THE publication of the Third Statistical Account of Scotland has roused interest in local parish history. This applies in no small way to Banffshire. Even the natives have been awakened to the importance of their small burghs in the various corners of the county.  And as a result I have been encouraged to piece together some interesting information which I have collected over the years.

​

There can be little doubt about Portsoy being an old place, but much of its early history seems lost in the haze of antiquity.  Much of our information has come from Church records, Portsoy being, of course, in the parish of Fordyce.

​

Looking at a map of north-east Scotland and the Moray Firth Coast it is not surprising that people, however primitive, should choose a sheltered spot between two headlands - Redhythe and Cowhythe Heads — where they could build dwellings.  Close proximity to the sea was an advantage, fishing being a means of livelihood as well as providing food.

​

One can picture Portsoy as a little hamlet in far off feudal times.  An old Gazetteer mentions that possibility, with tenants building their dwellings in a cluster round the abode of their feudal overlord.

​

But to come to more authentic history, records exist from the time of Mary, Queen of Scotland. That brave lady had come north with her army to Inverness to quell the Gordon Rebellion. We are told that, "On September 19, 1562, she departed from Spynie, dined at Cullen and supped at 'Craig o' Boyne'."  The Boyne Castle, well known to the present generation was built at a later date, perhaps by Alexander Ogilvie, Earl of Boyne. His wife, Mary Bethune, was one of the Queen’s Marys - said to be 'the hardiest and the wisest'.

 

It is interesting to note that, after Mary Bethune's death, Alexander Ogilvie married for the second time.  His choice on this occasion was Lady Jean Gordon whom Bothwell had divorced in order to marry Queen Mary.

 

Before this time Mary had granted a charter to Portsoy, making it a Burgh of Barony, but the ratification did not take place until 1581 by Act of Parliament.  The Earls of Boyne seem to have taken a prominent part in Scottish affairs, sitting in Parliament in Edinburgh.  Patrick the 8th Earl was later made Lord Boyne.  Much may have been written about Boyne Castle and its owners but it is sometimes difficult to separate fact from fiction.  Dr Douglas Simpson of Aberdeen University has done a great deal towards piecing together the Castle's history.

The Ogilvie family had interests in Portsoy.  Their 'town house' was built close to the harbour and though pulled down during the process of cleaning up the area some years ago, it is still remembered as 'the Ritchies'.  And there still exist some good picture postcards of the building. To Patrick Ogilvie goes the credit of having the little harbour built at Portsoy.  Trade in wines, silks and other merchandise would have been in the interests of the lairds of Boyne.

 

Up till 1792, fishing must have continued as an important occupation in Portsoy.  From a statistical account of the Parish of Fordyce by the Rev. J. Lawtie, we learn that the usual catches of fish were ‘Ling, Cod, Haddock as well as Dog, Whiting, Mackerel and Turbot'.  He also mentions shoals of herrings and reports that porpoise, seals and even whales had been seen in the Firth.  Lawtie makes some very interesting observations on the gathering of seaweed to be used as manure on the land.

​

The eighteenth century brought many changes in Scotland and to some degree these would affect Portsoy.  The Ogilvie family were Jacobites and like many more lost their lands after the '15 and '45 Rebellions.  By the turn of the century we find that the feudal superiors of Portsoy were now the Seafield family, resident at Cullen.  We hear of a pier being built in 1825 at great expense - forming a New Harbour - only to be destroyed by storms in 1839.  The result being the return of shipping to the Old Harbour - small, perhaps, but safer.

​

It must have been a thrilling sight watching from the shore, as sailing ships came in to Portsoy to unload. What did they bring?  Coal?  Yes — although peat was still in general use, coal fires were the new fashion where citizens could afford them.  The ships brought bones, too, for the Mill in the centre of the town, and often some flax.  Strange to say that in this district flax was being raised locally up to the end of the 18th century; then in records of 1842 we find that it is being imported, though in small quantities.  So here was change even in a small way.  A small rope factory or Manufactory, as it was then called, took the place of a thread Manufactory and bleachfield.

