Auchenblae

Auchenblae Scottish Gaelic:Achadh nam Blàth
Auchenblae Location withinAberdeenshire
Population	520 (2022)
OS grid reference	NO7278
Council area	Aberdeenshire
Lieutenancy area	Kincardineshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Scottish Parliament	Angus North and Mearns

Auchenblae(/ˌɔːxənˈbleɪ/,Scottish Gaelic:Achadh nam Blàth) is a village in theKincardine and Mearnsarea ofAberdeenshire,formerly inKincardineshire,Scotland.The village was known for its weavers, a whisky distillery and the annual Paldie's Fair horse market.

Etymology

The name is a derivation from theGaelicfor "Field of Flowers" possibly due to the growing of flax in bygone times.Several spelling variations have historically been used, including Auchinblae, Auchinblay and Auchynbleay.

History

Auchenblae developed as two separate settlements, Fordoun and Auchenblae, that merged in the latter half of the 19th century. The older settlement of Fordoun was centred on Fordoun Parish Church in the south of the current village which has been a religious site since the7th century.The original village of Auchenblae makes up the north of the current village. Auchenblae is recorded from the 16th century and was significantly enlarged in 1770 by a planned development to house mill workers.After the two settlements were linked by the development of Monboddo Street including the current village hall, the combined settlement came to be known as Auchenblae. Note that the nearby contemporary village ofFordounwas originally named Fordoun Station and grew around thetrain stationthat was opened in 1849 to serve the historic villages of Auchenblae and Fordoun.

Pre-Christian history

The land around Auchenblae has been inhabited for thousands of years. Some of the earliest local evidence of human habitation is apit alignmentfound at Pittengardner (located between Auchenblae andFordoun).Based on its similarity to excavated pit alignments atCrathes,the feature has been tentatively dated asMesolithic.A later, possiblyIron Age,settlement was found at the same site consisting of at least 12 timberround-houses.

The recorded history of Scotland begins with thearrivalof theRoman Empirein the1st century.In 82 AD,Gnaeus Julius Agricolainvaded the northeast of Scotland and established achain of fortificationsclose to theHighland Line.ARoman marching camp,referred to as the West Camp, may have been located at Fordoun Mains (approx. 1.5 miles south of Auchenblae).The location of the camp was identified in the 18th century with detailed measurements taken by Rev. Dr. Leslie in 1799,however by this point very little evidence remained of the camp. By 1893, the camp earthworks had been completely levelled for farmingand the most recent survey found no evidence of the camp other than inconclusivecropmarks.

The Parish of Fordoun

The church of Fordoun wasconsecratedbyDavid de Bernham,Bishop of St Andrewsin 1244.

Theparsonageand resources of the Fordoun church were annexed toSt Andrews cathedral prioryas a gift fromRobert the Brucein completion of a vow he had made atBannockburn.The annexation was completed at some point after 1329 when a commission was established to review and ratify the grant.The priory maintained its right to appoint the vicar of the parish until thereformation.By the fifteenth century, the church and therelicsof St. Palladius continued to attracted a steady flow ofpilgrims.

The lands of Fordoun were granted toJohn BeatonbyKing James IVin 1506-7 in thanks to his father,David Beaton's service asTreasurer of Scotland.

Fordoun was granted the status ofBurgh of baronybyQueen Mary Iin 1554.The status was granted in part due to Mary's friendship with Fordoun's landownerRobert Beaton.Burgh status gave Fordoun the right to erect amarket crossand hold weekly markets, electbailiesand hold an annual fairs on St Palladius day (which became the Paldy Fair).

17 to 19th centuries

The current parish church was built between 1827 and 1829 by John Smith.The church was built on the opposite side of the Luther Water was built next to an older chapel dedicated to St. Palladius and was formerly known as Fordoun Parish Church.The location of the older chapel, known as at Kirkton of Fordoun was the birthplace of the chroniclerJohn of Fordun(before 1360 – c. 1384) and has been a religious site since the 7th century. The bones ofSt Palladiuswere brought to Auchenblae.There is aPictish cross slab,theFordoun Stone,in the kirk's vestibule. In the graveyard is the ancient ruin of St Palladius' Chapel and there is a memorial to Scotland's first Protestant martyrGeorge Wishart,born at Mains of Pittarrow in the old parish ofFordounand burnt at the stake under the orders ofCardinal Beatonin St Andrews. The memorial was erected in 1850.

