UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH LIBRARY 3 lift fl 010753m T VJ UNIV SOCSCI DA 8825. M C5B Coutts, James, 1B52- Dictionary of Deeside Date due Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/dictionaryofdeescout — IH Aberdeen University Press Book Printers •> •:• •:• •:• liaoi and Commercial Printers Stereo- and Electrotypers •:• Typefounders •:• •:• •:• •:• Have the largest assortment—over 400 Tons of the finest type in Scotland, in various langu- ages—Bengali, German, Greek, Hebrew, Russian, etc. ; also Music, in Old and New Notation and Gregorian. They have the finest Machinery of any Printer in the United Kingdom—without exception. This unique position places them in the front rank of British Printers. All Documents of a Private and Confidential nature have the personal care of the Comptroller. Having an extensive connection with the lead- ing Publishers, they are in a position to arrange for the publication of works of any kind. ESTIMATES FREE. & Telegrams: "PICA, ABERDEEN "• PREMIER CODE USED. CppvL-ij- hi JoLtl B artliolomew 3c Co „E imT Dictionary of Deeside A GUIDE TO THE CITY OF ABERDEEN AND THE VILLAGES, HAMLETS, DISTRICTS, CASTLES, MANSIONS AND SCENERY OF DEESIDE, WITH NOTES ON ANTIQUITIES, HISTORICAL AND LITERARY ASSOCIATIONS, ETC. BY l \ '/ JAMES COUTTS, M.A. WITH PLAN OF CITY, MAP OF COUNTRY AND TEN ILLUSTRATIONS " The Dee is a beautiful river —Byron ABERDEEN THE UNIVERSITY PRESS 1899 1 lUl^f PREFACE. The spirit that prompted the question— " Are not Abana and Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better " than all the waters of Israel ? —still survives. Sir Walter Scott has commented on the " reverence which . the Scotch usually pay to their dis- tinguished rivers. The Clyde, the Tweed, the Forth, the Spey are usually named by those who dwell on their banks with a sort of respect and pride, and I have known duels occasioned by any word of disparagement." It would be vain for me to attempt to settle the exact position of the Dee in the order of merit of Scottish rivers, and, though myself a native of Braemar, I have not knowingly introduced any local partialities. Even to strangers Deeside is attractive, as is proved by the thousands who every season pass through the country, or make a longer or shorter stay there, for health or holiday or recreation. To them, as well as in some degree to the inhabitants, a Guide Book may be of use. iv PREFACE. But, while this may be admitted, some may question whether another Guide Book is needed. Without directly contradicting this view, I may say that one who has lived a long time in a district can hardly fail to know some things—and these not always useless or uninteresting— in a manner in which they can scarcely be known to those who are only occasional visitors. I may also explain that I had become pretty familiar with most of the localities of the country, and had acquired an appreciable amount of historical and miscellaneous information about them, without ever intending to submit a book on Deeside to the public. The idea of doing so afterwards sprung up in my mind, and I must abide the result of the wisdom or folly of the venture. Whatever may be the fate of the book, it has been a pleasure to me to revisit the old familiar scenes and to look up those with which I was previously not so well acquainted. There are few places comprised in the work that I have not visited and inspected for myself. There are precedents in the case of the Forth and Clyde for throwing such a work into the form of a Dictionary, prefixing to it a general but con- densed account of the whole country to be described, after mastering which the reader may take up in greater detail the localities that interest him. I have inserted a smattering of Geological notes, as many readers now expect such information ; and PREFACE. V also an article on " Shootings and Fishings," since these make up (whether wisely or not) " the chief end of man " on Deeside at certain places and seasons. These two articles will be found in their alphabetic order. I am indebted to my friend, Mr. Albert Morri- son, for the illustration on the cover. JAMES COUTTS. Glasgow, 19//?. June, 1899. CONTENTS. PAGE General Sketch of Deeside 1 Alphabetic Articles . 