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Introduction to the Tenth
Volume Since the
publication of the last volume of the Transactions the title of the Club has
been changed from the “Buchan Field Club” to “The Buchan Club.” It was found
that the title “Field Club” was too restricted in meaning when one
considered the nature of the investigations carried out by the Society. An
examination of the Transactions of the Club for the past 25 years reveals
the fact that the Club has not only conducted researches on the flora and
fauna of the district, but it has worked very frequently in archaeological,
historical, and other fields. After due consideration, therefore, the new
title was adopted. This title is descriptive only of the territory and does
not indicate any particular branch of science as a field for study. The
memoirs contained in this (the tenth) volume are chiefly historical and
biological. No less than five papers appear dealing with the history of the
North-East. A most comprehensive and able review of the life of James
Francis Edward Keith, the great Field-Marshal, from the pen of Mr Robert
Anderson, appears as the first memoir. Members will read with interest the
account of the antecedents and career of this great Scotsman. The connection
of the Keiths with Aberdeenshire dates from Bannockburn, when Sir Robert
Keith received the forest of Kintore and other lands in the North-East as a
reward for his unique service at Bannockburn and for his loyalty and
adherence to the Bruce. Field-Marshal Keith was born at the Castle of
Inverugie in 1696—a year famous in Aberdeenshire from the fact that every
pollable person living within the shire of Aberdeen is known to us to this
day from the poll book. In 1715 Field-Marshal Keith and his brother the Earl
Marischal took the step which ultimately drove them to a foreign land and
gave them the opportunities for carving out careers worthy of their
ancestral qualities. This memoir should be read in conjunction with Dr
Bruce’s “Earl Marischal” and Andrew Chalmers’ contributions to the history
of Buchan.
Sheriff Ferguson contributes two interesting papers dealing in a
comprehensive manner with the old castles and the old baronies of Buchan.
The appearance of castles in Buchan is contemporary with the arrival of the
great Norman family of Cornyn in the North-East. During the age of the great
barons, which extended from the time of the Norman Conquest to about 1300,
the old castles of Slains, Ravenscraig, Rattray, Dundarg, and others were
built. The chief castles of the middle period which ran from 1300 to 1600
were Inverallochy, Cairnbulg, Fedderate, Fyvie, and Inverugie. The more
modern castles are those of Philorth, Ellon, and Brucklay. The memoir on the
old castles should be read in conjunction with the “Old Baronies of Buchan,”
which is a mine of information respecting the earldom of Buchan, the
regality of Slains, the lordship of Inverugie, and the baronies of Kinmundy,
Pitfour, King Edward, Philorth, Pitsligo, Strichen, Fedderate, Fyvie, and
others.
A most interesting account of “Cruden’s two Bishops” is written by the Rev.
Adam Mackay, Cruden. Those two able men, James Drummond, Bishop of Brechin,
and William Dunbar, minister of the parish of Cruden, and subsequently
Bishop of Moray and Ross and Bishop of Aberdeen, suffered greatly at the
hands of the Presbyterians during the stirring period at the close of the
seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries. This historical
note of the relations which the two Bishops had with the parish of Cruden is
written by a kind hand and is full of just appreciation of two remarkable
men.
Rev. J. B. Davidson contributes an excellent paper, full of great detail, on
the “Third Volume of the Deer Presbytery Record,” from the year 1701 to
1710. It is interesting to note that Mr Davidson, as clerk to the
Presbytery, has charge of the Presbytery Records, and it is quite evident
that he has studied them with loving care. The records were carefully
written, the penmanship being exceedingly good, although the style of
writing would now be called old-fashioned. One finds from these records most
interesting facts reflecting light on the life of the population of
Aberdeenshire 200 years ago. One continually finds references to collections
made for harbours in various parts of the country, Banff, Pennan, and
Peterhead; for instance, and Eyemouth, to mention a harbour outside the
boundaries of the north-eastern counties.