Growth of Auchenblae

Auchenblae began as a smallhamletimmediately to the north of Fordoun, it is documented from as early as 1506 whenfeuswere granted by theAbbot of Aberbrothock.

Auchenblae did not grow significantly until the end of the 18th century when the population grew rapidly from twelve families in 1795 to three hundred people by 1810.The growth of the village coincided with the construction of aflax spinning millby David Kinnear in 1796 that created employment for forty people, mainly women andchildren.The mill was constructed at the south end of what is now the Den park and was powered by theLuther Water.At the turn of the century, Kinnear acquired a permanent feu to the land was mill was built on from theEarl of Kintore.

Paldy Fair

The Paldy Fair, named in honour ofSt Palladius,was an annualcattle and horse fairheld until the mid 19th century which at its peak was the largest fair in theMearns.The Fair began on the first Tuesday of July (close to St Palladius's feast day of the 6th July) and continued for four days, with Tuesday for sheep; Wednesday for homemade fabrics, Thursday forcattleand Friday for horses.On Thursdays, up to 3000 cattle and more than as many people could be present.The Fair was held on a hill about a mile and half to the north of the village (at approx.56°55′11.4″N2°27′01.7″W). Rows of tents were erected to accommodate the visitors with food and drinks sold byinnkeepersfrom the neighbouring villages.The Fair dates from 1554 when Fordoun was granted the status of aBurghand was still thriving by the early 19th century.The arrival of the railway to Fordoun in 1849led to a decline in the importance of the Fair and by 1893 it had ceased.

In addition to the Paldy Fair, Auchenblae hosted a weekly cattle market during the winter season.

19th century developments

Auchenblae planned layout in 1828. Flax spinning mill built in 1796 shown with a 'C'.

After theDisruption of 1843,aFree Church of Scotlandcongregation was formed in the village. A church was built in 1843 and amansein 1847.The church was built at the north of Burnett Street beside the Luther Water. In 1848, the Free Church congregation had a membership of 333 but by 1900 this had declined to 137.The parish joined theUnited Free Church of Scotlandin 1900 when the majority of the Free Church combined with theUnited Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

20th century to present

Auchinblae distillerywas ascotch whiskydistillery in the village that was in operation between 1895 and 1916.Prior the distillery, the site was occupied byspinning mill,the Den Mill, that was built in 1795 beside Luther Water.

During the1908 Kincardineshire by-election campaign,theWomen’s Freedom Leagueheld a meeting in Auchenblae as part of a wider campaign by the group to protest theLiberal government's unwillingness to bring invotes for women.

As part of the national war effort, a number of men from the Parish of Fordoun (consisting of both Auchenblae andFordoun) volunteered or were conscripted to fight inWorld War IandII.Awar memorialwas erected on Gilbert's Hill overlooking the village in 1920 which records the names of the 29servicemenfrom the parish who were killed in World War I and 13 servicemen and one civilian who were killed in World War II.The memorial in Fordoun Memorial Hall lists the names of an additional 14 men from the parish who were killed in World War I.Many of the killed had joined the county regiment, theGordon Highlanders.The death toll from the village would likely have been higher if the parish's principal source of employment was not farming which was protected as areserved occupation.

TheUnited Free Churchcongregationunitedwith the main parish in 1929, and the church on Burnett Street fell into disuse. The church building was subsequently converted into acinemaand then agaragebut was demolished in the early 21st century to make way for new housing.

In 1968,Scottishfarmer and businessmanMaxwell Garviewas murdered at West Cairnbeg, approximately 3 miles from Auchenblae, in "one of the most infamous murders in Scottish criminal history".

In 2009, there was agas explosionat the Drumtochty Arms hotel in the village.The explosion left three people injured and resulted in a fine for the company, as well as demolition of the hotel.

Auchenblae was designated as aConservation AreabyAberdeenshire Councilon 28th October 2014.The stated purpose of conferring a village with conservation area status is to "ensure their character or appearance is preserved and enhanced for current and future generations".

Looking down into Auchenblae from the kirkyard

Amenities

AuchenblaeGolf Course,a 3,640 yard, 9 hole golf course is located to the northeast of the village.

Auchenblae has a community owned park called The Den that includes a mixture of woodland, twoplay parks,picnicareas,tennis courts,abowling greenand a smallpavillionwith public toilets. The Den is located directly to the west of the high street, running beside theLuther Waterburn.

