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This station is placed in a moss, which, however, is fast disappearing under the hands of skilful cultivators. The road which crosses at this point is the main line from the interior of the country to the seaport of Newburgh at the mouth of the Ythan. There is a very good hotel at Newburgh, and the place is much frequented for the seatrout fishing in the estuary of the Ythan. In the immediate neighbourhood are the ruins of the castle of Knockhall, an ancient residence of the Udnys. It was erected in 1565, and was in the year 1734 accidentally burned, and has since continued in a state of ruin.

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About a mile to the north of the station is Esslemont House (H. Wolrige Gordon, Esq.) A little way from the modern house, which was rebuilt by the present proprietor, is the old castle of Esslemont, in a clump of trees not far from the farm-house of Mains of Esslemont. The "View of the Diocese says, "Esslemont is an old castle, the seat of the Cheynes of Esslemont. It has all the appearance of great age, and must have been of considerable strength, having been surrounded by a moat, the lines of which may be still distinctly traced.

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Leaving the station we pass through a very deep cutting through the hill of Woolaw, and cross the Ythan by a

bridge of four arches, and fifty feet above the stream. "The bridge across the Ythan at first consisted of three arches, and was completed in the autumn of 1860. On the 10th of the following February, owing to some undue pressure on the piers, it fell with a tremendous crash, which was distinctly heard a mile off. This accident was the cause of several months' delay in the opening of the line. The structure itself was very substantial and handsome, and the accident was entirely attributable to the slipping of the substratum on the south side of the river-a contingency entirely unexpected, and which probably could not have been anticipated.'

Crossing the river, we are in Buchan proper, and at Ellon.

Of Buchan some one from the South once remarked, "It's pretty enough, but there's nothing of historical interest about it!"

"Nought of historical interest here!" Must all history loom large on the annalist's page?

And there only doth matter of interest appear

Where great charter was signed or famed battle did rage?

"Nought of historical interest here!" Why-Buchan--the name speaketh loud of the past.

The king of broad Scotland its chieftain might fear,

Till in their own earldom they lost it at last. "Nought of historical interest here!" Where the soil hath run red with the blood of the Dane,

Where the ruins are gray of the Abbey of

Deer,

Of the towers of the Comyn, the Keith, and

the Cheyne !

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the south part of the parish of Methlic, the east of Tarves, most of LogieBuchan, Slains, Cruden, and Ellon. A coach runs from the station by the coast to Peterhead in connection with certain trains, as from this point the line runs directly north, leaving the large and important district between Ellon and Peterhead away to the right. Here, therefore, parties have to leave the train for Ellon Castle, Auchmacoy, Collieston, Pitlurg, Aquharnie, Slains, Aldie, etc.

The village of Ellon is about half a mile from the station, and is beautifully situated on the banks of the Ythan. This river, which we have already seen at Gight and Fyvie, has a course of about 31 miles. There is good salmon-fishing in it. "It is celebrated for its mussel pearls (Mya Margaritifera), and one of the jewels of the ancient crown of Scotland is said to have been found here."

"The kirk and kirk-lands of Ellon (New Statistical Account) belonged to the Cistercian Abbey of Kinloss in Moray. It is probable they were conferred on this abbey at its foundation in the middle of the 12th century. They certainly belonged to it in the 13th century, as we find that at an early period of the century following, Robert I. confirmed to the Abbey of Kinloss the advocation and donation of the Kirk of Ellon. The Kinloss monks probably acquired Ellon from one of the first Earls of Buchan. The Buchan family seems to have been partial to the Cistercian order."

"Ellon Castle was formerly called Kermucks, and under that name was possessed by Forbes of Waterton, and before him by Kennedy of Kermucks. It has been built anew by the present possessor, Gordon of Ellon (son to a farmer in Bourtie), a merchant in Edinburgh, and once a bailie there, and a rich man; and it is accounted here a very great house, the great halls having two rows of windows, and being 28 feet high. (Sir Samuel Forbes, Book of Bon Accord.)

