Aberdeen in 100 Dates

by Elma McMenemy

Overview

15th August 1903 - On this day Aberdeen Football Club played its first match, holding Stenhousemuir to a 1-1 draw. 21st April 1943 - Luftwaffe bombers dropped 130 bombs on Aberdeen, killing ninety-seven civilians and twenty-seven soldiers. 15th August 1963 - On this day Henry John Burnett was hanged at Craiginches Prison, Aberdeen – the last execution to take place in Scotland. Experience 100 key dates that shaped Aberdeen's history, highlighted its people's genius (or silliness) and embraced the unexpected. Featuring an amazing mix of pivotal, social, criminal and sporting events, this book reveals a past that will fascinate, delight and even shock both residents and visitors to this Scottish city.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750968836
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	05/02/2016
Series:	in 100 Dates
Sold by:	INDEPENDENT PUB GROUP - EPUB - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Elma McMenemey has lived in or near Aberdeen for many years. A qualified Scottish Blue Badge Guide, she leads tours in and around the city throughout the year. She is also a tourism consultant, specializing in marketing and PR. She is the author of Bloody Scottish History: Aberdeen.

Read an Excerpt

Aberdeen In 100 Dates

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By Elma McMenemy

The History Press

Copyright © 2013 Elma McMenemy
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7509-6883-6

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CHAPTER 1

AD 563

Whit Sunday

Machar, or Mocumma, is believed to have arrived on this day on the island of Iona. He was one of twelve disciples who accompanied St Columba on his voyage from Ireland. The Aberdeen Breviary, published 1,000 years after he lived, tells how St Machar brought Christianity to the Don Valley and Aberdeen.

St Columba sent Machar to travel east across the Scottish mainland and spread the word of God to the Picts. Machar's mission was to find a river which flowed in the shape of a bishop's pastoral staff. He found this place near the estuary of the River Don and built a small church in the area we now know as Old Aberdeen. West of Aberdeen in Strathdon are 'Macker's Haugh' and Tobar Mhachar, Machar's Well, a spring which miraculously provided fine salmon at a time of famine.

The Cathedral Church of St Machar now stands on the site of Machar's church. Inside, a granite stone, carved with a primitive cross, is displayed. This has been scientifically dated to the time of St Machar and is believed to be from his church. The cathedral bearing his name is one of the world's oldest granite cathedrals. Most of the present building dates from the 1300s and early 1400s. The magnificent heraldic ceiling was installed in 1520.

AD 678

8 January

St Nathalan, also known as Nachlan, lived to a great age and died on this day. In modern times, his feast day is celebrated on 19 January. He is believed to have been born of a noble Pictish family at Tullich by the River Dee and is credited with many miracles. It is said that he gave away all his corn during a famine and, having no seed to sow, he scattered sand on his land and amazingly reaped a plentiful harvest. However, in another season Nathalan's crops failed and in frustration he blamed God. Filled with remorse for his outburst, he made a pilgrimage to Rome with his right arm chained and padlocked to his right leg as a penance. Before setting off he threw the key to the padlock into the River Dee. Months later, on arrival in Rome, he bought a fish to eat and on cutting it open he discovered the key to his padlock. Nathalan recognised this as a sign that God had forgiven him and released his chain. The Pope also acknowledged this miracle by making him a bishop.

Bishop Nathalan returned to Deeside where he built several churches. One of these was at Tullich. The ruins of a later church, built in the 1400s, now stand on the site of Nathalan's early church.

1136

30 June

The small harbour at the estuary of the River Dee was already well used by this day, when King David I granted Bishop Nechtan of Aberdeen the right to the income from vessels using the anchorage and its facilities. This is accepted as the foundation date of Aberdeen Harbour Board, acknowledged as the UK's oldest business still in existence. At this time, vessels would anchor at the river mouth, sheltered on the north by Sandness, a large sandy promontory, and by high cliffs to the south. Small boats would ply back and forth, discharging the anchored ships' cargoes, delivering goods for export and ferrying the crews to and fro. Over the centuries, Aberdeen Harbour witnessed witches being 'tried' by douping from the Shorehead, pirates, who included prominent Aberdonians, shipwrecks and sailors quarantined on arrival from plague-infested ports. The harbour gradually developed during this time to become the successful modern port that today supports the oil and gas, and other, industries.

This early charter by King David also granted the bishops of Aberdeen other privileges, properties and lands, including half of the fisheries of the River Don. Many of these property and land rights were reaffirmed in the solemn privilege of Pope Adrian IV issued in 1157 for Bishop Edward of Aberdeen.