​

Now, what did these ships take away from Portsoy? - Fish, I believe, and grain and sometimes stone from the quarries - for example, Serpentine, known as Portsoy Marble, and soapstone, often used as ballast and then sold to the English Potteries.

​

One can picture a long line of horses and carts coming down Church Street past the 'Reekie Raw' on the way to the harbour to unload grain and then perhaps re-load with coal.  These were busy days in Portsoy, and most of the activity would be around the Shorehead.  Merchants' stores did a thriving trade and the inns and ale-shops provided good refreshment, for heavy work and a long day were thirst provoking.

 

In an old Directory of Scotland (1837), I found some interesting sidelights on Portsoy of the early 19th century.  To provide liquid refreshment for the hard working townsfolk and for those who came from distant places, Portsoy had about sixteen vintners, innkeepers and suppliers of ale and porter.  Such names as Gill's Inn, The Star, The Thistle and The Ship may conjure up pictures of old buildings once familiar to older natives of the town.  There are family names and occupations well known to our grandparents but meaning nothing to a 20th century generation.

 

The more important citizens of the town are listed in sections.

​

First came the Gentry and the Clergy.  Miss Ellen Fordyce, The Square; Mrs Geddes, Durn Road, whose home is now The Park Hotel.  Portsoy had at that time three churches: Roman Catholic Church - the Rev. W. Stewart; Episcopal Church - the Rev. A. Cooper; The Church of the Establishment whose minister, the Rev. A. Reid, is mentioned along with the Rev. J. Innes of Fordyce in connection with the Statistical Account of 1842.

​

Well known business names appear: Adam. Minty, Wine and Spirit Merchant.  Minty's Hall later became Portsoy's Town Hall and is now the meeting place of the local Salvation Army.  Arthur Benzie was a Linen Merchant as well as a dealer in Spirits.  Occupations came under names no longer familiar to us.  Butchers were then termed Fleshers.  There were Cartwrights, possibly called 'vrichts', Coopers, Locksmiths, Flax-dressers, Leather Cutters and a trade now unknown here - Lapidary, carried on by Abram Clark, Aird Street, whose name is mentioned in the Statistical Account of 1842. The name of Mr Mortimer, Clockmaker, interested me because his descendant became headmaster of Sandend School about 1911.  At this time Portsoy was a much more important place than Buckie - the latter being listed as a village - having only claim to two Gentry among its inhabitants.

​

The people of those days seemed fully alive to the benefits of education.  There were no fewer than five schools in Portsoy.  Eliza Bond's was in Old Cullen Road. I wonder if this was the Miss Bond, a native of Fortrose, who wrote 'Letters of a Village Governess'. and who died at Portsoy in 1839. Perhaps she carried on this school for young ladies, and extra fees were charged if they wished to learn Music, French, Drawing, etc.  There was the Grammar School in High Street, which was without endowment.  But the Society School, whose master was Thomas Philip by name, "enjoyed the liberality of the Earl of Seafield.  His salary was £15, augmented by £5 from the Earl, along with a house and cow's grass".  The Dame Schools — May Marshall's in Church Street and Miss Wiseman's in Aird Street - must have catered for the juniors and infants for the sum of one penny each per week.  I suppose one must admit that Education has become more expensive over the last hundred years.

 

Many changes took place before the end of the century and many Portsoy folks remember school days under Mr Kissack, Miss Liddell and Mr Maclean.

​

Having mentioned the clergy of Portsoy in the early 19th century let me mention the churches of those earlier days.  There is record of a church built between Durn House and Mill of Durn, near the bank of the Durn Burn.  This ill-fated chapel was burned by Cumberland's forces on their way to Culloden in 1746.  The Episcopal Church has in its possession the Chalice or Communion Cup saved from this building.  The Presbyterian Church was built about 1815, the minister being the Rev. Alex. Reid, already mentioned.

 

The Clock Tower, erected by public subscription, was built in 1876 and an inscription to that effect is visible on the side facing Mill Brae.  The clock and bells were gifted by Mr Fleetwood Wilson. One of the original bells was, I understand, used for some time at the School.  It bore an inscription: 'for the use of the Church, Portsoy. John Specht, Rotterdam, 1846'.

