This act was issued in Edinburgh on 7th July 1682. It regards rebuilding and repairing Aberdeen's harbour.

The act tells us that Aberdeen's magistrates and town-council had petitioned the King's Privy Council over rebuilding the harbour. They argue that Aberdeen's considerable maritime trade needs a functioning harbour. The weather was preventing them from managing their harbour. They speak of the banks of the River Dee being washed away by currents. They announce that they need a bulwark along the north shore to match that of the south shore. This would cost at least £1,000, roughly the equivalent price of 230 cows, or £230,000 in today's money. They justify their request by saying that they rarely burden their neighbours.

The act continues by saying that the King's Privy Council accept the petition for a 'voluntar Contribution' to be collected for the harbour. They also say that they will recommend to ministers, archbishops and bishops to contribute to the fund. The broadside is signed by Wil Paterson and was printed in Edinburgh by the heir of Andrew Anderson, printer to the King.

Aberdeen's harbour was established in 1136 by King David I of Scotland. In the mid-eighteenth century, it was ransacked by both English and Scottish forces. It was not until 1773, the best part of a century later, that improvements on the harbour begun in earnest. Before this act, through the seventeenth century, the harbour was continuously worked on. The wharf, for instance, was expanded eastward from 1623 through to 1659. The harbour remained dangerous and difficult to access due to a sand bar across its entrance. At high and low tide, the depth ranged from two to fifteen feet of water. Floods were common, and ships were sometimes swept out to sea. (Victoria Elizabeth Clark, The Port of Aberdeen (1921), pp. 47-49.)

Document Type

Broadside

Document Reference

HD04_13

Keyword

Urban planning

Collection

Aberdeen Local Studies

Magnifier?

Yes

Public Access

Yes