1179

28 August

This is the date of the first charter granted to Aberdeen by King William I, known as William the Lion after he adopted the lion rampant as his coat of arms. The charter confirmed the rights given by his grandfather, David I, to the burgesses of Aberdeen. Burgesses were responsible citizens appointed as freemen and charged with guarding the burgh, its laws and customs. This charter, written in Latin, still exists in the city's archives and is the oldest of any Scottish burgh. It granted the burgesses the right to a free 'Hanse' or economic league, protected by the king, who forbade anyone to trouble or disturb them in their trade. At this time, charters were dated only with the day and month; the practice of showing a year was not adopted until the reign of William's son, Alexander II. However, 1179 is accepted as the most likely year, as the witnesses listed are known to have been present that year in Perth, where the charter was granted.

Aberdeen's burgesses were honoured again during William's reign when he visited their burgh, probably in 1201. They had contributed to the ransom paid for his freedom following his defeat and capture by Henry II of England. In gratitude, King William declared they need never pay any toll on their own goods 'wherever they come within my kingdom'.

1313

24 October

Aberdeen's burgesses and citizens were rewarded for their loyal support of King Robert the Bruce on this day. Local legend tells that, around 1308, with its castle in the possession of the English, Aberdeen's citizens rose up and took it back in the name of the king. Their password was the French Bon Accord, meaning good agreement. Although there is no evidence to prove this story, the Royal Charter of 1313 is definitely a matter of record. In it, Robert I granted custodianship of his royal forest of Stocket to Aberdeen. This was royal hunting forest with open woodland that allowed good sport in hunting deer, wild boar and other game.

The Great Charter of 1319 granted more privileges to the burgesses and community of Aberdeen, including ownership of the burgh itself and the power to develop land within the forest of Stocket where they could 'perform every kind of tillage', erect dwelling houses and other buildings, dig fuel and much more. The burgh was also now granted the right to retain taxes raised from its citizens. This ensured a prosperous future for Aberdeen and laid the foundations of the burgh's Common Good Fund, still in existence today. Land purchased in the late 1300s and early 1400s, added to the Stocket forest, formed the basis of The Freedom Lands, their boundaries marked by March Stones.

1411

24 July

Dawn on this day found Provost Davidson of Aberdeen and the Earl of Mar at the head of an army and striking camp at the confluence of the rivers Don and Urie. Together with many of Aberdeen's most influential citizens, they had marched out from the burgh to meet an invasion led by Donald, Lord of the Isles. This well-educated nobleman laid claim to the extensive Earldom of Ross, owned by the Earl of Mar. With an army of around 10,000 men, Donald had marched from the Highlands to seize this land. They were camped on a plateau near the 'fermtoun' of Harlaw, near Inverurie.

The Earl of Mar's force crossed the Urie and marched to Harlaw, where battle was joined. Despite an initial organised approach with formations of spearsmen, the fighting quickly degenerated into hand-to-hand combat. By sunset, Harlaw plateau was saturated, its streams running red with blood. The Lord of the Isles lost 900 Highlanders and 600 of the earl's men lay dead, among them Provost Davidson. Both sides claimed victory, but Donald retreated back to the Isles, his claim to the land unsuccessful.

A monument stands on the edge of the battlefield, now cultivated farmland. Built by Aberdeen City Council to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the battle, it honours the dead of both sides, featuring shields of the leaders, lairds and combatants who fought on this day.

1420

22 January

Justice finally caught up with Sir Andrew Leslie of Balquhain (pronounced 'Balwhain') on this day when he was hunted down and killed by the Sheriff of Angus.

Nine years previously, the Leslies had fought bravely for the Earl of Mar at the Battle of Harlaw. It is not known exactly how many sons Sir Andrew lost on the battlefield as many of them were illegitimate. It was said that the baron had seventy children but most of them were 'unlawfully begotten'. Indeed, he was reputed to have fathered seven children in one night and 'all their Mothers lay in Child Bed at One Time'. His long-suffering lady sent food and money to each of these mothers to help support them and their babies. No woman or girl was safe from his attention and he is known to have carried off several 'fair maids', alienating his neighbours and many powerful families. Eventually the Sheriff of Angus was sent to put an end to the lascivious baron's activities. The sheriff and his men traced him to Braco, almost in the shadow of Bennachie near Inverurie and Harlaw. Here, Sir Andrew fought back and was killed. Although he was not buried where he fell, his widow arranged for a chapel to be built there. She also paid a priest to say Mass in the chapel every day for the repose of his soul.