 

The West Church, now the Parish Church, was built about the time of the disruption and re-built later in 1869, with the addition of a handsome spire.  This spire is a prominent landmark and was unfortunately so in 1940 when German airmen paid a few visits to the town.

There was a break-away from the Free Church in 1856 when the U.P. Church was built. The Rev. Wm. Simmers was minister there for many years until his death, when the congregations united at the West Church.  The U.P. Church building was purchased by the local council and became the Town Hall.

 

I have already mentioned the stone called Serpentine or Portsoy Marble.  The 18th Century Directory mentions it as ca beautiful mixture of red, green and white accumulations which is made into tea-cups, ornaments and occasionally into fireplaces'.  One can be seen at Cullen House and another in Palace of Versailles, perhaps a result of trade with France in the prosperous days of the Ogilvies.  There must have been quite a demand for Portsoy Marble for in a feu charter of 1877 we read that the Rt. Honourable Sir John Clarles Ogilvie Grant, Earl of Seafield and Baron Strathspey, gave feu of a piece of ground on the bank of the Soy to Mr George Macdonald, Tacksman of the Marble Quarries and of 1 King's Arms Yard, London. This gave him also the privilege of using the water of the Loch of Soy and the Mill Dam for the purpose, connected with his business, of cutting, polishing or otherwise manufacturing Serpentine of Portsoy Marble.  This ground was purchased in 1885 from Mr George Macdonald by Mr Alexander Macdonald, of Macdonald Brothers, Portsoy.  The business of the Lapidary had ceased.  Since these days the making of articles from Portsoy Marble has been more or less a hobby. But some of the beautiful articles made were works of fine craftsmen. Many Portsoy folks still possess heirlooms from the works of Mr Leach and Mr Matthew.  It seems a pity that the pretty pieces of jewellery made by the late David Leys cannot be copied today as souvenirs to tempt the summer tourist.

The Red Rock, a landmark of former days, on the East Braes has disappeared.  Folks living in Portsov during  the Second World War were familiar with the name 'Glitterite'.  While doing a short geological survey at that time I received very interesting information on the subject from the late Mr Alexander Legat who supervised the quarrying for the firm known as 'Glitterite Ltd.'

 

"Pegmatite is the geological name of this red rock found on the East Braes. It is of a reddish colour and contains as impurities considerable flakes of mica.  Pieces, free of mica, form a poor quality felspar and are used in the pottery industry.  Those pieces containing fair quantities of mica are crushed and graded and then used for 'dry-dashing' of buildings, the mica giving a 'glitter' to the surface so relieving the usual dreary appearance of cement.  The fine gradings are being used as sand in the manufacture of artificial stone.

​

Soapstone, Mr Legat describes as a very soft rock which can be scratched with the thumb nail. "When ground it becomes talc powder, and is widely used in industry as well as for toilet purposes, This rock usually occurs in veins within Serpentine rock.  In Britain it is found in Cornwall, Perthshire, Inverness-shire and Banffshire.  Only at Portsoy is it in sufficient quantity to be worth quarrying.  At the quarry on the side of Durn Hill three veins of soapstone are being worked and are already removed to a depth of seventy five feet below ground level.

 

The rock is sent south to grinding mills where it is converted into a powder so fine that it passes through a sieve having 40,000 holes to the square inch.  In this form it is mainly used for the following purposes:-

Dressing Bituminous Roofing Felts.

In the Rubber Industry.

Pottery Industry for glazing china.

 

To this I must add that the powder from soapstone was also used locally on the floor of our halls when dances were held, since 'Slipperine' had gone off the market during the war years.  These industries of quarrying ceased in the post-war period.  Overhead and freight charges made the business an uneconomic undertaking.

​

Let me go back a century now to say a little about Portsoy’s first local Journal.  'A Public Record,' it was called, 'of things past and present and with a glance at the future'.  This was printed by Mr Thomas Anderson at his premises in the High Street in 1853.  In this issue reference is made to improvements at Mr Allan's Corn Mills, to his garden and to the new Durn Road.  Readers were invited to take a walk round by John Legge's Well and the Laigmoon Road.  And the editor was advocating a public subscription for a Town Clock to which I have already referred.

