Sunday, 16 July 2023

Banff and Macduff, Scotland '23 Part 2

Two Small Towns Facing Each Other Across the River Deveron

A Brief Introduction

Scotland

Aberdeenshire

After driving north from Falkirk, we spent a week, as we did last year, in a borrowed cottage (thank you Jenny and Bob) in the delightful fishing village of Findochty, beside the Moray Firth. For no obvious reason Findochty is pronounced ‘Finechty.’ Our ‘outings,’ to Banff & Macduff, Pitmedden & Haddo House and Lossiemouth & Elgin will be described in this and the two following posts. The rest of the time we pottered happily about Findochty and Buckie. Some of that pottering fed into improvements (and one enlargement) of last year's Findochty, Portknockie and Cullen post.

Findochty is a fishing village 2¾ miles from the tiny metropolis of Buckie and 120 miles north of Edinburgh

Whatever Happened to Banffshire?

We set off from Findochty, driving 30 minutes along the coast via Cullen and Portsoy (see map below) to Banff. Findochty is in Moray, but once beyond Cullen we were in Aberdeenshire.

Moray and Aberdeen
Findochty is not marked but is between Buckie and Cullen

When I was a lad, there were 33 counties in Scotland, 40 in England and 12 in Wales. A major overhaul in 1974 resulted in wholesale mergers in both Wales and Scotland. Scotland’s 33 counties became 10 districts with Fife the only remained traditional county name. The old system had too many small counties with small populations, but the re-arrangement made local government too remote.

Devolution gave Wales and Scotland control of their own local organisation and both had another go. In 1996 Scotland divided itself into 38 ‘Council Districts,’ a similar number to the old counties, but with districts better reflecting the population distribution.

Along the Moray coast pre-1974 there were Nairn, Moray, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire. Nairn was swallowed up by the Highland District and Banffshire, which sprawled along the coast from Spey Bay to Crovie was split between Moray and Aberdeenshire.

Banff

The first castle at Banff was built to deter Viking raiders, but by 1163 it was more developed and Malcolm IV was residing there. A town grew round the castle and prospered by trading with the other Northern Scottish burghs. By 1264 Banff had a sheriff and in 1372 Robert II conferred Royal Burgh status.

For a former Royal Burgh and County Town, modern Banff, tucked into the north-west corner of Banff Bay, is a modest little town with a population of some 4,000.

The Harbour

Arriving from the west it was convenient to start with the surprisingly small harbour.

Banff Harbour

Banff has no natural harbour, but a sheltered anchorage was enough in the early days. The first small constructed harbour in 1471, was enough for Banff, along with Montrose and Aberdeen, to dominate salmon exports to continental Europe. 18th and 19th century enlargements allowed the town to play a major part in the new and lucrative herring trade. The trade peaked in 1845 before dwindling away in the early 20th century. Today the sight of a working boat in the small harbour is vanishingly rare.

Low Street

With a little searching we found what looked like the town centre. Low Street has, perversely, most of the characteristics of a High Street, and briefly swells into not-quite-a-town-square. There is also a High Street which runs parallel (and a little higher up the hill) and also has shops.

Banff Townhouse

As we discovered in Edinburgh two years ago, to be a Burgh (or Royal Burgh) a town needed a Kirk, a Tolbooth and a Mercat (Market) Cross. The Parish Church is in High Street, but the Tolbooth – a combined council meeting room, courthouse and lock-up was built in Old Street in the early 15th century. 250 years later it was in poor condition and in 1757 it was replaced by a steeple. Outside Scotland, only churches have steeples, but we encountered three secular steeples (this, Falkirk and Dumfries) on this year’s Scottish travels. It was too small to fulfil the tolbooth role, so the adjacent town house was added in 1797. After being a museum and then police headquarters in the 19th century, it is now the local office of Aberdeenshire district council.

Banff Townhouse and Spire

The Mercat Cross

The original cross with a Crucifixion on one side and a Virgin and Child on the other, was lucky to survive the iconoclasm of the Scottish Reformation. It once stood outside the tolbooth but was removed in 1767 and then spent 130 years topping the Earl of Fife’s dovecote.

