by shoals and shifting currents.

FINDHORN NGR NJ 038644 Findhor pore f Forresth o ts nwa Lossiemouts a , thas f Elginsuggestioa ho wa t d an , f no rivalry between 17tthee th h m n centuri bees yha n mentioned above. Situated just insid moute eth h of the River Findhorn, where the bag-shaped upper estuary, Findhorn Bay, narrows towards its discharge, it is marked on one of Font's MS surveys with ships at anchor off the village and behin dformidabla alss i et o i bar note d Collinsd ;Bleauan y an d b y last-namee ,th Ro , d describing 'tida s ea t haveni ' only accessibl t higea h water (1776, 25). Before 1715, however t occupiei , da different site, later known as Old Findhorn, which in that year was swamped by the sea in the cours singla f eo e night (Gran Leslid an t e 1798, 154). generae Th l pictur harboue th f eo r presente recorde entirelt th y dno b s i y lucid documen.A t of 1723 (Geogr Coll, 1, 231) notes the place as a 'harbour for ships', while another, of perhaps rather earlier date, (ibid, 2, 307), describes the river as 'piscosus et portu nobilis'; Defoe's con- tinuato 1769d , 230(e r4 , ) mention 'smalsa l sea-port; Shaw states (1882 , 1522 , ) that 'thr eba moute rivee th th t rf a ho allow shipo sn burdef so entegooo a n t bayt e drth ye , trad carries ei d on by small merchant ships and fishing-boats'; while his editor adds comments from Grant and Leslie (1798) to the effect that the pier was 'commodious' but limited in size, the harbour capacious adequater depte ba th e safewatef d d hchanneo th e an an n , Th . o r the d ha ln lately been altered, and a ship of 300 tons had reached the pier. These improvements had perhaps been made possible by work don f 177o e t 8 unde (ShaAc n ra w othee 1882th , 156)2 n r, O hand. parise th , h minister of 1791 describe harboue sth accessibls a r e onl smalo yt l vessel accounn o s shiftina f o tr gba (Stat Acct, 1, 464); while one of his colleagues, in 1796, urged the building of a canal from the harbour to Forres (Stat Acct, 17, 453), the river being navigable only to the tidal limit. In 1842 the harbour was described as largely natural but as possessing two quays of hewn stone, one of them recently built, wit h'breastwork'a , presumably stretca f riversidho e wharfage, joinint gi pied ol r e (Newth o t Stat Acct,alss i (E)r o3 1 mentioned,ba 210)e Th . 184n I . 7 there wero etw good piers, which could be reached in fine weather by craft drawing up to 12 ft (Harbours, xxxvi). The bar moved periodically from E to W, and then built up again at its E end. At this date a trade was carried on largely in coal and lime, and in sleepers cut from local plantations of larch. Nineteen herring-boats were owned in the village; 214 vessels had made calls in the course of yeae th r and, apparentl addition yi theseo nt steamers8 6 , .

NAIRN NGR NH 889570 In virtue of its position at the mouth of a sizeable river, Nairn must always have been mor r leseo s concerned wit seae hespeciallyth d ,an doubto n , accounn o , f fishinge o tth t bu ; shallownes instabilitd san sande th f yo estuary evidently prejudice developmene dth usefua f o t l harbour. Defoe's continuator (1769 , 2304 , ) calls Nair n'sea-pora t town' recordd an , s thae th t GRAHAM HARBOURD OL : LANDING-PLACED SAN EASE TTH COASN S O SCOTLAN F TO 9 35 | D port was 'capable of receiving small vessels'; but the parish minister of 1794 (Stat Acct, 12, 392, town'e maith o 388 f o stw )n e givedisadvantage lacpieon e a s f sth kra o othee th