1457

6 February

At the burgh council meeting on this day, a list of 'baxtars' or bakers, together with their unique stamps or marks, was compiled and included in the minutes. At this time, each baker imprinted his loaves with his own mark. Should there be any query about the quality, size or weight of any bread, the mark could be used to trace the loaf back to an individual baker. If a baker were found to have sold a smaller, lighter loaf or to have used inferior flour, he would be punished. At this time, floor sweepings or even sawdust might be added to flour, so traceability was vital to ensure high standards. In 1442 the council had recorded that a penny loaf had to weigh at least 24oz after it had been baked.

This detailed list, with drawings representing the bakers' stamps, was the result of a long-running power struggle between the council and the bakers' trade. Since the early 1300s, the Burgh Court had determined the price of bread. A dispute between bakers over the price of loaves had resulted in a duel. One baker was killed while the other was fined 5s by the court. Although the bakers objected to the council regulating trade, eventually they became respected citizens and a few also became the burgh's provosts, as mayors are called in Scotland.

1494 (1495)

10 February

William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen, petitioned the Pope to found a university in Old Aberdeen and Pope Alexander VI granted a licence for the university's foundation, dated 10 February 1494. In the Middle Ages, New Year fell on the Feast of the Annunciation, 25 March; the document was therefore signed in the year now recognised as 1495.

The university, the third to be founded in Scotland and fifth in the UK, was named King's College to acknowledge the wholehearted support of King James IV, a devout and learned man. This new university was founded to educate doctors, teachers and clergy for northern Scotland and lawyers and administrators for the Scottish Crown. Elphinstone brought Scottish-born Hector Boece from Paris to be the first principal. Arts, theology, canon and civil law were taught, initially with thirty-six staff and students based at St Machar's Cathedral. A Chair of Medicine was created in 1497, the first in the English-speaking world.

In 1500 work began on the university's first building, the chapel which features a crown tower. It was constructed on a raft of oak trunks to prevent it from sinking into the boggy ground. King's College Chapel is today interdenominational and very much still at the heart of the university. An elaborate monument, created in Venice in the early 1900s to commemorate Bishop Elphinstone, now stands outside the chapel.

1497

21 April

In 1495 many Scottish soldiers were fighting for the French in Italy. When they returned they brought with them a newly discovered disease, known as the great pox to distinguish it from smallpox. It was almost certainly an early form of syphilis. Its primary symptoms included blue, black or white ulcers on the skin of the genitals. As the disease progressed, sores and pustules broke out over the whole body, tissue died in fingers, toes and other extremities and painful tumours developed before death occurred.

Aberdeen at this time had no burgh physician and no one yet appointed to the new Chair of Medicine. Despite this, the burgh's astute burgesses took prompt, preventative action. On this day they decreed: 'For the avoidance of the infirmity come out of France and strange parts ... all light women be charged and ordained to decist from their vices and sin of venery.' These 'light women', or prostitutes, were required to find lawful employment. If they failed to do so, they were to be punished by being branded and banished from the burgh. Aberdeen was the first authority anywhere in the United Kingdom to take any such measures to prevent the spread of disease.

1498

22 June

Over 500 years ago 'pynours' or porters transported goods up the steep hill from Aberdeen Harbour to the market place, where the Castlegate and Mercat Cross stand today. On this day the pynours founded what was to become one of the earliest of all co-operative partnerships. Initially this was to protect their own interests. Later a property and warehousing department was set up. The income from this, called the Superannuated Members' Fund, was held completely separate from that of their day-to-day haulage business. It provided for members' retirement and was used to give financial support to any who were ill or injured.

This was the foundation of the Shore Porters' Society, now acknowledged as the world's oldest transport business. It is still a private partnership which operates successfully from headquarters close to Aberdeen Harbour and has expanded beyond north-east Scotland with a base and storage facilities in south-east England. From those early beginnings hauling goods within Aberdeen, imported from all over the world, the Shore Porters now transport to all parts of the globe. One of their more unusual deliveries was a consignment of sledges to Arctic Norway. Their warehouses store a wide range of commercial articles and personal property, from valuable antiques and works of art to wood. They also carry out commercial and house removals, or 'flittings' as they are better known in Aberdeen.

