STONEHAVEN HISTORY

Old Stonehaven (Steenhive or Stanehyve) sits neatly between the River Carron (crossed via the Bridge of Stonehaven) and the north face of the Bervie Braes and its interesting rock deposits. Originally the an early trading port , it became the County Town of Kincardinshire(alias Mernis), in 1600 when the area court was moved to Stanehyve. So in 1600, the store house used by Dunnottar Castle, and owned by the Earl Marischal, was converted to a Court-house ,Tolbooth and thief-hole. And in its time held condemned prisoners, Rioters and notable members of the local Barclay family. This court continued to sit until it was again moved in 1767.

Stonehaven Harbour and the surrounding area has traces of Stonehavens' Golden Years and a rich fishing heritage crammed with folklore and ancient tradition. The harbour at Stonehaven was well placed in the shelter of Downie Point although when the wind was east or north east it could be difficult to enter. The first pier was to the North, then the South Pier was constructed in 1825. The main breakwater was not built until 1908, by which time the boom years of the herring fisheries had past. With the exception of the later quarter of the 19th century (Stonehaven had up to 80 boats at this time) Stonehaven has never rivalled the other North East ports. The vessels numbers then gradually declined, with 64 in 1889 then only 19 in 1909. With this decline in both Herring and Whitefish the young men had mostly given up fishing for their livelihood. Excepting for brief periods of increased activity at the end both the 1914 - 1918 and 1939-1949 wars, fishing has continued to decline to only a few boats.

Dramatic and imposing, on its cliff-top perch, near Stonehaven in the Grampian region, Dunnottar Castle is a breath-taking spectacle; the ancient walls seem to breathe history from every corner. Between the 9th and 17th centuries the various fortifications were fought over many times. There are many notable events in Dunnottar's past. In 1297 William Wallace burned alive an English Plantaganet garrison which was holding the castle. Much later, in 1562 and 1564, Mary Queen of Scots visited Dunnottar. The safe keeping of the Scottish crown regalia during a siege by Cromwell's Roundheads in 1650 is a famous historical event. A famous event of a different kind occurred in 1685, when 167 Covenanters were imprisoned in terrible conditions. The Whigs vault where these men and women were kept can be seen today as it was then. After the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 and 1745, the property was fortified but later fell into disrepair. Beginning in 1925, however, an ambitious programme of restoration was undertaken by the first Viscountess Cowdray. This work is responsible for the present state of the castle, now maintained by the Dunecht Estates. A wide variety of successive architectural styles is demonstrated, and the fully restored drawing-room should also be seen.