s- r beine gth absence of manufacturing industry. In his time the only local shipping consisted of six fishing- boat othe furthesn a believes i tow e based o th wa rnparishe an n tw t r parti do th d t f o sbu ; tharivee th t r coul deepenee db straightenedd dan increaso t , scourins eit g actionpiea d r an , built to take ships of considerable burden. No harbour-works seem, however, to have been put in hand before 1820, when Telford was consulted, but later a good deal was done, and recorn iso d (Harbours, xxxvi; Groome 1901, Stats.v.w Ne ; Acct, (N)3 1 . ,4) From its general northerly course, the natural channel of the estuary had originally turned sharply eastward approachinn o s e shor gth beford ean 182n i ee sea t breakinth 0 bu , o t t gou Telford prescribe plada n which eliminated this final tur cuttiny nb gdireca t opening whicd an , h also provided for the building of a wharf and a harbour. These works were seriously damaged greae inth t floo f 1829do t the,bu y were succeede othery db similan so r lines whic doubo hn t corresponded wit 'wharf-harboure hth ' show plaa 183n f no o 5 (Harbours, 346) and essentialsn ,i , with thos existencn ei e today though these latter embody many modern additions. This plan shows the wharf as a stretch of the W bank of the estuary running back from high-water mark to a point some 300 yds below the bridge. In the event, the alteration of the channel's course was probably of doubtful value, as it was recalled, in 1847, that within living memory a ship of 200 tonnegotiated sha channel d ol e dth , wherea date th e t sa onl y fishing-boat 'coastersd an s ' were able to enter, the entrance being narrow and shallow though with a rise of 14 ft at springs. counteo T r these drawback decides wa t si builo dt breakwaterda , whic markes hwa 'nos da w building' on the plan of 1835 and was still under construction in 1847; it appears to have been a slightly curving work ,northerla runninn o t gyou alignment from high low-wateo t - r mark and flanking the E side of the access-channel for some 400 yds. The contractors, Messrs Leslie and Mitchell of Inverness, recommended that it should be built of rubble-stone and timber, on account of the high cost of digging the deep foundations that would have been needed to obtain rock foundation masonra r fo s y structure; they suggeste da syste f maimo n pilesf o , Memel timber t apartf 0 1 , , 'with sheetin ge insid th pile n eo s fac keeo t ee heartin pth g from being undermined. The remainder of the west face to be planked with half-round timbers and e interioth r filled with stone gravel.d an s ' They also recommende worw d ne k tha e shoulth t d roadwaa b pieea d ran welbreakwaters a y a s a l . This detailed descriptio structura f no woof eo d stond an e make interestinn sa g parallel wit stone-fillede hth , timber-fronted quays tha commoe tar n Solwae th n o y Firth contrastd ,an s wit masonre hth y construction Lothianse usuath Fifd n li ean . In 1847, Nairn was still described as a fishing-station, supporting 12 large boats and 62 herring-boats. In the previous year 71 vessels had used the harbour (Harbours, xxxvi), and the usual type of local trade was being carried on (New Stat Acct, 13 (N), 4).