1514

25 October

Bishop William Elphinstone, founder of King's College and guardian of the infant King James V, died on this day. Born in 1431, William Elphinstone spent his early life among the clergy of Glasgow Cathedral and University with his father, a churchman and first Dean of Arts of the university. He studied at universites in both Glasgow and Paris. In 1488 he was consecrated Bishop of Aberdeen and created Chancellor of Scotland by James III, who was killed in battle in the same year.

Bishop Elphinstone had a profound and far-reaching influence both in Aberdeen and throughout Scotland. An excellent statesman, diplomat, lawmaker and devout churchman, he travelled widely in Europe as the King's Ambassador. In Aberdeen, he founded King's College and continued the construction of St Machar's Cathedral, completing the great central tower with a spire and installing heavy bronze bells. He also instigated work for a stone bridge to form a safe crossing of the River Dee; on his death he bequeathed £20,000 to ensure the bridge was completed. In 1509 he brought the first printing press to Scotland and directed the production of Scotland's first printed book. Published in 1510, this was the Aberdeen Breviary, which contained prayers and writings about the lives of Scotland's saints. It is a treasure trove of information about early Christian traditions in Scotland which combines fact and legend.

1562

2 November

Sir John Gordon was sentenced to death today, just five days after the Battle of Corrichie. Mary, Queen of Scots is believed to have watched from a window as he was beheaded in Aberdeen's Castlegate. Sir John, third son of the Earl of Huntly, was infatuated with the queen and rumoured to be her lover; some reports state she shed tears as she saw him die. The executioner was 'so awkward that he wounded Sir John several times before severing his head'.

The queen had spurned the Earl of Huntly's approaches to restore the old Catholic religion to Scotland following the recent Reformation. She further insulted the earl by ignoring his invitation to visit his castle at Huntly and was outraged when Sir John shadowed her as she travelled through Gordon lands between Aberdeen and Inverness. When the earl refused to meet the queen's demand to surrender the keys to all his castles, she declared he and Sir John outlaws. The earl, his sons and supporters marched towards Aberdeen but were defeated by the royal army at Corrichie, west of the burgh. At the moment of surrender, the elderly earl fell dead from his horse. Many of his supporters were condemned to death, including Sir John and his brother Sir George. As heir to the title, Sir George was granted a stay of execution. Sir John was less fortunate.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Aberdeen In 100 Dates by Elma McMenemy. Copyright © 2013 Elma McMenemy. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Title,
Dedication,
Acknowledgements,
Introduction,
Aberdeen in 100 Dates,
Ad 563 Whit Sunday,
Ad 678 8 January,
1136 30 June,
1179 28 August,
1313 24 October,
1411 24 July,
1420 22 January,
1457 6 February,
1494 (1495) 10 February,
1497 21 April,
1498 22 June,
1514 25 October,
1562 2 November,
1573 25 April,
1593 2 April,
1594 16 July,
1595 31 October,
1596 8 August,
1633 7 February,
1633 24 June,
1639 19 June,
1642 10 May,
1644 13 September,
1647 3 December,
1652 24 May,
1715 20 September,
1746 6 March,
1747 29 December,
1748 25 December,
1750 10 July,
1753 24 July,
1768 3 December,
1771 26 December,
1784 14 November,
1787 1 June,
1789 14 December,
1794 24 June,
1795 21 April,
1813 1 April,
1815 1 June,
1815 5 June,
1817 21 February,
1830 26 June,
1831 19 December,
1833 15 October,
1838 6 June,
1842 4 October,
1848 7 September,
1850 12 September,
1851 13 July,
1860 15 September,
1868 22 August,
1876 5 April,
1881 2 July,
1883 27 September,
1884 12 June,
1887 27 July,
1889 13 December,
1898 14 May,
1903 15 August,
1906 27 September,
1906 3 December,
1913 9 December,
1914 30 July,
1914 29 August,
1914 15 October,
1915 25 September,
1923 22 February,
1934 2 June,
1934 28 July,
1936 23 September,
1941 10 October,
1942 18 July,
1943 21 April,
1950 14 January,
1952 31 October,
1958 12 May,
1958 24 July,
1963 15 August,
1964 21 May,
1966 1 November,
1968 2 December,
1972 2 February,
1973 13 August,
1975 3 November,
1980 28 August,
1983 11 May,
1983 25 October,
1988 6 July,
1990 25 June,
1991 8 August,
1992 12 June,
1998 10 December,
1999 18 July,
2001 20 April,
2006 21 September,
2010 16 April,
2014 1 July,
2014 10 September,
2015 3 July,
Sources and References,
About the Author,
Copyright,