21 xMAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Plan of Aberdeen. Map of Deeside and Neighbouring Parts. jna- C Weeping Birch at Invercauld^ Bridge, H- Braemar facing page 14 Union Terrace and Gardens, Aberdeen . „ 24 Ballater ,, 64 Scots Firs in Ballochbuie 73 .... ,, Balmoral Castle ,, 75 Banchory Ternan „ 81 Village of Braemar from Craig Choinnich ,, 97 Mar Castle ,, 104 Craigendarroch and Pass of Ballater . ,, 156 "235 lochnagar from cairnaquheen ... ,, CORRIGENDA. Page 94, line 10, for " Dardamus" read " Dardanus". Page 97, line 25, for "great" read "greater". Page 204, line 31, for " Crondavon " read " Corndavon Page 270, line 31, for "forests" read "forest". GENERAL SKETCH OF DEESIDE. A brief sketch of the whole valley of the Dee may fitly precede the detailed paragraphs in alphabetic order con- cerning the various places and objects of interest on Deeside ; and, though it reverses the geographical order, it will be convenient to proceed from the mouth of the river upwards, the direction which almost all travellers take when visiting the country. The great city at the mouth of the Dee, with its thronging population, and passengers and merchandise always coming and going by kind and sea, contrasts strongly with the vast solitude of Braeriach and Ben Macdhui where the river has its headstreams, a region so outlandish that it is scarcely seen by one in a hundred of those who visit the Highlands of Deeside. Aberdeen is in many ways the metropolis of the northern half of Scotland—the great centre of industry and communication, of production and distribu- tion. Among Scottish cities it is one of the most ancient, and though only fourth in point of population, it scarcely yields to any for enterprise and vitality. The light grey granite of which the houses are built gives a character- istic appearance of purity and robustness to the town, which is popularly known as the " Granite City/' and sometimes as Bon-Accord, from the motto accompanying the town arms. Castle Street, Union Street and Union Terrace are much admired for their stately buildings, and they are also adorned by a number of statues ; while some of the recently formed residential streets, as in the neigh- bourhood of Queen's Cross, though the houses are only 1 2 DICTIONARY OF DEESIDE. of moderate size, have a very pleasing and attractive appearance. The Municipal Buildings in Castle Street, and Marischal College (Aberdeen University) in Broad Street, are the finest buildings. The Palace Hotel and the Grand Hotel are very extensive and elegant estab- lishments, and there are numerous other well-equipped hotels. In some quarters of the town there are large mills, factories and works, and though placed at a dis- advantage by its distance from the seats of coal and iron industry, Aberdeen has a notable amount of shipbuilding and a large amount of shipping. Great efforts have been made to improve the harbour by the formation of extensive breakwaters, the diversion of the lower part of the channel of the Dee, and the formation of docks and quays. The large fishmarket near the docks bears witness to the magnitude of the fishing industry. There is a large and recently fitted up bathing station, with a beach of the smoothest sand, and the extensive links between the town and the mouth of the Don serve for golfing and other recreations. The Victoria Park at the north side of the town and the Duthie Park at the south side, next the Dee, are well laid out, and greatly enhance the amenity of the place. Within the last few years the western parts of the town have extended rapidly, the extension being very noticeable about the Great Western Road, from which the Deeside road is continued, as if there were a natural tendency on the part of Aberdonians to go up Deeside. Villas and cottages are dotted along the heights on the north side of the Dee, with some little interrup- tions, as far as Culter, seven and three-quarter miles from Aberdeen, condensing to form a village there and at Cults, about half-way between Culter and Aberdeen, while clusters of houses occur at other parts. The Deeside railway has a double line of rails to Culter, and a GENERAL SKETCH OF DEESIDE. 3 the suburban service of trains has nine stations in less than eight miles. Culter has large paper mills situated in a hollow traversed by Culter burn, and about a mile to the south-west there are remains of an extensive Roman camp, probably formed by the Emperor Severus, circa 208-210. When Aberdeen is left behind Deeside soon assumes the general character which it bears throughout— valley, generally of no great width, cultivated in the lower part next the river, the cultivation reaching a variable distance up the hillsides, while the higher parts of the hills are divided between wood and heather, both occurring in variable amount on the low ground as well. A change is noticeable after passing Banchory and becomes more marked as one advances, cultivation dwindling and the hills becoming wilder, while from their greater height their upper portions are bare even of woods. The greater mountains do not, however, force themselves much on the view till Ballater is neared, great precipices and spots of snow visible late in summer marking out the " Caledonian Alps " as Byron called them.