List: sites of minor interest Section I BROUGHTY FERRY. NO 464304. Geogr Coll, 2, 22; Stat Acct, 4, 244; New Stat Acct, 11 (F), 553; Harbours, xxix. MONIFIETH 4937 O Statw N . Ne . Acct, 11 (F), 553. Harbours, xxix. WEST HAVEN 573346O N . . Harbours, xxix. EAST HAVEN 593360O N . . Harbours, xxix. Section II AucHMrrmE 682442O N . . Geogr ; Stat44 , Coll,Acct,22 , 2 12, 167; Harbours, xxxi. ETHIE HAVEN 694488O N . . Stat Acct, , 2823 . 360 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 BODDIN 714535O N .Stat w Ne . Acct, 11 (F), 258. USAN. NO 725544. Geogr Coll, 2, 22, 42; Stat Acct, 2, 497; Harbours, xxxi. ULYSSES HARBOUR. NO 725544. Alternative name for Usan, q.v. Section III FERRYDEN. NO 716566. Geogr Coll, 2, 22; Stat Acct, 2, 497; Harbours, xxx. SectionIV SEAGREENS 779658O N , Statw Ne . Acct, (K)1 1 , 292; Harbours, xxxi. CATTERLINE. NO 870782. Stat Acct, 6, 198, 202, 210; New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 318. CRAWTON 880796O N .Stat w Ne . Acct, 11 (K), 226. COWIE. NO 876865. Geogr Coll, 3, 236; New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 260. MUCHALLS. NO 903918. Geogr Coll, 3, 236; Roy's map; Stat Acct, 12, 594. STRANATHROW. NO 905921. New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 245 (mispaged 445), 260. SKATERAW. NO 914934. Geogr Coll, 1, 247; 3, 236; Stat. Acct, 12, 494. ELSICK. Probably same as Skateraw, q.v. DOWNIES 927950O N . . Stat Acct, , 453Statw 4 Ne ; Acct, 11 (K), 178. PORTLETHEN. NO 933962. Bleau's map; Roy's map; Stat Acct, 3, 453; Harbours, xxxi. FINDON 944974O N . . Geogr Coll, , 2363 ; Stat Acct, , 4534 ; Harbours, xxxi. COVE. NJ 954004. Stat Acct, 7, 195; New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 196. BURNBANK. NJ 961020. New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 208. Section V TORRY. NJ 951053. Stat Acct, 7, 204; New Stat Acct, 11 (K), 208; see also under Aberdeen. FUTTY J 954058N . undee Se . r Aberdeen. SectionVI OLD CASTLE. NK 051299. New Stat Acct, 12, 595. SANDEND. See Whinnyfold. WmNNYFOLD 081331K N . . Bleau' Roy'd san s maps; Stat Acct, Stat 433, w 5 Ne ;Acct, , 97912 . WARD OF CRUDEN. NK 094356. Stat Acct, 5, 433; New Stat Acct, 12, 978. PORT ERROL 094356K N . . Reference r Warfo f Crudens dsa o . BULLER BUCHANF SO 109380K N . . Reference r Warfo s f Crudendsa o ; Groome (1901), s.v. LONG HAVEN 120403K N . . Stat Acct, , 4335 . BURNHAVEN 126441K N . Statw Ne . Acct, , 38112 . BUCHANHAVEN. NK 128473. New Stat Acct, 12, 370. Section VII INVERALLOCHY 042653K N . . GeogrStatw Ne Acct,; Coll, , 29655 , 12 1 ; Harbours, xxxiv. CAIRNBULG 043651K N . . Geogr Coll, , 551 ; Harbours, xxxiv. BROADSEA J 984674N . . Stat. 13 Acct, , 9 , 6 Section VIII SANDHAVEN. NJ 967674. Geogr Coll, 1, 52; New Stat Acct, 12, 399. PiTTULLffi. NJ 961675. Geogr Coll, 1, 52; Stat Acct, 5, 98; New Stat Acct, 12, 399. ROSEHEARTY J 931678N . . Acts, , 3078 ; Geogr Coll, , 411 ; ibi , 143d2 ; Stat , 105Acct, Stat98 w , ;Ne 5 Acct, , 39912 . ABERDOUR. NJ 885646. Geogr Coll, 1, 49; New Stat Acct, 12, 269. PENNAN J 846655N . . Geogr Coll, 1,41; Stat Acct, Stat w 577, 12 Ne ; Acct, 269, 12 . CROVIE. NJ 808655. Stat Acct, 1, 475; New Stat Acct, 13 (B), 272, 291. GARDENSTOWN 799648J N . . Stat Acct, 474, Stat1 w Ne ; Acct, (B)3 1 , 271, 291; Groome (1906), s.v. WHITEHILLS. NJ 655656. Geogr Coll, 1, 74; Stat Acct, 19, 307; New Stat Acct, 13 (B), 239; Harbours, xxxv. BLACKPOTS. NJ 658658. New Stat Acct, 13 (B), 239; Harbours, xxxv. SANDEND J 555665N . . Geogr Coll, , 731 ; Roy; Stat . Acct,62 , 3 PORTESSIE. NJ 439665. Stat Acct, 13, 401; Harbours, xxxv. GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAS SCOTLANF T1 O 36 | D SectionIX COVESEA. NJ 188710. Stat Acct, 4, 79; Harborrs, xxxv. CUMMINGSTOWN. NJ 131691. SectionX No sites.