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Almost no part of this "very great house now remains. In 1752, that Gordon of Ellon sold the property to the Earl of Aberdeen, who, in 1780 built large additions to the house, and made it his principal residence. A later proprietor (a collateral branch of the Aberdeen family, in the possession of whose descendants it still remains) unroofed the house and allowed it to fall into a state of complete dilapidation. The only portion of it now remaining is a fragment of the tower, which, ivy-mantled and hoary, forms a picturesque object on the beautiful terrace of the modern castle built in 1851. The gardens are well worthy of a visit, and contain some venerable yewtrees of very great size and beauty.

"The annals of Ellon," says Dr. Pratt, "could they be recovered from the graves of centuries where they lie buried, would furnish us with a curious episode in our history. Thrice a year, the Thane of Buchan-remember, reader, these were feudal times—accompanied by a proud array of retainPratt tells us, that from a letter of ers, resorted to Ellon to hold a head Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan, a court. Here all inferior holders of copy of which is preserved in the land, who, in a certain sense, were his charter-room of Slains Castle, of date vassals, engaged by 'ane band of manA.D. 1265, it appears that the said Earl of rent.' to 'heill his consaill, and gif him Buchan received a grant of certain lands the best consaill' they 'cane gif only of Ellon for himself and his two sons he askis'-assembled at his bidding, from Gameline, Archbishop of St. An- each attended by his own special redrews, for which he and his heirs were tainers, all mounted and armed to the to pay annually to the archbishop and teeth. There all cases of importance his successors two silver merks, and also throughout the thanedom were tried to render certain dues, with which the and summarily decided. The place of lands were burdened, the same to re-assembly was the Moat Hill, called in vert to the archbishop and church of later times the Earl's Hill of Ellon, St. Andrews on the death of the said a spot situated on the left bank of the earl and his two sons. Ythan, 80 or 90 yards below where the

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bridge now crosses the river. It was the place also where the Earls of Buchan were formerly invested with the title; and it is said that its possession continued to be anxiously claimed by the Lords of Buchan, when of all that great inheritance little or nothing remained with them but the name and dignity of Earl." "The Earl's Hill is included in the charter of the earldom, granted in 1574; and in 1615, Mary Douglas was infeft in the earldom of Buchan and Earl's Hill. The slight eminence or mound to which these charters make reference has now disappeared; but persons are still living in Ellon (1841) who remember the time when the Earl's Hill retained both its place and name. (New Stat. Account.) A few years after Dr. Robertson wrote the above, the late Alexander Gordon, on succeeding to the property, had this interesting memorial of the past partially restored and protected by a railing; but now the paling is broken down and the mound all but levelled.

ton, the grandson of Thomas, the last laird of Waterton, has placed a stone tablet, on which is cut the coat of arms of Forbes of Waterton, and the following inscription: "This stone marks the site of the ancient seat of the family of Forbeses, Lairds of Waterton, A.D. 1630-1770." "The footpath (says Pratt) is continued downwards, along the brink of the stream, and leads to a view of by far the finest reach in the river. The scenery here is singularly beautiful. The broad expanse of the stream with its rocky islets; the crags along both banks of the river-especi ally those on the left brink-bold and precipitous, often rising to the height of 100 feet and upwards; birch, mountain ash, and other trees clothing the steep, wherever sufficient soil for their support is to be found; the wild rose and the honeysuckle, interspersed with furze (whins), and the lang yellow broom,' the foxglove, and other wild flowers, combine to give a character to this secluded spot, which takes the visitor, introduced to it for the first time, quite by surprise. The footpath. extends for upwards of a mile from the meadow to the remains of a small ruin pointed out as the Abbot's Hill. This is in the vicinity of what is known as the Abbot's Haugh, and a little below the Abbot's Well. The dimensions of the foundations externally, from east to west, are about 30 feet, and from north to south about 15. Some vestiges of the Abbot's Garden, on the rock above the ruin, in a north-easterly direction, are also pointed out to the visitor. These interesting objects lie directly between the farmhouse of Mains of Waterton and the river."