Auchenblae has a second park, located about half a mile to the west of the village with an 11-a-sidefootball pitch.The football pitch was officially renamed Morgan Park on 22nd July 2022 in honour of Kenny Morgan who had managed Auchenblae Football Club for over 20 years as well as working as agreenkeeperat Auchenblae golf course.

The majority of the recreational facilities in Auchenblae, including the golf course and the Den, are managed by Auchenblae Parks Committee, a volunteer run village group.

Public transport

Auchenblae is a stop on the Number 26 bus route, operated by Smith & Sons. This route connectsStonehaventoLaurencekirk,servicing the villages in between. On weekdays, there are approximately 6 buses per day, while no services are available on weekends.

The nearest train station is 5 miles away inLaurencekirkwith regular trains running to Stonehaven andAberdeen.

Education

Auchenblae Primary School is located next to the church on a hill overlooking the village. The school has capacity for approximately one hundred students with a nursery on the same site providing a further 24preschoolplaces.Students are split between five composite classes. Students have been taught at the site for over 130 years with the main building built in 1889. The grounds of the school include a variety of facilities including aplayground,sports field,wildlife area, and outdoor classroom.

The majority of secondary school pupils from Auchenblae attendMearns AcademyinLaurencekirk.

Culture

Each June, the village hosts the DrumtochyHighland Gameson the grounds ofDrumtochty Castle.The Games were first held in 1977 as part of theSilver Jubilee celebrationsofElizabeth II.The Games includes a variety of traditional contests includinghighland dancing,bagpiping,ahill race,tug-of-warandheavy events.

Landmarks

As of 2014, Auchenblae had 75listed buildingsincluding the village hall, church and school.

Auchenblae school house was built in 1850 and the current school building circa 1889 (they are Category C listed).

Auchenblae village hall on Monboddo Street was built to agable roofdesign in 1870 to a design by the Architect Johnstone and is Category B listed.The cost of construction was £500, most of which was raised by acharity bazaarwith stalls run by women from Auchenblae and the surrounding parishes.

Drumtochty Castle,aneo-gothicstylecastellatedmansionerected in 1812 is located approximately three kilometres northwest of the village and is a category A listed building. Drumtochty Castle is a popular venue for weddings but is not otherwise open to the public. The St PalladiusEpiscopalChurch is located on the castle grounds and was built by Arthur Clyne for Rev. J S Gammell, the then owner of the castle, in 1885andconsecratedby theBishop of Brechinin 1886.

Notable people and residents

• John of Fordun(before 1360–c.1384),Scottishchroniclerwho authored one of the earliest attempts to write a continuoushistory of Scotland,is commonly agreed to have been born in the old parish of Fordoun.
• George Wishart(c.1513-1546), aScottish Protestant Reformerand one of the early Protestantmartyrsburned at the stake as aheretic,was born at Mains of Pittarrow in the old parish of Fordoun.
• James Taylor(1985-1892), developer of the tea industry inBritish Ceylon,was born in the village.
• James Burnett, Lord Monboddo(1714–99), judge on theCourt of Sessionlived atMonboddo House.He was author ofThe Origin and Progress of Man and Language,a study ofevolutionthat predated the work ofCharles Darwin.
• James Beattie(1735–1803), Scottish scholar and writer was born inLaurencekirkand first worked as schoolmaster in Fordoun. He became Professor of Moral Philosophy and Logic atMarischal Collegeand is noted for hisEssay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth(1770) and poemThe Minstrel.
• Alexander Hamilton(1739-1802), co-founder of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh,one of the first doctors to recognise the infectious nature of puerperal fever was born in the old parish of Fordoun.

In popular culture

It is featured inLewis Grassic Gibbon's novel,Sunset Song,as well as being mentioned in thethrash metalsong "Hotel Blast Terror" byThrashist Regime,based on the tragic 2009 Gas explosion.

Gallery

• 
  Auchenblae Village Hall in 2009.
• 
  Former Auchenblae Free Church of Scotland building in use as garage (now demolished).

See also

• Drumtochty Castle
• Monboddo House

Bibliography

• Grove, A (1967),The History of Auchenblae,Angus, Scotland: Scottish Women's Rural Institutes, Auchenblae Branch
• Ronald P.A. Smith,Stonehaven/Portlethen Street Plan: Including Auchenblae, Drumlithie, Gourdon(1998)ISBN1-85812-904-4