DISCUSSION e firsTh t impression gained fro mgeneraa le harbours vieth f wo ' histore th s thayi f o t primac f fishinyo g amon causee gth stheio t thad r le tdevelopment e expressionTh . s 'fishing- station' and 'fishing-town' constantly occur in the records, referring to all types of fishermen's establishments; and in fact fishing-villages and landing-places other than regular harbours have includee b e studo t th accounn yn o d practicae di th ha f o t l difficult f drawino y g distinctions between, say, a primitive fishing-settlement working off a beach at the head of a natural cove, same th e wit hprotectiva e breakwater thrown acros cove'e sth s samemouthe th d , stilan , l further improved accommodatind an , g small vessels engage coastwisn di e trade eved An n. whero en works existed, it was always open to a coastal community to trade by rowing-boat with craft anchored off shore. Some of the establishments were so modest that a minister, writing in the Statistical Account, might sometimes simply remar thein ko r existenc s parishi n ei h without mentioning their names. The villages on the 'iron coast' of Kincardineshire seem all to have been smal poord an linfluence ;th rocka f eo y foreshore being further suggeste comparae th y db - tively large numbers of sites in the lists for Sections IV and VI. The term 'fishing-town', however, did not in itself imply either small size or poverty, as in 1793 it was applied to so considerable a place as Lossiemouth, the burghal port of Elgin; and in fact all the organised ports and harbours of later times seeelemenn a mhav o t d fishinf eha o t thein gi r ancestry whan I . t light, however, a fishermen's quarter in a burgh or prosperous community, such as Ronheads (Ramheads) in Peterhead regardes wa , d sociall rice respectabld th han y yb e burgesse perhapy ma s opee b s n to question. The steps by which small and primitive establishments of fisherfolk came to increase in numbers, to grow in size, and to turn into regular ports no doubt varied greatly from one site anotherpossiblo s t i t seti w circumstancef t s o fe poino ebu t ,a o t s which see mrecuo t r pretty commonly firse th t n placeI . locae th , l populatio whola increasings s na ewa , markedln i o ys the course of the 18th century; and here it is interesting to find the minister of Gamrie parish, in which lie the fishing-villages of Gardenstown and Crovie, noting in 1791 that one of the 'principal cause f increasso beed numbee eha n th f fishing-towno r coast'e th n o s, others being the subdivision of large farms and improved agricultural management. Other pointers to the growth or multiplication of the coastal villages are supplied by such records or traditions as origie thosth f Portnockif eno o e about 1677, apparently from nothing influn ;a Fraserburgf xo h fishermen into Findochty in 1716; the provision of fishermen's houses at Portessie for the first tim 1727n ei responsn i , similaa o et r influx from Findhorn removae th d fishermef an ;o l n from Bervi Gourdono et , apparentl sake betteth f eo r yfo r landing-facilities increasee Th . d protection that harbours provided for fishermen presumably tended to encourage more men to go fishing; while the improved conditions created by the fishing-harbours would in turn have increased the amoun f tradeo t , both coastwis acrosd ean Norte sth h Sea ,ofteo thas s ni t mentionee th n di Statistical Account. The principal export cargoes seem to have been fish and grain; and it is noticeabl oftew eho n lim mentiones ei importn a s da , being needed everywher daye th f o sn ei agricultural improvement. Coal, too, was another universal import, replacing the traditional I PROCEEDING 2 36 SOCIETYE TH F SO , 1976-7 peat musr flourishine No . th t g contraband trad forgottene eb . Thu tima t sa e whe lace nf th k o even passably good roads prejudice movemenl dal landy tb harbou,a improver ro d landing-place would have bee greaf everd no an ty y valu parishan n ei . Moreover, ordinary travellers, perhaps with business in Edinburgh, might well have welcomed sea-transport to save them from real hazards of an overland journey. A fact which seems strange today is that traffic to and from the Caledonian Canal should have been of real importance to the harbours on the Moray Firth. The fortunes of a fishing-community were often controlled by a powerful feudal superior; Spynie exampler fo , owne s 14te th wa , hn di centur Bishoe th y yf Morayfollowine b p o th d an , g at least, are known to have developed harbours on their lands - Alexander Ord of Findochty, (Findochty 1602) Patricr Si , k Ogilvi Boynf eo e (Portsoy 1701) Eare th f Fif, o l e (Macduff 1783), Lord Gardenstown (Rosehearty before 1791), the Duke of Gordon (Portgordon 1797), Sir William Gumming Gordon (Cummingstown 1808) and Sir John Forbes of Pitsligo (Sandhaven 1840). It is perhaps worth noting that less is heard about harbour-development by lairds, for the improvemen theiestatesf n teastero e rth ow n ,o n seaboard Kincardinen ,i , Formartin Buchand ean , than on that of the Moray Firth. This fact, when allowance is made for inhospitable foreshores, may perhap associatee b s d wit qualitiee hth respective th f o s e hinterlands, Mora Naird yan n possessing superior climat soilsd ean r possibl o , y with difference approacn i s questiono ht f so estate management majoe case th f th ero