From the east lodge of Ellon Castle, there is a private path leading down the river side, past the granaries of Messrs. Mitchell and Rae, and on through the wooded high bank of the river to some remains which are all that are now left of the old house or Castle of Waterton, the ancient seat of the Forbes. "There now remains nothing beyond the mere indications of this once proud mansion. It occupied a prominent situation on a rocky eminence immediately over the river. The building was begun after the Reformation by the Bannermans of Elsick, and finished about the middle of the following century by Forbes, a son of Tolquhon, the first of the name who possessed the estate. Soon after obtaining the lands of Kenmuick he became Constable of Aberdeen, an office heritably attached to those lands. The castle and lands continued in the possession of the Forbes for upwards of a century, when they became, by purchase (1770), the property of the Earl of Aberdeen.' Waterton and Kenmuick now belong to Ellon. On the fragment of the castle, J. H. Forbes, of Merry Oaks, Southamp-begun in 1832, and took two years to

Passing up through the garden of the Mains of Waterton, half a mile or so brings you to Auchmacoy, two miles from Ellon.

Auchmacoy House is modern, and was built by the late James Buchan, of Auchmacoy, which property is now in the possession of his daughter and only surviving child. The remains of the old house are in the wood, at a short distance from the new house, which is admirably situated. It was

holding it of the Earls of Buchan until the forfeiture of the too powerful Cummins, in the reign of King Robert Bruce. In 1503 James IV. gave Andrew Buchan of Auchmacoy a new charter, and erected his lands into a free barony, which has been inherited by his lineal male descendants ever since."

An eminent member of this family was Major-General Thomas Buchan, who adhered to the Stewarts after the Revolution. He was the third son of James Buchan of Auchmacoy, by Margaret Seton, daughter of Alexander Seton of Pitmedden. He died at Ardlogy in Fyvie, and was buried in LogieBuchan A.D. 1720. After the battles of Killiecrankie and Dunkeld he became commander-in-chief for James in Scotland. "There can be little doubt that General Buchan, though not in command, was present with the Marquis of Huntly's troops at the battle of Sheriffmuir on the 13th November 1715."-New Statistical Account.

build. The style is Elizabethan. "The ground to the westward slopes gradually to the margin of a little stream, and forms a beautiful lawn, embellished with clumps of trees and shrubs; and to the north rises to a gentle eminence, richly clothed with wood. On the south and east the house overlooks a steep glen, tastefully laid out and cut into walks. Beyond this is seen the noble sweep formed by the Ythan, with the sea in the distance. A finer situation can hardly be imagined.' So says Dr. Pratt, and the present editor entirely agrees with him. From the oriel window of the library, which is on the second floor, the view is unrivalled. To the right the rich cultivated country landscape is shut in by the noble outline of Bennachie. In front you look down the wooded hollow to the river. To the left the view comprises the broad reach of the Ythan, spanned by a graceful bridge of great length, for the river here is a broad tidal estuary, while the warehouses of New- To any one desirous of exploring burgh, and the masts of the vessels lying the singular sand-covered parish of at its quay, loom large in the haze that Forvie, Ellon is the nearest point. He melts in the distance into the ocean. should drive to Waterside, on the north The "View of the Diocese of Aberdeen," bank of the Ythan, and walk from that written about 1730, says, "This family point to Collieston. 'Leaving the has possessed Auchmacoy these four road at Waterside (Pratt), and turning hundred years; the first of them hav- a little to the right, we find a footpath ing been a son of Cummin, Earl of leading through the very centre of the Buchan (whence Auchmacoy still bears Sands of Forvie. This remarkable the coat of Cummin, Earl of Buchan, waste lies along the north bank of the with a mollet for difference), who had Ythan, and extends to the village of got this small estate from his father, Collieston, a distance of nearly four and did, notwithstanding the almost miles. Not far from the centre of the general rebellion of his clan against sands, and at some distance on the King Robert the First, adhere so faith-right of the footpath, are the foundafully to that prince that he was allowed to retain his estate (when the other Cummins were forfeited) upon the condition of his taking a new name; whereupon he chose that of Buchan. Those of this family have been frequently bailies to the Bishop of Aberdeen.'

