Portknockie
Encyclopedia
Portknockie is a coastal village on the Moray Firth
in northeast Scotland
, in Moray
. (Family historians will note that this Banffshire village's name is written as Portknockies in the Old Parish Registers. This would suggest that the port's name referred to not one, but two rocky hills at the hythe - the Port Hill and the Greencastle.) Nearby towns include Banff, Buckie
, Findochty
and Cullen. The village maintains a very good website of local information http://www.portknockiewebsite.co.uk/
The village was founded in 1677 and it became a significant herring
fishing port during the nineteenth century, although today only a handful of commercial inshore boats remain.
The town was on the railway network, until this closed in 1968.
A popular site in Portknockie is Bow Fiddle Rock, a large rock about 50 feet high just off the coast. The quartzite
rock has a large sea arch, which somewhat resembles the bow of a fiddle.
Another historical site within the village is the Green Castle, which is located on a coastal promontory. This ancient coastal fort was revealed to date from 1000 BC and was inhabited until 1000 AD. The castle foundations can be seen, although now covered in grass.
Small numbers of seabirds nest on the coastal cliffs. These include Fulmar
, Black-legged Kittiwake
, Common Gull
, Razorbill
and Shag
. Additionally Common Eider
can be seen in and around the harbour and coves during the summer months.
Moray Firth
The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
in northeast 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...
, in Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
. (Family historians will note that this Banffshire village's name is written as Portknockies in the Old Parish Registers. This would suggest that the port's name referred to not one, but two rocky hills at the hythe - the Port Hill and the Greencastle.) Nearby towns include Banff, Buckie
Buckie
Buckie is a burgh town on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland in Moray. Buckie was the largest town in Banffshire by some thousands of inhabitants before regionalisation in 1975 removed that political division from the map of Scotland...
, Findochty
Findochty
Findochty is a village in Banffshire, Scotland, 4 miles east of the town of Buckie.Findochty stands on the shores of the Moray Firth. The Gaelic name of the village was recorded by Diack in his own transcription method as fanna-guchti which is unclear in meaning...
and Cullen. The village maintains a very good website of local information http://www.portknockiewebsite.co.uk/
The village was founded in 1677 and it became a significant herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fishing port during the nineteenth century, although today only a handful of commercial inshore boats remain.
The town was on the railway network, until this closed in 1968.
A popular site in Portknockie is Bow Fiddle Rock, a large rock about 50 feet high just off the coast. The quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
rock has a large sea arch, which somewhat resembles the bow of a fiddle.
Another historical site within the village is the Green Castle, which is located on a coastal promontory. This ancient coastal fort was revealed to date from 1000 BC and was inhabited until 1000 AD. The castle foundations can be seen, although now covered in grass.
Small numbers of seabirds nest on the coastal cliffs. These include Fulmar
Fulmar
Fulmars are seabirds of the family Procellariidae. The family consists of two extant species and two that are extinct.-Taxonomy:As members of Procellaridae and then the order Procellariiformes, they share certain traits. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called...
, Black-legged Kittiwake
Black-legged Kittiwake
The Black-legged Kittiwake is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae.This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Larus tridactylus....
, Common Gull
Common Gull
The Common Gull or Mew Gull Larus canus is a medium-sized gull which breeds in northern Asia, northern Europe and northwestern North America. It migrates further south in winter...
, Razorbill
Razorbill
The Razorbill is colonial seabird that will only come to land in order to breed. It is the largest living member of the Auk family. This agile bird will choose only one partner for life and females will lay one egg per year. Razorbills will nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed...
and Shag
Common Shag
The European Shag or Common Shag is a species of cormorant. It breeds around the rocky coasts of western and southern...
. Additionally Common Eider
Common Eider
The Common Eider, Somateria mollissima, is a large sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. It breeds in Arctic and some northern temperate regions, but winters somewhat farther south in temperate zones, when it can form large flocks on...
can be seen in and around the harbour and coves during the summer months.