n portsI . trus i t ei , that Peterhea foundeds dwa 1587n i , , on the initiative of the 5th Earl Marischal, and Fraserburgh, in 1613, on that of Alexander Fraser of Philorth t ArbroathA . ,earliese credith r fo tt harbou f 139e o r th shares towe 4 i d th ny an d b Abbot t Lossiemouta d an , h bot Bishoe hth tow e Moraf po th Elginf no d yan , backe Eare th ly db of Moray, see mhavo t e take interesn na estuary'e th n i t s navigability t therevidenco n bu ; s ei e to suggest that Dundee, Montrose, Aberdeen, Findhorn or Nairn were other than burghal projects. Apart from actual foundations, help in repairs and maintenance was constantly being asked of the Privy Council or of the Convention of Royal Burghs; and such help, when granted, commonly took the form of an 'imposition' on ale sold in the burgh, or of a recommendation to the burghs in general to organise voluntary contributions. It will have appeared from the descriptive notes that harbours and landings occupy, in general, one or other of two main types of site, on the one hand coves and inlets which give natural protection in stretches of rocky coast and on the other the estuaries of rivers. The longish stretche f sandso y foreshore hardly come intpicturee oth t seemI . s fai assumo t r e that under primitive conditions landings would have been made on shores where small craft could take the ground r alongsido , e projecting rocks artificially smoothed practicofa f- whicf eo h examples have been noted at several sites in Galloway, one of them associated with a Dark Age galleried dun (Graha d Truckelman l 1977, 129e Firt th d f als Fortho )n an o h (Graham 1969, 238, 276) landing-places A . s both inlet estuaried san theid sha r drawback formee case th f th e o r n i s- northerla easterlr yo y storm could rapidly tur nshelterea supposedld dan y dependable anchorage int odangeroua s lee-shore, while concealed off-shore rock insidioud san s coastal currents might call for exact local knowledge. River-mouths and estuaries, again, were highly vulnerable to silting, and about this more will be said shortly. On early works of improvement extremely little is recorded doubo n t cova tbu , e coul improvee db buildiny db gpiet a seawards o ou r tw d an , piers, side by side, particularly if covered by a breakwater, would have possessed some of the advantage regulaa f so r harbour-basin. Basins factn i , , which obviate constane dth t necessitf yo pulling shor e boatth beyono ep t s u wavese reace th dth f ho , must have been needed everywhere, weln understooe ca b l s a d fro mcommena t mad e ministe th n 179ei y 4b f Rathe o r n parish (Stat Acct, 13, 408) - 'The united exertions of men and women are employed in dragging the boats up the beach, to secure them from being broken by the waves, and a similar effort must GRAHAM: OLD HARBOURS AND LANDING-PLACES ON THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND | 363 be made in launching. These daily operations are very hurtful to the boats, and sometimes fatal to the men.' To return to established facts, although the port of Dundee was functioning as early as 1262, nothin sais gi d abou harbour-workse th t anyf i , , that existed timee ther doer th t no ,ea s recore th f 14th-centurdo y operation Lossie th n si e estuary mentio whary e n an th r pier o ft bu ; evidence from Arbroath shows clearly enough that quite sophisticated structures could be built on this coast at least as early as 1394, and this work, as being our earliest positive exemplar, deserve worsa f noticedo e survivinTh . g description rathen i , r obscure Latin, suggest piesa r wit hcora f timbeeo r caging filled witweighted han d down externall stonesy yb t whethebu ; r the word 'archae' (chests) refers to gabions filled with loose stones, or to a structure of drystone masonry faced with and reinforced by timbers, remains an open question. As distinct from combined drystone masonry and timbering, hewn stonework seems to have been in use by 1526 t Aberdeea 157y b t Peterhead9a d nan , whil molesea lapidea, whether hew otherwiser no , appears at Fraserburgh at about the latter date. In whatever way free-standing piers may have been arranged riversida t a , e sitreadiese eth t resource would have bee builo nt dwhara f flankinga sectiobanke th f n,o perhap poina t sa t where vessel formerld sha y been beached; this method was constantly employed on the Solway Firth right down to the end of small-scale coastwise navigation presene earlth n yi t century, rough drystone masonry being faced wit hcrib-wora k of timbers. The choice between masonry and timbering for quay construction may sometimes have been influenced by whether the foundations would rest on rock or mud; and here it is interestin fino gt d that contractors, workin t Naire 1840sga th n ni , advise employmene dth f o t piles and timbering to obviate the expense of digging down through sand and mud to reach underlying rock. On the other hand, timber uprights could certainly be founded, if required, on bases of rock, as is shown by rock-cut pestholes at two sites in Fife (Graham 1969, 235, 280). occurrence Th f diverseo e masonry style , say sin same ,th e stretc quay-faca f ho e need notf ,o course, be regarded as more than a sign of repairs or alterations. Works of a different class from piers and wharves are to be seen in lengths of 'bulwark' standin detachen gi d