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slope of which lies the fishing village of Burnhaver -passing also the Convict Prison and the Harbour of Refuge Works (more specifically referred to in the next chapter)—the town of Peterhead is reached.*

*Sandford Lodge-the mansion-house of the estate of Boddam-was once the residence of Mr. James Skelton, for many years Sheriff-Substitute at Peterhead, father of Sir John Skelton, K.C.B., Secretary to the Board of Supervision, and afterwards Vice-President of the Scotch Local Government Board. Sir John Skelton was the author of several books, which were published under the pseudonym of " Shirley." Reference has been made in a foot-note on a preceding page (p. 29) to his "Crookit Meg" and "Balmawhapple ;" and it may be here added that he contributed a striking article on "The Heughs of Buchan Forty Years Ago" to "Grass of Parnassus from the Bents o' Buchan" (Peterhead, 1887)—a work containing much interesting literary matter relating to Buchan, accompanied by numerous illustrations of the district. He was also the author of two important historical works-" Maitland of Lethington and the Scotland of Mary Stuart" and "Mary Stuart." He died in 1897; a detailed biographical sketch of him appeared in the Peterhead Sentinel, 27 July, 1897.

Haya and Francis, the "Dictionary of National' "Scottish Nation and

Detailed accounts of Gilbert de eighth Earl of Erroll, are given in the Biography." See also Anderson's "Historic Earls and Earldoms of Scotland" by John Mackintosh, LL.D. There is a conflict about the proper enumeration of the successive Earls of Erroll, Dr. Mackintosh, for instance, making the present peer the twentieth. It has been deemed preferable, however, to follow the enumeration given in Debrett's Peerage. Dr. Johnson's observations on Slains Castle, the Dunbuy Rock, and the Bullers are of course to be found-at much greater length than quoted in the text-in Boswell's "Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides." A mass of accurate and valuable information concerning the geological character and aspect of the district described in this chapter will be found in a pamphlet "On the Pleistocene Deposits of Aberdeenshire," by Thomas F. Jamieson, reprinted from the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society for November, 1858.

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PETERE

CHAPTER V.

PETERHEAD.

DETERHEAD is the "capital" or chief town of Buchan the largest town in the district, its population being (in 1891) 12,195. It is a Parliamentary burgh (one of the group designated the Elgin Burghs), and it is the seat of a Sheriff Court for the greater part of Buchan. A terminus of the Great North of Scotland Railway, it is a large and important centre of the herring fishing industry of the north-east coast; and it has of late years acquired additional prominence on account of its south bay being selected as the site of a national Harbour of Refuge, now in process of construction by convict labour, in connection with which a large Convict Prison has been built in the immediate neighbourhood. The town stands upon a peninsula projecting into the German Ocean, forming the most easterly point of Scotland (long., 1° 46′ W), and is, in fact, bounded by the sea on the north, east, and south. It is 547 miles N. by W. of London, and 138 N. by E. of Edinburgh; it is distant from Aberdeen 44 miles by rail and 32 miles by the main road, though only 28 miles by sea.

There are various opinions with regard to the derivation of the name Peterhead. The author of the "View of the Diocese" says "Peterhead was, of old, called Peterugy, in Latin Inverugy Petri; because Ugy here falls into the sea, and the church is dedicated to Saint Peter." Somewhat fanciful

derivations are indulged in by Mr. Arbuthnot, in his "Historical Account of Peterhead," and by Mr. H. B. Mitchell, in a paper on "Coast Names near Peterhead" in the Transactions of the Buchan Field Club; but, despite the ingenious speculation of these and other writers, the most likely origin of the name is the simple one that Peterhead was so called after St. Peter, the titular saint of its church. The Church of St. Peter on the links at the head of the bay would have been for many centuries—(it is supposed to have been dedicated to St. Peter about the middle of the eighth century) - the dominant and outstanding feature of the landscape; and the adjacent headland on the north side of the bay would probably have been given a name derived from the churchPeterhead; a name that, in course of time, came to be applied to the whole peninsula on which the town has since been built. The ancient name of the parish, however, appears to have been Peterugie.

the

The town is divided into four districts, Kirktown, the Ronheads, the Keith Inch, and Peterhead proper. The Keith Inch is a small rocky island between the town and the sea. The Old Statistical Account informs us that "the town was formerly called Keith Inch, and retained that name till 1593, when it obtained a charter as a burgh of barony." The neck of land which connected the town and the Keith Inch previous to the formation of the canal which joins the two harbours, was called the Queenzie (pronounced Queenee), signifying, it is said. a neck of land.

It is stated in the Old Statistical Account that, in the year 1560, the town-then only a small fishing

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