 

Here is a note on the interest in education.  An inspector - a minister from Cullen - addressing teachers and pupils, commented on the numbers seeking education - almost one quarter of the whole population.  But a Ladies' Seminary is condemned as being too small for the purpose and a public subscription was opened for funds to build a more fitting place. This paper was the original of what we later came to know affectionately as 'The Tammy'.

 

In my young day the editor was Mr Marcus Calder and many a time during the In notorious School Board squabbles he must have worked almost night and day on his reports for his paper. The Post Office made a good revenue off 'The Tammy' for hundreds of copies went out to Portsoy natives in far-away places.

 

Here are one or two items collected from copies of the paper:-

Notice - A Public Meeting of Ratepayers of the Parish of Fordyce will be held in Portsoy Town Hall on Friday, 8th September 1911, at

8 p.m.  Business -To protest against the School Board’s extravagant building proposals and to move Resolutions thereanent.

 

No doubt many people can recall the many incidents in those days of bitter feeling and controversy on the Fordyce-Portsoy School question.  The names of Father Slorach and the Rev. C. J. MacGregor were much quoted in the press reports and I do believe the editor sailed pretty near the wind at times in his risk of causing a libel action.  Another interesting announcement reads:-

Soup for School Children.

Dramatic Entertainment under the patronage of Fordyce School Board.

Two Laughable Farces

'Lodgings To Let' and

'The Area Belle'

by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Southby, the Rectory, will be produced in Town Hall, Portsoy, on Friday, 27th October at 8-30 p.m.  Tickets:- Front seats 1/6, Second seats 1/-.  After 8-10 p.m. a limited number will be admitted at 6d if possible.  Plans of Hall at Mr Reid's Shop, South High Street, where seats may be booked free of charge.  Musical Director and Pianist, Mr W. H. Hartley.

Business Managers, Messrs Noble and Mogford.  Doors open 8 p.m. Overture 8-25 p.m. Curtain 8-30. Carriages at 10-30 p.m.

 

There was a full report of the performance in 'The Tammy'.  Mrs Paterson and her players had acquitted themselves well and the sum of 10/- was contributed to the Soup Kitchen Fund.

​

But who was the 'Critic' who later on took the liberty to call the performance 'Caul Kail het up again' - and state that some of the major parts were, if anything, a trifle overdone?  In those days Mrs Paterson was looked upon as an actress of no mean ability but the 'Critic' thought her rather affected, with a bad habit of speaking in whispers.  'All the others are getting on fine - with practice comes perfection'.  And all this came before the days of Drama Festivals and Adjudicators! !

​

Another interesting feature of Mr Calder's production appeared at the end of summer holidays.  He used to publish the names of visitors to Portsoy, where they were staying, where they came from and their relationship, if any, to the townsfolk.

​

But I must return to life in general in the burgh of Portsoy.  Within the past century there have been many changes.  The sailing ships disappeared from the harbour and so did many of their cargoes. Fishing continued for some time - the Zulu boats gave place to the drifters and names the Boy Andrew, the Eglantine and the Clans bring memories of past prosperity.  Now oil fuel has taken the place of coal; boats are of a different design and are fishing from nearby ports, although their owners, we are glad to say, still reside in Portsoy.

​

When the railway first came to Portsoy and terminated here, there was abundance of work for both carters and carriers. The coach still operated between Portsoy and Fochabers as well as connections from Portsoy to Banff.

 

But with the opening of the Great North of Scotland Railway to Elgin a great change took place.  Goods went from road transport to rail.  Now it seems in our generation that the process has reversed.  Road transport has become general throughout the country.

​

And if the way of life has changed so have the people themselves.  Old customs die but that does not mean they are forgotten.  Natives of Portsoy coming hack on a visit find it easy to lapse into the Doric again and are ever anxious to recapture the atmosphere of their youth. “Man, Dod, dae ye mind fan we coupit yer faither's cairt intae the herbour on Hogmanay nicht?” There was no talk of juvenile delinquents in those good old days!  Just an old custom!