Major Cheyne contributes a short paper on “Some Heraldic Records of Buchan”
collected by him from various churchyards in East Aberdeenshire. This paper
is well illustrated, and should be read by all those interested in heraldry.
Biological papers are contributed by Mr H. B. Mitchell, who writes on “The
Colour and Song of Wild Birds;” Dr Bowman, who writes on “Fish Life in the
North Sea;” Dr Rennie, who contributes a short article on ‘‘Economic Natural
History;” William Taylor, Lhanbryde, a Naturalist of wide experience, who
writes on some ‘‘Records of Whales and Porpoises Captured or Stranded on the
East of Scotland during the past 40 years;” and Professor J. Arthur Thomson,
who writes on the ‘‘Wonders of Bird Migration.” These papers should be read
by all local Naturalists—they are full of valuable information. Mr H. B.
Mitchell’s paper is of a somewhat controversial character, dealing as it
does with the problem o! selection. It is a difficult matter to upset or
disprove Darwin’s conclusions, and one is afraid that until a larger mass of
material of a quantitative character is collected and collated, little
advance will be made in our knowledge of this most fascinating problem.
There is no doubt whatever that selection in lower animal life has taken
place, and one should never lose sight of the fact that selection of one
character usually means unconscious selection of many other characters as
well. It is possible that in some instances colour selection may be of this
secondary nature. The Club is indebted both to Mr H. B. Mitchell and to
Professor Thomson for having placed their views so clearly before the
members, and it is hoped that their action will stimulate others to enter
the field and to place the results of their observations before the Club.
A very interesting lecture was given to the members by Mr John Don on
“Modern Methods of Water Purification,” a summary of which appears in this
volume.
Four excursions were held during the period reviewed in this volume. The
first of these was an excursion to Kinmundy under the leadership of Sheriff
Ferguson on 1st September, 1909, when he gave an account of the old castles
of Buchan. The second was held on 3rd September, 1910, to Inverquhomery,
under the leadership of the late Dr Alexander Bruce, president of the Club.
Dr Bruce read his retiring presidential address, the subject being “The
Tenth and Last Earl Marischal.” This address appears as the second chapter
of Section VI. of the Book of Buchan, and is not printed in the volume under
review.
The excursion for 1911 took place on 5th August to Cruden, and was under the
leadership of the Rev. Adam Mackay, who contributed the paper on “Cruden’s
Two Bishops” already referred to.
A very largely attended and successful excursion was held to Pennan and
Fraserburgh on the 31st August, 1912, under the leadership of Professor J.
Arthur Thomson, who was assisted by Professor Trail, Dr A. W. Gibb, Mr
Pycraft, and Mr A. Landsborough Thomson. Professor Thomson gave a short
address on the “Cliff Birds of Pen nan.” Professor Trail spoke of the flora
of the district, and Dr Gibb gave a lucid exposition of the reason why beds
of old red sandstone were to be found in Pennan and nowhere else in Buchan.
Mr James Grant, president of the Banffshire Field Club, followed with an
interesting and detailed account of the history of the district.
This volume runs to nearly 300 pages and is full of interest to Buchan
people born and bred. The editor sincerely trusts that the Buchan Club will
continue to be supported by natives of the North-East at home and abroad, if
only to prove among other things how utterly false is the statement that
there is nothing of historical interest in Buchan.
"Nought of historical interest here!”
Where the soil hath run red with the blood of the Dane,
Where the ruins are grey of the Abbey of Deer,
Of the towers of the Comyn, the Keith, and the Cheyne!
J. F. TOCHER.
Crown Mansions,
Union Street, Aberdeen,
20th January, 1914.
Download Transactions
of the Buchan Club 1908-1913 here in pdf format
Buchan Field Club
Thursday, 5th January, 1899, Retiring Presidential Address by Professor R.
W. Reid, M.D., F.R.C.S., University of Aberdeen (pdf)
Zoophytes
With Special Reference to the Buchan Coast by W. J. Caird (1903) (pdf) |