Mercat Cross, Banff

It was returned to the town in 1900 and since 1994 has found sanctuary in the Banff Museum. A replica mounted on a 17th century shaft sits near its original position.

The Biggar Fountain

That original position has been occupied since 1878 by an ornate Victorian Gothic drinking fountain. It commemorates Walter Biggar, one of the founders of the Baltic herring trade which brought prosperity to Banff in the 19th century. It also commemorates his wife, Mrs Anne Duff, which takes us on to the next section.

Biggar Fountain, Banff

But before we go, the most remarkable feature of central Banff is not the small cluster of monuments, but the people, or rather lack of them. Apart from one man photographed walking behind the fountain, and another who sat on the steps outside the Townhouse until a bus took him away, there was nobody there! On a warm, sunny, summer Sunday morning, all 4,000 inhabitants were apparently in church, in bed or in hiding.

Duff House

Duff House is a Georgian mansion on the southern edge of Banff. Built between 1735 and 1740 for William Duff, it was designed by William Adam. William Adam may have been outshone by his sons, John, Robert and James, but he had a busy practice building large houses for the Scottish aristocracy.

Duff House is well signed, but strangely difficult to find. Turning off the main road by the Duff House Royal Golf Club the road passes a car park beside a rugby pitch. Having no better idea, we parked there and followed a footpath around the woods. After 100m we rounded a slight bend and Duff House suddenly appeared right in front of us. How it had remained hidden is a mystery, but having found it, we joined the guided tour.

Duff House, Banff

William Duff’s father made his pile as a merchant and William inherited in 1722 aged 25. He became Member of Parliament for Banffshire after standing unopposed in the 1727 general election. George I rarely attended cabinet meetings after 1717 and Robert Walpole became the de facto prime minister in 1721. Political parties were yet to form and the franchise was limited to ‘property owning men.’

Duff opposed the government on several occasions and was persuaded to step down in 1734 in favour of his more biddable brother-in-law. As a reward he was created Lord Braco of Kilbryde and was able to start building his big house. The principals of British politics have changed little in 300 years.

Entrance Hall, Duff House

Duff dominated the political scene in Banffshire (not a huge fish, but a small pond), and had joined the aristocracy but with not quite the title he craved.

Minerva and her right hand man guarding the ceramics, Duff House

In Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ Macduff is the loyal and noble counterpoint to the treacherous title character. How grand, William Duff thought, to be a descendant of Macduff.

This stuff might be important in the History of Furniture, but I have rather forgotten what it is, Duff House

The accepted (if partly mythological) list of Scottish Kings includes a King Duff who ruled Alba – the chunk of Scotland between the Moray Firth and the Firth of Forth - from 962 until 967. The system of succession then used in Scotland meant sons did not automatically succeed fathers. Duff’s son became not king but Mormaer (or Thane or Earl) of Fife, the rank of Shakespeare’s Macduff. The Clan MacDuff was the most important family in Fife for several centuries.

Weapons and a chandelier, Duff House

Sorting fact from legend in the early MacDuff story is impossible, but William Duff found records of a David Duff in Aberdeenshire who received a charter from Robert III in 1404. William then proved to his own satisfaction that he was descended from David Duff, who was obviously related the Fife MacDuffs, hence he, William. was related to Shakespeare’s great, if largely fictional, Macduff.

Dining at Duff House

As he was rich and influential everybody acknowledged, at least in public, that William Duff was the real deal. The way was almost clear for him to have his heart’s desire.

Menu for Wednesday 14-Nov-1873

Unfortunately, in 1745 Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, made the last desperate attempt to restore the Stuarts to the thrones of Scotland and England. Most of the Scots who stood with Bonnie Prince Charlie at his last stand at Culloden (See Culloden and Cawdor for details) were recruited in and around Aberdeenshire, and that put a question mark against William Duff’s loyalty to the government.

The stairs, Duff House

That question mark was not fully erased until 1759 when his wish came true and he was created Earl Fife and Viscount MacDuff. With nothing more to prove, he died in 1763.

