New Deer
Encyclopedia
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, North East Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
that lies in the valley of Deer. It was founded after monks from Deer Abbey
Deer Abbey
Deer Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Buchan, Scotland. It was founded by 1219 AD with the patronage William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, who is also buried there. There was an earlier community of Scottish monks or priests...
, Old Deer
Old Deer
Old Deer a parish and village in the district of Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The population as of 1901 was 4,313. The village lies on the Deer or South Ugie Water, 10.1 miles west of Peterhead, and two miles from Mintlaw station on the Great North of Scotland Railway Company's branch line...
built a chapel at Auchreddie, which translates as "field of the bog myrtle". Around 1507 the register of Deer Abbey lists its lands in the "new paroche of Deir". The name Auchreddie has dropped in significance over the years, however the southern end of the village is still known by this name.
In 1805 New Deer was extended to the north by the third James Ferguson of Pitfour (1735–1820), the elder brother of Patrick Ferguson
Patrick Ferguson
Major Patrick Ferguson was a Scottish officer in the British Army, early advocate of light infantry and designer of the Ferguson rifle. He is best known for his service in the 1780 military campaign of Charles Cornwallis, in which he aggressively recruited Loyalists and harshly treated Patriot...
.
Village features
There are three churches in the village, only one of which (St Kane’s) still functions as a religious establishment; it belongs to the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
. One is now used as a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
hall of the primary school and the other one is currently being built into flats New Deer (St Kane’s) Primary School sits behind the main church, in the centre of the village.
St Kane’s opened a church centre in 2003, next-door to the church. The building was previously a long-running local general store and accompanying house. The centre includes a café and is used for various community activities.
Public Hall
The public hall, opposite the church centre, is run on a not-for-profit basis and hosts various activities including mother-and-baby groups and exercise classes, as well as being a venue for theatrical productions.
Culsh Monument
Stands on a hill to the north of the village and commemorates William Dingwall Fordyce
William Dingwall Fordyce
William Dingwall Fordyce was a Liberal Member of Parliament who was elected in 1866 to represent Aberdeenshire and, following the reorganisation of constituencies by the Representation of the People Act 1868, on the 20 November 1868 to represent East Aberdeenshire.He pioneered benefits for his...
. Local Brucklay estate landlord, Fordyce was Aberdeenshire's first MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Fedderate Castle
The ruins of Fedderate Castle
Fedderate Castle
Fedderate Castle is a ruined castle near New Deer in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. A drawbridge and causeway provided access to the castle. Lord William Oliphant with Jacobite forces, took control of Fedderate Castle and held out against the forces of Hugh Mackay for more than 3 weeks, surrendering in...
are to be found 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of the village.
Pubs
New Deer is currently host to three public houses, The Brucklay Arms on Main street, The Howe (Earl of Aberdeen Arms), situated on Auchreddie Road East and The Royal British Legion, opposite St. Kane's church.
Amenities
- Banks
- There has been a bank in the village since at least 1847. For many years this was the Clydesdale BankClydesdale BankClydesdale Bank is a commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group. In Scotland, Clydesdale Bank is the third largest clearing bank, although it also retains a branch network in London and the north of England...
until 2006 when the Royal Bank of ScotlandRoyal Bank of ScotlandThe Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
took over the branch. Historically the New Deer Savings Bank (est. 1847, and which became part of Trustee Savings BankTrustee Savings BankThe Trustee Savings Bank was a British financial institution which specialised in accepting savings deposits from the poor. They did not trade their shares on the stock market and, unlike mutually held building societies, depositors had no voting rights nor the ability to direct the financial and...
(TSB) in 1863), also provided a service to residents, but TSB left the village in the 1980s.
- There has been a bank in the village since at least 1847. For many years this was the Clydesdale Bank
- Builders
- Butchers
- Café (seasonal)
- Doctors
- Pharmacy
- General Grocery Stores
- The Grampian Wildlife Rehabilitation Trust, providing help to various wildlife including Seals.
- Hairdressers
- Photographer
- Post Office
- Delicatessen
- Vets
- Kilt maker & kilt hire shop
- Paintballing Centre
Prehistory
The local vicinity is rich with prehistory and historical features. There are found a number of prehistoric monuments including Catto Long BarrowCatto Long Barrow
Catto Long Barrow is a prehistoric site in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site is known locally as Cairn Catto. The extant monument extends for a length of 49 metres.-References:* United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map 1:50,000 scale, Landranger series...
, Silver Cairn and numerous tumuli. In that same locale of the Laeca Burn
Laeca Burn
Laeca Burn is a stream in northeastern Aberdeenshire, Scotland. There are numerous archaeological sites in the Laeca Burn watershed, "especially on the eastern side of Laeca Burn", where Catto Long Barrow is situated.-References:...
watershed is the point d'appui
Point d'appui
A point d'appui, in military theory, is a location where troops are assembled prior to a battle. Often a monument is erected to commemorate the point d'appui for notable battles...
of historic battles between invading Danes and indigenous Pict
PICT
PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.The original version, PICT 1, was...
s.
Events
- An Agricultural showAgricultural showAn agricultural show is a public event showcasing the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show , a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment...
that has been running for over 150 years. - Gala
- Barn Dance - selling over 600 tickets 24Hrs. First year a sell-out has occurred. Tickets are now selling for £50 each, five times the retail price.
Local notables
- William Dingwall FordyceWilliam Dingwall FordyceWilliam Dingwall Fordyce was a Liberal Member of Parliament who was elected in 1866 to represent Aberdeenshire and, following the reorganisation of constituencies by the Representation of the People Act 1868, on the 20 November 1868 to represent East Aberdeenshire.He pioneered benefits for his...
, MP - Bertie Charles Forbes, was born and buried in New Deer.