The MIs for Old Deer have been a long time in the making  There had been, for many years, an incomplete version among the “draft MIs”, so, in 2019, the mapping was overhauled, and the “Graveyard Outing” was set for Old Deer.

Much useful work was done, but, as ever, there remained a number of loose ends. A particular problem was the large number of horizontal stones which had become heavily covered with moss or lichen, and progress with checking these was slow - although we had unexpected help from an archaeological working party which had just finished a nearby dig. 

Then came Covid, which halted all further work on-site.  But the last checks were eventually made earlier this year, and “The Kirkyard of Old Deer” (catalogue number AA077) is now available, cost £5.00.

A searchable index to the published MIs of Old Deer, and over 130 other burial grounds in North-East Scotland will be found at:

Memorial Inscription Index

 - Gavin Bell (MI Co-ordinator) No. 4085

Ordering Information

The Kirkyard of Old Deer - Item Code: AA077 - £5.00 plus postage and packing

In addition to the above title, check out our online Publications List which has a wide range of family and local history titles particularly relating to Aberdeen and the North-East.

To place your order, please visit:  How to Order Publications

The parish of Nigg in Kincardineshire was originally served by the now-ruined kirk of St Fittick, down near the shore.  However, by the early 19th century, this had become too small to accommodate a growing population, and was replaced in 1829 by the new Nigg Kirk, near the summit of Tullos Hill.  Burials continued at first in the old St Fittick’s kirkyard, the first burial beside the new church being in 1878.

Nigg Kirkyard contains more than 1,000 stones, many of them commemorating members of the old fishing and sea-faring families of Nigg, Cove and Torry – Wood, Main, Guyan, Masson, Leiper and more.  The dead of both World Wars are remembered on a war memorial in the form of an obelisk and on 22 individual Commonwealth War Graves.

The Memorial Inscriptions of Nigg Kirkyard are now published: code AA075, price £7·50.  The MIs of St Fittick’s were published in 2006 as AA156 (£2·40).

A searchable index to the published MIs of St Fittick’s, Nigg Kirk, and over 130 other burial grounds in North-East Scotland will be found at:

Memorial Inscription Index

Gavin Bell (MI Co-ordinator) No. 4085

Ordering Information

The Kirkyard of Nigg - Item Code: AA075 - £7.50 plus postage and packing

In addition to the above title, check out our online Publications List which has a wide range of family and local history titles particularly relating to Aberdeen and the North-East.

To place your order, please visit:  How to Order Publications

The Kirkyard of Fordyce

ANESFHS & Portsoy Salmon Bothy

A treat of strawberries and Portsoy ice-cream was the form of celebration chosen by elated volunteers when the final gravestone in historic Fordyce kirkyard had been checked. Work there was carried out over some five years by a team from Portsoy Salmon Bothy, with additional input from local ANESFHS stalwarts, all conscious of the thousands of researchers worldwide whose roots go back to Fordyce. 

The prominence of Fordyce as a parish had already inspired local historian William Cramond to record all the visible gravestones as long ago as 1880, but the venerable Cramond didn't draw up a plan of the stones at the time of his survey. An appreciable number of the inscriptions he transcribed are no longer visible and some stones are no longer standing, so a great deal of thought went into the publication of the latest survey, in order to include every known inscription, even if the location of the stone cannot be determined with certainty.

As always, there were a few surprises along the way. A chance beam of sunshine on an early visit led to the unexpected discovery of a 20th century stone lurking among the dense foliage of a yew tree, which seemed to have grown up around it. Then the long dry summer of 2018 revealed suspicious rectangular patches of dead grass, hinting at the existence of buried stones. Inevitably this added to the complexity of the task. So, all those folk with Fordyce ancestors, you have good cause for celebration, even if Portsoy ice-cream isn't available where you are!

- Alison Smith

Ordering Information

The Kirkyard of Fordyce - £3.00 plus postage and packing

In addition to the above title, check out our online Publications List which has a wide range of family and local history titles particularly relating to Aberdeen and the North-East.

To place your order, please visit:  How to Order Publications