Duff House after William Duff

Six Earls Fife lived in Duff House, the last donating it to the Burgh of Banff in 1903. Used as a hotel and sanatorium until 1928, the house lay empty until the second world war, when it became an internment camp and then housed prisoners of war.

In the mid-19th century David Bryce had been commissioned to build a three-story pavilion and corridor block. It is unclear why a German bomber was flying along the Moray coast on the morning of the 22nd of July 1940. Maybe it was lost, but it dumped four bombs, effectively destroying Bryce’s extension.

The site and remains of the Bryce extension

Worse, eight people were killed, six German prisoners of war and two of their guards. In 2019 a memorial was erected bearing their names.

Memorial to those who died in the Duff House air raid

In 1956 the house was passed to what would become ‘Historic Environment for Scotland’ and in 1995 also became part of the National Galleries of Scotland. Pictures on display include paintings by Henry Raeburn, Joshua Reynolds…

Lady Dorothea Sinclair, wife of the 2nd Earl, by Sir Joshua Reynolds

...and El Greco/

Saint Jerome in Penitence by El Greco

There is an almost identical, though slightly smaller painting called St Jerome as a Penitent, also painted by El Greco around 1600. It is in the collection of The Hispanic Society of America.

Developing Macduff

The other Earl Fife who made a major local contribution was the 2nd Earl, William’s son James. The problem with Banff is that even after the 18th century improvements, the harbour remained inadequate. Noticing there was more scope for development on the other side of Deveron Bay, James Duff developed the small settlement of Doune, built a harbour and in 1783, changed its name to Macduff.

While the harbour at Banff is used by pleasure boats, Macduff still has an important working harbour

To Macduff

We left Duff House around lunchtime, a tine for a sandwich and a cup of tea. According to the internet several establishments in Banff would normally cater for our needs, but this was Sunday so Banff, as we had already observed, was closed.

Macduff, with a similar population, was little better, but one café proudly claimed to be open, even on the Sabbath. To get there we had to cross the River Deveron.

The river flows 60 miles (97km) from the Ladder Hills in the Cairngorms before squeezing between Banff and the Hill of Doune and thence to the sea. On a fine summer’s day, it looks a pleasant stream, and if you cannot actually see the Atlantic salmon and brown trout, you can be sure they are there. But the river has other moods. Crossings were by what has been described as ‘an uncertain ferry,’ until a bridge was built in 1765. Unfortunately, it was swept away three years later. The ferry resumed, but sank in 1773. A sturdier bridge was completed in 1799.

Macduff and The Sea World Centre

Crossing the bridge without incident, we drove round the hill and found ourselves in the town, which seemed as animated as Banff. Being very much a working port, it looked more industrial, but on Sunday no one was being industrious.

We parked at the Sea World Centre aquarium and walked the 50m or so to the allegedly open café. It did not look promising as we approached and was indeed closed. A handwritten sign on the door apologised, explaining that they had a case of covid in the family and thought it responsible to close for a day or two. They were probably right, though it meant we had no lunch.

There was nothing for it, but to return to the aquarium, buy our tickets and watch some fish,

Fish at Macduff Sea World Centre

The aquarium is a circular building with a circular tank to circumambulate and several smaller tanks on the outside of the circus.

It is not large but it has an interesting variety of sea fish. They could have made identification easier, but I know the fish below with its somewhat startled look, is Cyclopterus lumpus, the lumpsucker or lumpfish (or sometimes Seahen.)

Cyclopterus Iumpus

I read that despite being a fish, it does not swim well (a piscine prerequisite, I had always thought) but bobs around at the bottom o the beautiful briny sea, or at least the continental shelf. Its redeeming virtue is its roe which is sometime sold as ‘lumpfish caviar’ - though it is not in the same class as real caviar (smaller, grainier, less flavourful).

The one in my cupboard calls itself 'Lumpfish Caviar'

Nevertheless, a handful of Ritz crackers, each liberally smeared with lumpfish roe and topped with half a boiled quail’s egg, make a excellent starter for 2 or 4 (depending on the size of your hand.)

The afternoon’s main excitement is the diver who enters the main tank to feed whatever turns up to be fed, manly cod (light grey, cedilla under chin) and coley (darker grey, no cedilla).