GRAND SCOTTISH CONCERT

Sandy Ritchie on left of picture, Project Worker, who organised the concert with Geordie an' freens. Nicola is standing next to him.

This concert was held on Friday 28th March, 2008 in Mintlaw Public Hall. The audience was hugely enertained by Geordie Smith's gentle humour and his freens songs and tunes .His guest star, fiddler Nicola Auchnie, stunned us with her talented performance; surely a star for the future.

Friends of the Book of Deer Seminars.

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Our first seminar of the 2007/8 seaon, "Rattray and Strathbeg   - a  History", given by Derek Jennings, Chairman of the Buchan Tourism Group,was well attended by an appreciative audience.he made good use of his extensive knowledge of the area and surprised even those from the area with his findings. For example the wreckage of Royal Navy Beaufort torpedo bombers which can still be seen in the loch after over-shooting the landing strips at Crimond.

  Derek takes a moment to think through a searching question!

Our second, given by Dr. Jane Geddes, Senior Lecturer in History at Aberdeen University entitled "New Discoveries at St. Vigeans and the Pictish Stones Collection." Dr. Jane gave a fresh interpretation on this site and its connection to the Coptic Church in Egypt. This proved both interesting and intriguing and really captured the imagination of the audience.

We now look forward to another two.

The first will be held during the A.G.M. of the Book of Deer Project on the 31st May. The subject is the "Harrying of Buchan" and will be given by Fred Crawford who has made a study of this little known but significant event. This was in the aftermath of the battle in which Robert the Bruce his arch enemy, Comyn, the Earl of Buchan.This year is the seventh hundred anniversary of the battle.

The second will be given by the Reverend Angus Haddow, formerly of Methlick, and his sibject will be - "Dowsing the Stone Circles".

More details can be had by making contact through our "Visitors Book."

Annual Pilgrimage 2008

This years pilgrimage will take place on Saturday 21st June. Starting point  for "in the Steps of St. Ternan and St. Adanman" is Slains Church. more details through the "Contact" link.

Our Annual Pilgrimage takes place in June. These Pilgrimages serve two main purposes. The first is to aquaint the Pilgrims with local history and heritage; and the second is so that Pilgrims can reflect on on the life and times of the Monks of Deer. Pilgrims will walk the distances, and over the terrain that the Monks did in ancient times as the set out to convert the Picts to the Christian religion and to minister to the sick. They, however, did not have the benefits of tarred roads and high tech walking gear of today.

Past Pilgrimages:

• 2000 St. Drostan Aberdour to Aden Park
• 2001 Cancelled because of Foot and Mouth
• 2002 St. Machar Old Aberdeen to Aden Park
• 2003 St. Kane New deer to Aden Park
• 2004 St. Fergus St. Fergus to Aden Park
• 2005 St. Murdebar Tarves to Adren Park
• 2006 St. Olaf Cruden to Aden Park
• 2007 St. Mary New Pitsligo to Aden Park

There are Pilgrimages planned up to the year 2010 and details will be published in good time for pilgrims to book up.

Visitor Centre

The Centre, situated in the heart of Aden Park was opened with due ceremony in the summer of 2002. 2003 was the first full season. Manned entirely by volunteers at weekends and some weekdays over the Summer, there were about 700 names entered in the visitors book. For most, this was their introduction to the Book of Deer, but there was a sprinkling of more knowledgeable "students".

The opening times for this year 2008 are:

Opening Times 1 30 to 4 pm

Special visits can be arranged by phoning 01771 624459

Friends of the Book of Deer Project

The "Friends" was set up to reach out to people who have an interest in the Book and may have a particular expertise which will help in putting it before a wider audience, or just manning the Visitors Centre once or twice during the summer.

The "Friends" have organised 16 seminars over a five year period. Each one dealt with a particular aspect of the Book of Deer. The Seminars are held in the University Chaplaincy in Old Aberdeen at around 5pm on a Thursday in November and February.

We are now 74 in number, but would welcome anyone, anywhere, who has an interest in the Book of Deer, even if they feel they have no great skill or knowledge to contribute. It is a great way to keep in touch with our heritage here in the North East of Scotland.

