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© Scotiaweb 2002-09
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Old photographs of the Town House in Kintore. The top picture is believed to date from around 1900. Apart from the horses and carts, the lack of cars and the clothes, remarkably little has changed in this view. Note the small boy in the large sun hat, obviously very curious about the photographer, but also rather shy. |
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This picture taken from the back of the Town House, is from an old postcard. The Kintore site believes copyright on these old images has lapsed. If you are aware of copyright still existing on them, please contact us and we will take prompt action to remove or acknowledge as required. |
Between 2002 and 2004, archaeologists undertook a major excavation programme on the site of the Deer's Den Roman camp in Kintore, prior to work starting on the housing developments that now cover the area.
During this the archaeologists from AOC Archaeology have uncovered not only remains of the Roman camp, but of settlements dating back to the mid-to-late Bronze Age.
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| Laura Scott of AOC Archaeology painstakingly clears a Bronze Age site at Deer's Den. Photo courtesy of Stewart Milne Homes. |
The Roman camp itself is thought to relate to Agricola's campaigns into Scotland. The Romans, it is believed, were attracted by the belief that Scotland was rich in natural resources, including gold, silver and tin. The Deer's Den camp could have been involved in the preparations for the decisive battle of Mons Graupius (believed to be the source of the name "Grampian").
The archaeologists say that the Kintore camp was definitely occupied in 120 AD and may have been occupied on as many as three occasions during the Scottish campaigns, before disappointment about the lack of resources and more pressing matters elsewhere in the Roman Empire, brought about consolidation and retreat.
The Deer's Den Roman camp is one of the largest in the area, stretching from close to the centre of Kintore out across the bypass. Covering 44 hectares, it is believed it could have been occupied by as many as 10,000 men.
During the two-year excavations the archaeologists uncovered no less than 250 Roman bread ovens, one of the largest number found in this country. In these ovens flat bread would be baked, probably with toppings of locally grown vegetables - effectively the ancient Roman equivalent of a pizza! This staple diet was apparently augmented by eggs.
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| Candy Hatherley of AOC Archaeology excavating one of the Roman bread ovens on the Deer's Den site. Photo courtesy of Stewart Milne Homes. |
It is not just the sheer numbers of troops and the logistics of feeding this army that is quite mind boggling. Viewing the excavation work, just prior to construction starting on Stewart Milne Homes' Deer's Den development gave me an amazing insight into the construction work involved in what was a temporary marching camp.
The archaeological team have dug trenches acrosss the original ditch which fortified the Roman Camp. It would be a huge task to dig this two-to-three metre ditch right around the camp with a modern excavator, but that this was dug by hand by an advance party is staggering.
In addition to the Roman remains, the archaeologists have found a number of Bronze Age round houses. These would have been built of wattle and daub, but the precise detail of their construction is unclear from the post holes that remaining.
Candy Hatherley of AOC Archaeology says the huts could have had either pitched or 'beehive' roofs and could even have had two floors, with the animals kept on the floor level.
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| Candy Hatherley with the excavation of a Bronze Age structure at Deer's Den. Photo courtesy of Stewart Milne Homes. |
One thing that puzzles the archaeologists is that - while they have found evidence of almost constant habitation from Neolithic times to the Roman campaigns - there is then little evidence of occupation between then and the Middle Ages. This was when the town of Kintore developed, being granted its royal burgh status in 1190.
"It may have been thought taboo to stay in that area because of its association with an invading army," says Murray Cook, senior project officer at AOC Archaeology".
Bridgealehouse is located at the junction of Lochburn Drive and Northern Road. It served as the court and council house until the present Town House was built.
Kintore's Burgh Records refer to court proceedings held in Bridgealehose from around 1690 to 1745. Each report is typically annotated "The Court of Kintore, holden in the Chamber at Bridgealehouse, the [date]". In each instance the "Magistrates and Councillors of Kintore" which included the Earl of Kintore, Robert Bruce and the Bailies of Kintore are recorded.
There is, furthermore, a "List of Poleable Persons 1696" which includes the entry "BRIDGE ALEHOUSS - 'Robert Bruce and Issobell Laing, his spouse".
After the present Town House was built, Bridgealehouse became a coaching inn. Within the genealogy of the Earl of Kintore and the Keith family, a marriage is recorded between John Fraser "Farmer and Innkeeper Bridgealehouse" and Jean Gordon on 16 October 1779.