​

A more kindly one was the distributing of sowens to old friends on Auld Eel Nicht.  I recall the sowens being 'steeped' for several days, then boiled slowly for hours and later strained into jugs.  I used to carry a jug of this liquid to various 'old bodies' who lived near to my grandmother's home.

 

The sowens were reheated, syrup added and the beverage much enjoyed by the older folk.  I believe 'sowens' appears on the menu at the Auld Eel Celebrations of a Buchan Association held in Aberdeen every year.  If old customs have disappeared so have some types of people — we used to call them 'worthies'.  There was Mary Annie Bundle and Go, so named from a couplet she crooned when a bit tipsy.  There was Nansy Dattie and her husband, Jock.  I'm afraid I never knew their surnames. Nansy was a well-known figure of rather masculine dimension, who peddled her wares from a large basket.  She travelled mostly round the farms and crofts.  Her dress consisted of a long skirt and jacket; her shoes, a few sizes too big, revealed the heels of stockings much in need of darning.  Her head-gear was a hat of great size - the largest imaginable. Children were tempted to tease her, calling 'Nansy Dattie, caul tattie, wi' a feather in her hattie'.  Poor Nansy, footsore and weary after a long day's trek, would make a dart at the offenders and woe betide the one she caught.

 

There was Foggieloan Johnny who was just the type Charles Murray describes in his poem, 'The Packman'.  But Johnny needed no 'waucht o' ale to slock his drouth'.  A cup of good black tea soon quenched his thirst and helped the sales along.  I might add to these 'characters' Heather Nell and Besom Jock, one time tenants of the dungeons of Boyne Castle.

​

Places once well-known and now almost forgotten deserve mention.  To begin with, there was John Legge's Well.  I have not yet discovered who he was but the well is mentioned in the Statistical Account of 1842.  This spring water must have had some medicinal value.  The writer says, 'It is resorted to by many of the inhabitants of Portsoy in the summer months and also by strangers who come from the country for a change of air and the benefit of sea bathing'.  This may have been the beginning of the tourist attraction to Portsoy.  I believe that in the early part of this century some of the local councilors had the bay at John Legge's Well cleaned up so that picnics could be held there.  I feel sure the water would have made good tea.  At present there is no sign of any cleaning-up process there.  Other days other ways.  Coming towards the town there is now a splendid Swimming Pool at Sandy Pots, where the men's bathing hut used to be. The ladies' hut was at Marble Quarries, for mixed bathing was not in favour then.  The adjoining bay or inlet used to be known as the 'Quinelan', and there, I've been told, the women folk found some peculiar type of rock which they used as 'black lead' for their grates.  This bay has been an eye-sore to the town for years, since some unworthy occupants of nearby property used it as a rubbish dump.

​

Returning natives miss the old Bow property of North High Street and, of course, 'The Ritchies'.  The old Bleaching Green is still there, but the well seems out of commission.  Its good clear water was a boon indeed when the town supply was full of impurities. To remind us of old familiar places, there are still a few postcards of Portsoy, preserved from the stock of the late Marcus Calder, and some good photographs taken by the late Newton Brothers.  But perhaps the most precious memories are on the canvases of the painters who loved Portsoy, namely the late Mr Watson and the late Grant Murray, A.R.C.A.

​

To list the changes over the past fifty years would be an endless task in my writing, so let me mention only a few.

Don't expect to meet a fishwife with her creel on Culbert Rig, nor on a Sunday morning an elderly matron, dressed in a lace trimmed tippet and bonnet complete with ostrich feather and velvet bows, making her way to the Kirk.

​

In place of coach, stables and gigs there are buses, cars, garages and petrol pumps.  Grocers and bakers are still with us but the tallow chandler has been replaced by the electrician.

Children no longer buy Blackie Strypes or Locust Beans but Jelly Babies or Ice Lollies.

​

There is no longer a local paper.  Interest stretches to a wider horizon and one can have a choice of a dozen daily papers and as many on Sunday.

But school is still a part of everyday life and Church an integral part of the community.

Down the years one has learned about wars, world politics and economic forces but there is still much pleasure and contentment to be found in recollection.