If you would like to become a friend of the Book of Deer Project, please send your details with a £5 cheque made out to "The Friends of the Book of Deer" to one the contacts below or make the first step by e-mailing bookofdeer@yahoo.co.uk.

Contact details:

Membership Secretary
Cecilia Penny
Quartalehouse Mill 
Stuartfield AB42 4ND
AB42 5DE
cecilia.penny@virgin.net

Aberdeenshire Area Office
Nethermuir Road
Maud

Geophysical study around Old Deer Parish Church
Some time ago, after discussion and field study with members of an advisory committee from Aberdeen University, the Book of Deer Project resolved to campaign for a Geophysical study to be carried out. Through this means we hoped to find evidence of the former Monastery of Deer where the Book of Deer originated.

Through the goodwill of the Elphinstone Institute at Aberdeen University a conference – ‘After Columba, After Calvin: Community and Identity in the Religious Traditions of North East Scotland' was held in September 1997 (unfortunately cut short due to the funeral of Princess Diana). Since then the Project has opened an Information Centre at Aden Country Park. This has attracted many visitors with an interest in the Book itself and the many topics relating to Buchan. The experience of dealing with visitors has shown the most frequent questions to be asked as being:-
1. Where is the Book of Deer now?
2. Where is the Monastery of Deer?
3. Was Gaelic spoken in the North East?
4. What is the significance of the place names mentioned in the Book of Deer?
5. Why is the Book of Deer not kept here?

It is in response to the second question that the Project wrote to the ‘Time Team' (Channel four?) inviting them to Deer in Aberdeenshire to explore the area around the parish church where the Monastery is said to have been built ‘in a loop of the river Ugie.' They acknowledged receipt of our letter but have not taken up our invitation. Since then we have tried various sources for funding a study, through our own charitable status, with no success so far! Meanwhile we have collected some local stories about the changes which have occurred in the vicinity. For example:-

‘The Rabbling of Deer' – A well documented story about the parishioners rioting when the Laird appointed a new Minister against their wishes. The description of the area gives an insight into the narrow lanes and small houses around the church. (Pratt's Buchan P84 – May 1711).

At the time of building new gate pillars at the front of the church, it was found that burials had taken place outwith the churchyard wall. This raises the question of how far onto the road does the original burial ground extend?

When sheltered housing was built directly across from the church in the post WWII period, subsequent landscaping of the area may account for the disappearance of ‘the Minister's Mound'. This mound was where the Minister stood, in all weathers, after the service, to bless his parishioners as they left the church.

More housing is planned for part of the church glebe between the river and the playing field. It is urgent that this area be properly studied before the excavators move in! Planning and Archaeology departments please note!

Across the Ugie at ‘Mavisbank', a private property owned at one time by Dr Dickson there was a small hamlet and Episcopalian chapel between the existing house and the river. Except for one of the houses which was re-roofed, all are now in ruins, with only the outline of the foundations remaining (1997).

About 200yds along the road towards Stuartfield, on the right is St Drostans well, (part rebuilt in the year 2000) in an area which may hold clues to the habitation if, as the name suggests, it was the well used around 700AD.

Within the Aden Country Park, the banks of the river may still have remains of posts or piles used to support primitive dwellings. Timber needs air and moisture to allow wet rot. Have any posts survived the centuries? Only by finding them and subjecting them to carbon dating can we be sure!

When the Russells of Aden decided to build the Mansion House (now preserved ruins within the Country Park) a large area on the bank of the river was heightened and landscaped as their front garden. This is another area where clues may be hidden, due to later developments.

Some 300years after the demise of the Monastery, the Abbey of Deer was built. Assuming that religious artefacts may have been moved to the ‘new' centre of religion, it follows that a thorough study would include the Abbey grounds.

The Spalding Club and the Buchan Field Club will both have records of their research regarding the Book of Deer.

No doubt other areas may be suggested for inclusion in a study. If any reader has a comment or suggestion to make please get in touch.

George C. Smart
Honourary President, Book of Deer Project

A likely site, within the loop of the river is marked with a P. The A indicates the location of a pre reformation church or chapel, now a burial ground.