ABERDEEN                                                   

                                FOLLOWING THE REINDEER 

                                                         Lys Wyness  

Several years ago in Leith, Edinburgh, I wandered through a close just off

As the earth started to warm up at the end of The Ice Age land appeared and the first Scottish inhabitants, circa 5000 B.C., travelled north, following the reindeer. I like to think that these self same unsophisticated but intrepid visitors to Leith moved on and in a few years eventually reached the Rivers Dee and Don and the streams of Denburn and Gilcomston Burns.

This roving race of Reindeer Folk was subsequently absorbed around 3000 B.C. by peoples of The Stone Age. Farming was established by tilling the soil, domesticating animals and evidence of skills has been found in clay vessels, weaving and polished stone. They buried their dead in vault-like chambers and raised cairns atop. Towards the end of The Stone Age circa 2000 B.C. new immigrants, Short-cist or Beaker Folk appeared from the Rhineland and Holland; they were so named as their custom was to bury their dead in a crouching position in a short cist of stone slabs. Accompanying the corpse on its journey would be a drinking vessel – a beaker.

                                                        Map showing early sites 

Dotted line indicates ancient line of the beach

 As time passed customs changed and around 1800 B.C. cremation was in vogue and bronze was utilized, this era was called The Bronze Age. Centuries passed and bronze was superseded by The Iron Age.

The basic requirements for a settlement were fresh water, a well-drained site to build shelter, land to cultivate, grazing for the animals and to be near hunting grounds. In addition, the area known now as Gilcomston had good access to the sea. The very first beginnings of a settlement have been recorded as being around 1800 B.C. in

The settlement stood high on the divide between two streams, the Denburn to the south and the Gilcomston Burn to the north. To the east lay a great expanse of water, later known as the Loch of Aberdeen which covered the area now bounded by

Evidences of a settlement presence in the Gilcomston area survived until recent times. The most striking relics of Prehistoric Aberdeen were the standing stones of Gilcomston situated in

Well known to Aberdonians are The Langstane in Langstane Place and also perhaps lesser known the Langstane at Hilton. Stone Circles were places of burial, they were considered sacred, to tamper with them was thought to bring disaster and this reason may have preserved these valuable relics of our ancient history.

It was Gillecoaim,the son of Muredach who gave his name to the Gilcomston district. He was of the ancient Celtic nobility and his stronghold, which was a motte-and-bailey structure built of earthwork and timber, was located to the north-west of the

It is interesting to note that Gillecoaim’s name and that of Ruadri, Mormaer of Mar appear as witness to a charter circa 1125 in the Book of Deer. Ruadri’s toun also a motte-and-bailey castle gave its name to another district – Ruthrieston. This stronghold stood between the south end of

  ROMANS AT THE DOOR

This settlement in the Gilcomston area was undoubtedly known to Julius Agricola and his Roman Legions in A.D. 84. The marching camp subsequently built at Normandykes, Peterculter was but 8 miles from the Gilcomston settlement and in all probability was visited by a scouting party. The Romans recorded that the east coast was inhabited by a war-like tribe called the Taezali and the Roman coins found in Windmill Brae in 1893 perhaps substantiates an encounter?

Aberdeen was recorded as Devana in the year 146 A.D. and featured on the earliest map of the country, created by the Graeco-Roman astronomer Claudius Ptolemaeus (Ptolemy).  The Romans leave Britain in A.D. 407 and a veil descends over Devana – town-of-the-two-waters. 

GRIANAN 

When the curtain parts it is to reveal that in the intervening centuries a geographical shift has taken place. The sea has receded and the surface area of the loch is diminished. Over a period of time, up to the 12^th century, a gradual move by the Taezali from their ancient Celtic site in Gilcomston to the fishing grounds at the Green has taken place.

The Green had originally been a tidal low lying mud flat, but had dried out somewhat over the years and was now a good location, open to the south and west and had shelter from the north and east by the hills known later as the Schoolhill, St. Katherine’s Hill, the Castlehill and the Heading Hill. In this new haven these fisher-folk could moor their craft and dry their fish as the origin of the name Green is derived from the Gaelic word Grianan, which means a sunny drying place. The Denburn estuary being tidal did and has always posed a problem, but at this time in its history it was ideal as a small fishing-port.

Initially of Celtic origin the inhabitants of the Green were now taken over by predominantly immigrant Anglo-Norman traders and merchants while the remaining Celts were artists, craftsmen and poets. But whatever the characteristics of the settlers in the Green they were set on the establishment of a burgh. Our little settlement of Grianan grew and prospered and all was well until we reach the 8^th century.