In May 2004, Bridgealehouse is under threat of demolition for a new housing development. See News
The existing bridge at Boat of Kintore dates from the 1980s when the then Grampian Regional Council decided to replace the 1882 bridge, which had been opened by Kintore Provost Thomas Fraser.
The old bridge had a five-ton weight restriction and awas also a B-listed structure. The regional council's 1985 proposal was controversial and Kintore Community Council called a public meeting, concerned that a new bridge (without a weight restriction) would encourage heavy traffic to use the route.
The old bridge had cast figures on the link girders representing the arms of the Earl of Kintore and this is echoed by the similar arms on the girders of the new bridge.
We are grateful to "anonymous" who sent this account of the new bridge (his reference to JR Craig the IV building the bridge in the 1500s and the 1,000-foot high crane should, perhaps, be taken with a grain or two of salt):
"Replacing the older "Victorian" bridge which was originally build by JR Craig the IV in the 1500's, the new bridge was a momentus occasion within the history of Kintore.
"A huge crane which at the time, was the biggest crane in Western Europe, arrived and spent three days setting up for the task. I watched from my bedroom window, and during the night we would hear the crane creaking under the weight of the new bridge as it hung suspended from 1000 ft up. The new bridge was built by Beattie the builders for a cost of £6755.20.
"Many townspeople came out to watch the last bolts being tightened as the Inverurie Pipe Band played to the tune of "Ancient Ragtime" by Hollensbatt."
Quarrying in Kintore had taken place on a small scale since 1830 when the quarry was opened to supply stone for the alterations at Kemnay House. John Fyffe later took a lease on Paradise Hill. We presume the Kintore quarry referred to is Tom's Forest quarry.
John Fyffe built the quarries up until the name of Kemnay granite was known all over the world. The work of the quarries brought many people into the area, and as a result the village began to be laid out.
Between them the quarries employed over four hundred men and were celebrated for supplying the granite for Holburn Viaduct, Thames Embankment, London Bridge* and the Forth Bridge.
There was also another, smaller quarry at Balbithan Hill, but we can find no historical information about this quarry. Was it a 'satellite' operation from the Kintore quarry, or a separate enterprise?
(*London Briuge is now at Lake Havasu City, Arizona.)
Dating from before the First World War, the Kintore Pipe Band was reformed in 1921 by returning Gordon Highlanders. Because the uniforms were donated to the band by the returning Gordons, the band wears the Regimental version of the Gordon Highlanders tartan. Kintore Pipe Band website
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| New Street (we believe it is what is now known as Northern Road), Kintore. We think the photo is taken looking back towards the square and was taken around 1920. The church on the left is the old Kintore Free Church which burned down in 1936. Did the church stand where the garage is now? |
Caroline A.I. Phillips, mentioned in Leah Leneman's "A Guid Cause; The Women's Suffrage Movement in Scotland." was born in Kintore on 13 December 1870, the daughter of the Free Church schoolmaster.
The family moved to Aberdeen in 1874. Caroline became a journalist with the Aberdeen Daily Journal and was honourary secretary of the Aberdeen branch of the WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union) 1907-09.
She is buried in Kintore - look for a Celtic cross gravestone in the graveyard.
Thanks to Alison McColl for contributing this item.
The Queen of Tonga
It might have been around 1953, or earlier, that the Queen of Tonga (which is 5000 km south west of Hawaii) was passing through Kintore to visit somewhere in the North East.
All the school kids were lined up at the edge of the pavement from the school almost to the square to wave to her as she passed by. She might well have been over the Queen's Coronation.
Thanks to Roger Summers for contributing this item.
The Heckler
Roger Summers is also searching for an old news paper cutting about "The Heckler".
"Once a year the town council had to sit up on the stage while the locals fired questions at them about their failings and wasting money etc," Roger explains. "It was standing room only and they could be very lively.
"t was called the heckler because everyone heckled one another!"
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Andy Beattie |
Andy Beattie (Bob as he was known to his family) was born in the Forest Cottages, near Tom's Forest Quarries in Kintore.
He started his football career with Inverurie Loco Works, before moving to Preston Nothend. Roger Summers, whose wife is Andy's neice, takes up the story.
"He was a key player for Preston Northend and was capped many times. Later he became the first-ever Scotland Manager.
"He also had built for his parents the bungalow "Deepdale", which is the name of Preston's ground. It is the house on the right-hand side at the start of the Lang Stracht."
CLICK HERE FOR THE WORDS OF A POEM GIVING A FLAVOUR OF KINTORE IN THE 1920s OR 1930s
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