Births, Marriages and Deaths: The Family History of the Bennachie Colonists
September 2020
The remains of crofts on Bennachie were the first clues of the story of the Bennachie Colonists – but census details, parish records and old photographs paint a picture of the individuals who carved a life for themselves on the hill.
For Scottish Archaeology Month the Bailies of Bennachie are producing four presentations on the 19th Century Bennachie Colonists. This week looks at what has been found out about the families who built the houses, quarried the stone and formed the Colony on the Commonty land on the lower slopes of the hill.
Census records show the Colonists eked out a livelihood from the hill and in the early days were virtually self sufficient. Later they also worked away from the croft as farmers, labourers and builders of dry stone dykes. By tracing births, marriages and deaths the family stories of the Colonists can emerge. Other insights are shown through entries in the Poor Law Manual for Scotland. One entry in Feburary 1852 records a visit to a family on Bennachie "they were in great want of clothes, and that one of them had neither stockings or shoes".
Bailies Trustee, Dave Peter commented:
The archival records have managed to put faces to these people and show in more detail who they were and how they lived. By doing research into births, marriages and deaths of the Colonists and searching for accounts from people who knew them we have formed a fuller picture of their lives. This presentation for Scottish Archaeology Month has pulled this information together. We hope this will provide more insight and value for the many visitors who follow the Colony Trail path from the Bennachie Visitor Centre."