positions. Their functio doubo n s t nwa largel y protective, when they acted breakwaterss a t manbu , y were designe reduco dt formatioe eth depositioe th barsf no d an , f no silt controlliny b , directind gan g currents, whether estuarin r coastaleo lone Th g. stretchef o s sandy foreshore mentioned above were reservoirs of loose sand ready to be blown over neigh- bouring land by the wind, sometimes with disastrous results, or to be carried coastwise by currents to build up bars blocking the mouths of rivers. The Culbin Sands disaster of 1694 graduae th d an l southward advanc Sande th f f Forvieso o typicae ear l example f windblowso , while others can be seen at the Loch of Strathbeg and Spynie. Suitably sited bulwarks could serve to direct currents against bars and sandbanks, washing them away or at least reducing their height, or at sites where no river debouched, preventing their accumulation. Aberdeen provides mose th t notable example f sucso h measures, designe manipulato dt e estuarine currents while also harnessin 'backwatere gth rivee th rf o itsel' say- o ftha t wate e s i ,tth r stored inside eth estuar risiny yb g tide released san d with their fal increaso t l river'e eth s scour. Wher streao en m ran through a harbour, as at Dundee, an artificial scouring-basin might be contrived, to produce the same effect. There is nothing to suggest that detached bulwarks, as such, differed in methods of construction from ordinary piers, except, perhaps, at Dundee, where an improbable-sounding syste f openwormo k timber recordeds si . Conspicuous by their absence are structures of two distinctive types which are found at several sites in Fife and the Lothians. These are, firstly, massive breakwater-piers which embody quay alsd an so enclos associatee eth d harbour-works withi nprotectea d t Dunbara poo s a l , 364 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1976-7 Cellardyke or St Andrews; and, secondly, long piers pushed out across tidal flats, almost in the manne causewaysf o r reaco t , h isolated pier-heads standin deepen gi r water t Torrya s a , , Torry- burn or Crombie. These causeway-piers may, however, have been simply a local response to specia coastsE lN conditione .witt th n me ho t sno greae th tn I pioneering day f industriao s l development, severae leadinth f o lg engineers were consulted regarding the improvement of the principal ports - notably Smeaton and Telford at Dundee, Aberdeen and Peterhead, Telford again at Banff, Findhorn and Nairn, and one or other of the Stevensons at Dundee, Aberdeen, Peterhead and Fraserburgh. As was mentioned at the beginning of this paper, its archaeological content is necessarily limited, as only a few sites could be visited and at these no more than cursory observations could be studymadee resth e f to ,Th . however, suggests that these harbours merit much closer investi- gation, both as architectural subjects and as monuments of economic and social history. Planning, construction methods, and styles of masonry all call for architectural assessment, while in matters of smaller scal gooea d deal could probabl learnee yb d about wharfside machiner fittingd yan s such as warping-posts, mooring-posts, capstans, bollards and rings. In respect of social history, the building of new harbours and the enlargement and improvement of old ones must reflect local economic conditions, particularly in the fishing industry; while old warehouses and fisher- men's dwellings, where these survive, together with the lay-out of the streets adjoining certain harbourse ofth , hel illustratpo t formee th lif e f eo th r seafaring community thesn othed O . ean r similar grounds the study may be said to point to an attractive field for further and more intensive investigation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to record my indebtedness to all who have helped me at one stage or another, especiall Miso yt sGordonJ informer fo , d suggestions Joness Beatos detailMr r Mr d fo , o nt ,an s regarding Burghead and Hopeman, to Dr A Ritchie, for editorial advice, to Miss M Wilkes and the staff of the National Library Map Room, to Mr J G Dunbar, and to Mr I G Scott, who drew fig 1.

NOTES 1 Archae were probably timber cage r gabionso s filled with stone foreshore placed th san n do o et for core protectiva m th f e o e pier. Vangae were pick mattocksr so ; tribuli, properly military engines of some sort, may here have been shear-legs or derricks. Gavyllox were probably crow-bars. 2 This street still existsgeneran i t bu , learnele b littl n attemptey ca d b t clossa e correlatio ancienf no t records with modern topography accounn ,o far-reachin e th f to g change lay-oue th namind n si tan g of streets effected in the later 18th century, together with the more recent commercial and industrial developmen waterfrone th f o t wholea s a t . followine Th g3 narrative descriptio adaptes ni d Statfrow mNe Acct, , 373ff 12 whic o t , h reference should be made for facts in greater detail. A very full account is also given by Findlay 1933, 210ff and Harbours, xxxiii, is also relevant. 4 Groome (1901) gives this date as 1837; as always in his Gazetteer, he quotes no source or authority. 5 For this identification I am indebted to Mr J G Dunbar. 6 This plan was kindly made available by Mrs Jones, Cranloch, Elgin.

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