The "New Statistical Account," written by the late Rev. Dr. Robertson, then (1841) minister of Ellon, says: "It appears from Robertson's 'Index of scarce Charters' that the Buchans of Auchmacoy were proprietors of that estate so far back as the year 1318,

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tions and part of the walls of what is
said to have been the parish church.
The ruin is on the margin of a tiny
streamlet.
The period at which
the parish was overblown, and the
cause by which the catastrophe was
brought about are not very well authen-
ticated. It is said that the calamity
happened in the year 1688, and that it
was the result of a furious storm from
the east, of nine days' duration.
But when authentic history fails, pop-
ular tradition-aided, probably, by a
love of the marvellous-comes to our
assistance. The traditionary tale of the

Sands of Forvie is, that about four hundred years ago the proprietor to whom the parish then belonged died, leaving his lands to his three daughters. In that lawless age the helpless orphans were, through fraud and violence, despoiled of their inheritance. Being thrown upon the world, they, in the bitterness of their grief, prayed to heaven to avenge their wrongs, and to make the fair fields of which they had been so unjustly defrauded worthless to the ravager and his posterity. An old rhyme embodies the malediction of the fair sufferers

"If ever maiden's malison,

Did licht upon dry land,
Let nocht be fund in Forvie's glebes,
Bot thistle, bent, and sand."

Time passed on, but still the prayer
was unheard; but at length a furious
storm arose, which raged without in
termission for nine days. The maidens'
weird was accomplished. Such is the
tradition; the fact is certain-the
parish is a sandy desert.". It was pro-
bably overblown, at least in great part,
before 1688; and a well-authenticated
storm which commenced on 10th August
1413, and continued for many days,
may have been the first instrument of
the destruction. There is a wild weird-

ness and loneliness about these sands

and their great variety of character and general interest make them always fresh, however often a visit to them is repeated. The rocks of Collieston, with their numerous caves, are also great attractions to this part of the coast.

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of Yssie, on the opposite bank of the
Ythan. There is a heavy cutting
through what is called the Gallowhill.
To the left, on the brow of the hill, is
a clump of trees marking the spot
where the gallows stood in the old days
when lairds had the power of "pit and
gallows"-drowning and hanging. A
little beyond, on the opposite side of
the Ebrie, and on the verge of the hill,
is the Stone of Drumwhindle. This is
a huge monolith, some 12 or 14 feet
high. There is no certain information
as to its origin. The present editor
has heard that it formed one of a line
of similar stones stretching across the
country from the sea on the east to the
Moray Firth, and that they were ancient
landmarks of divisions of provinces in
by various septs or tribes.
the days when the land was inhabited
It is an
impressive object in the landscape from
its vastness and from the mysteriousness
of its origin and history.

On the right of the station is Arnage
(Ross). The house is not visible from
the railway, the tops of the towers only
may be seen for an instant in passing,
overtopping the trees.
situated, and surrounded by fine thriving
It is beautifully
woods.

66

Cheynes of Arnage, since bought by
"Arnage, of old the seat of the
Rose, a merchant of Aberdeen."-(View
of the Diocese.) The Rosses are said to
be descended from the Roses of Kilra-
vock.
castellated building, of small size, but
Arnage House is a sort of
originally it had been a place of con-
siderable strength. The walls in the
lower story are six or seven feet thick,
and pierced with loopholes. It was of
old the seat of the Cheynes of Arnage,
cadets of the Cheynes of Esslemont,
and descendants of the old barons of
the Craig of Inverugie. The oldest
part of the house was probably built
by the Cheynes." "It has lately,"
says Dr. Pratt, "had some important
additions made to it from the designs
of Mr. Matthews, Aberdeen, con-
sisting of an entrance-hall and stair-
case, two drawing-rooms connected
by folding doors, and opening into a
handsome conservatory, ladies' boudoir,
etc. Over the entrance door, which

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