VIKING ATTACKS 

The Green had one disastrous drawback - it was open to invasion by the sea. From the 8^th century onwards the settlement in the Green was constantly subjected to lightning attacks. Houses were repeatedly set on fire, pillage and mayhem resulted and this was certainly calamitous to the inhabitants, but they appeared determined to rebuild and hold on to their homes and their way of life. In the year 1153 writings by Sturlesson, a 12^th century politician and writer tells in his history of the Kings of Norway of the sea-king Eysteinn, son of Harold who spread his sails to the south and brought his ships to the town of Apardion, where he killed many people and wasted the city.

                                        I heard the overthrough of people

                                        The clash of broken arms was loud

                                        The King destroyed the peace

                                        of the dwellings of Apardion  

  The word Apardion is probably derived from two words Aber the mouth of a river and da-awin two streams and suggests this being the Rivers Dee and Don or another suggestion is that the two streams were the Denburn and the Gilcomston Burn. The theory which I favour is that Apardion is derived from Aber- a port or haven and dien- violent death – thus the Haven of Violent Death, which it certainly was for many centuries during the Viking raids.

There were many hazards faced in crossing the Norse Sea but the Vikings risked all for the plunder that was to be had from Apardion. It is significant to note that from the Norwegian and Orcadian records of Apardion, it was considered a town of some importance and great prosperity.

                                          The Vikings with their piratical cruisers                   

   Repeated raids by the Vikings in their piratical cruisers prompted the citizens to build a watch-tower on the high hill, east of the burgh. Gradually over the years the fortification developed into a castell. 

In spite of it being but 10 years since the Vikings had plundered and set fire to their town, the merchants and traders, with ever an eye to business, apparently made the most of what was essentially a state visit in 1162 by Swein the Viking when he met with Malcolm IV.  

Recent opinion is that the Vikings were not all savage, but good and kind and willing to integrate with the local populations of Scotland. According to the, albeit scant, knowledge we have on the Viking visits I doubt if the people of Apardion would have agreed with that revelation at the time. However, by the time the Vikings had sailed the seas around the north of Scotland and reached the Islands on the West Coast perhaps exhaustion set in and they were only too glad to set down their oars and axes, give up the life of piracy and settle down?

1165 - Charter by William the Lion confirming Aberdeen as a Royal Burgh. 

FEITHE 

At the end of the 12^th century we see a move eastwards, by some of the inhabitants of the Green, along the Denburn estuary to a convenient site, nearer the sea and known to the Celts as feithe –the morass. This was subsequently known as Fittie – first mentioned in 1273 and then later known at Footdee. This independent band of folk, for ever after considered a breed apart with their own traditions, customs and laws, made an adequate living from the fishing. The road leading from the Green to Fittie followed the line of Trinity Quay, Regent Quay and Waterloo Quay, and was called the Fittie-gait. 

THE CASTELL-GAIT 

In the 13^th century disastrous fires, probably the result of over-crowding, was the catalyst to prompt inhabitants of the Green to look again elsewhere to expand their community. Due to geographical difficulties it was decided that the best option was to the east and north-east. Accordingly the earliest streets recorded lie immediately east of the Green and the first of these vicus fraxini – the road of the ash tree is mentioned in a charter dated 1212 when a house owned by Henry the miller was acquired by Gilbert Stute and Emma his spous. The vicus fraxini was a street leading north-east from the Green and around the western slopes of St. Katherine's Hill (which was later referred to as Pitachie-side and is now  

 The bold move circa 1290 to transfer the burgh centre from the Green to Castle Street was inspired; the new settlement would have security from the presence of the Castle and also space to spread out and incorporate town planning into the equation. The Green which had been the burgh centre since the earliest beginnings of recorded history was now demoted to the Green Road, the vicus viridis (named on early charters) a mere access street to the Castlegate. The lowering of status in the Green was now thought reason for the rate-payers living there to appeal for re-assessment!  A city appointment accompanied with a tax levy on the residents was made in the name of modernity and hygiene and was first recorded in the job description of a scaffyngir in 1497 when Sande Cowtis was hired to clean out the hail toune of all myddings. This was no small task if you picture householders daily pitching garbage, swill and excremental matter into the gunnels (gutters) which ran along both sides of the narrow steeply cambered streets. Gutters would also run down the middle of dank closes and pends which flanked the Castlegate and swine rooted amongst the filth during the hot summer months. It was precarious to say the least to walk the streets as the risk of gardyloo from a tenement window was always present and in the midst of the appalling stench one can imagine fervent prayers being sent up for good going buckets of rain to fall. Aberdeen’s first scaffie Sande Cowtis had an unenviable task and for his efforts his wages were ane penny to be pait twyse in the yer frae ilka fyre hous – thus the distinction was made between a house with a lum…2 pence per annum and a hovel with a hole in the thatch for escaping peat-reek…nil rateable value!   Recorded in the Aberdeen City Acts of 8^th October 1507 (under the forward thinking Provostship of Gilbert Menzies of Findon) regulations regarding merchandise, business premises, cleansing, public health etc. were listed. Shopkeepers were forbidden to sel or buy, or do any merchandising on a Sunday. Bakers must always be in a position to supply the public with gud and clene stuff, penny bread and twa penny bread. Candlemakers were required to have at all times adequate supplies of candles sma weikit and dry. Shoemakers who also had second jobs as ale brewers were required to provide separate premises for each trade. The burgh scaffyngir (Sande Cowtis is now joined by fellow scaffies!) must undertake to dicht ye causaies (sweep and wash the streets) and it was a punishable offence to allow muk to accumulate at ony manis yet or dur (any man’s gate or door) for longer than 24 hours. Public Health regulations were regarded as harsh as the act of 1507 required people affected with the strange seikness of Naples (venereal disease) must be kept to themselves for the saweftie of the toun. In 1511 when Margaret Tudor, Queen of James IV visited Aberdeen the Council decreed that the pynouris – the Shore Porters – should clear the hail toun of all myddings….also that the citizens were ordered to keep, for a fortnight before the Queen’s visit, all swine and horses off the streets.   Aberdeen now possessed the largest burgh in Scotland, Parson Gordon of Rothiemay in 1661 describes the pride of Scotland as being - The Castlegaite is a squair, about a hundred walking paces in breadth and twice as much in lengthe, nor can Scotland showe such ane other. It is the Mercat place and gives roome abundantlie to the weeklie mercat, which is made by the confluence of the country people dwelling near the toun. The toun’s hous or Tolbuith taketh up the north-west corner. In the Castlegaite, stand lykewayes the two mercat crosses; the high crosse before the Tolbuith, called also the flesh crosse, by reason of the shambles and flesh mercat beside it; the other lesser crosse situated at some distance to the eastward is called the fish crosse at which ther is a daylie fish merkat keept. The citie standeth upon thrie hills… the Gallowgait-hill, most ordinarlie callit the Windmilne-hill, because of the wind milne situated upon the tope thereof……the Castell-hill from the castell which stood sometimes upon a pairt of it. The third is callit St. Katherine-hill, from a chappell bearing that name of old standing on tope of it. The citie itselff is situated betwixt the thrie, or at least the best pairt of it……..The buildings of the toune are of stone and lyme, rigged above, covered with slaits, mostlie of thrie or four stories hight, some of them higher. The streets are all neatlie paved with flint stones…….   It is apparent by the Parson’s glowing description that Sande Cowtis’s descendants along with the help of the Shore Porters had done a good job with the scaffyning – The dwelling houses are cleanlie and bewtifull and neat, both wthin and without, and the syde that looks to the street mostly adorned with galleries of tymber which they call forestaires. The first stone built house in Aberdeen was erected in 1535 and from then on the general style and character of the burgh began to change. By the 17^th century Aberdeen appears to have taken on board that stone and slate houses were less likely to burst into flames than the wooden ones commonly built on the Green. But there was still a very high risk of fire as the roofs of buildings were still being theikit with hedder (thatched with heather). Thatching was prohibited in 1716 and the erection of wooden buildings prohibited in 1731.   By the end of the 18^th century, extension of the burgh, first proposed in 1796 now became urgent. Thus in 1799 the whole question of future expansion and development was put before the rate-paying citizens, agreement was reached with regard to the proposed plans. This was to be possibly the last occasion that an issue of such major importance was put before the people.   　Consequently on the 4^th April 1800 an act of Parliament authorising the making of two new streets in the City of Aberdeen became law and the following year a start was made to the formation of what was to become Union Street and King Street.And so Aberdeen was on track once again for expansion, this time to emerge as the Granite City which during the 19^th & 20^th centuries was not equalled and was hailed as a unique, exceptional and significant Scottish City.                                                                                                           --------o O o-------   

 Our Society was given a talk by DANIEL GRAY on FASCISM in ABERDEEN on Tuesday 18^th August 2009 in Aberdeen College 

Click here to download David Miller's report on the evening