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Bydand Motor Transport Co. Ltd
1051 Bydand Motor Transport Co. Ltd. were one of a number of small bus companies which sprang up in the 1920's, and were based at the Western Garage on Great Western Road, Aberdeen. Many service men had learned to drive in the army during the First World War, and vehicle manufacturers were keen to supply new markets. Bydand announced in the 'Aberdeen Press and Journal' on 23rd May 1925 that they were to introduce a 'Deeside Motor Bus Service'. They offered a regular weekday half hourly service of buses between Aberdeen (Wallace Statue) and Bieldside with less frequent late buses and a Sunday service between Mannofield and Bieldside only. Buses were also to run between Aberdeen, Culter and Banchory. The fare from Aberdeen to Bieldside was 4p; Aberdeen to Culter was 8p; Aberdeen to Banchory was 1 shilling and sixpence. Within a few weeks, Bydand were extoling the virtues of their service in an advert headed 'Safety First'. The company made much of the fact that their buses started from His Majesty's Theatre and passed other theatres enroute. It was even possible to reserve a seat on the Banchory Bus when booking seats at His Majesty's Theatre. During the summer months Sunday Mystery Tours were advertised - a 60-70 mile trip for 5 shillings return. The 1930 Road Traffic Act introduced various restrictions and many small companies were taken over by the expanding company of W. Alexander and Sons Ltd. The 13 Bydand buses were transferred on 3rd October 1932. Westerton Farm
1474 A photograph, likely by James G. Kellas and from around 1951, showing one of either two farms known as Westerton. Both have since been demolished.
It could be the Westerton Farm that was located on the old road that preceded Provost Fraser Drive. Near where Provost Fraser Drive now meets Springhill Road, in the space between Provost Fraser and Springhill Terrace.
This Westerton Farm was demolished shortly after this photograph was taken to make way for the development of the Northfield housing estate.
Across the old road from this farm was the lands of Springhill House and Farm.
The other Westerton Farm was just to the north east of Northfield Farm and a bit south of Dancing Cairns Quarry. This farm was also previously known as Midtown.
Like Northfield Farm (demolished late 50s/early 60s), this Westerton survived the initial development of Northfield as a housing estate. Ordnance Survey maps suggest the farm made way for the construction of Marchburn Court, and the extension of Smithyhaugh Road, in the mid-to-late 1960s.
It is difficult to say for certain which farm this photograph shows. The hills in the background perhaps suggest we are looking west towards the more northernly Westerton, the one nearer Northfield Farm. 1929 This illustration shows Queen Victoria receiving the keys of the City of Aberdeen in October 1857 as she travelled to the railway station after a summer spent at Balmoral. The Queen and the Prince Consort had travelled by coach the 60 miles from Balmoral to visit the Earl of Aberdeen at Haddo House on Wednesday 14th October. Their route was decorated with flags and arches at various points. A dinner, with a number of guests, including Lord Provost Webster of Aberdeen, was held at Haddo that evening and huge bonfires on surrounding hills lit the scene. On Thursday 15th October, the Queen and Prince Consort left Haddo, accompanied by the Earl and his son. More decorative arches had been erected on the roads south to Aberdeen. The Lord Provost, magistrates and councillors met the Queen at this Royal Arch near the city boundary at Love Lane (now Nelson Street) on King Street. The arch had been designed by the City Architect, William Smith. It was 15 feet wide, 26 feet high, with two smaller side arches. It was surmounted by the Royal Arms, flags and banners, with the words, "God save the Queen" and "Victoria", on either side in gilt letters. The side arches had the City motto, "Bon Accord", with floral crowns above, with flowers, evergreens and heather decorations. Many of the Guard of Honour wore the Crimean medal. The Lord Provost presented the silver keys on a velvet cushion to the Queen, who touched them, returned them to the Provost and said, "It affords me great gratification to be once more in my City of Aberdeen". The dignitaries returned to their coaches and the procession traveled on to Guild Street railway station, where, after a luncheon, the Royal Party now joined by the Royal children, who had come direct from Balmoral, boarded the train for Windsor. The 'City of London'
2006 The 'City of London' was launched in April 1844 from the yard of Robert Napier at Govan on the River Clyde, having been built for the Aberdeen Steam Navigation Company and designed by John Duthie, Jnr of Aberdeen. She was regarded as 'the largest and most magnificent iron steamship ever yet built in any part of Her Majesty's dominions' - with the exception of 'Great Britain'. She was constructed entirely of iron, but her deck and the ornamental parts of her cabins were fitted out in oak. She was 231 feet long and measured 1116 tons, and was powered by two engines each of 130 horsepower. This would make her one of the fastest vessels on the Aberdeen - London voyage. She had berths for 110 passengers, with spacious, elegant cabins. The salon was furnished with sofas and chairs covered in green Genoa velvet, while ornamental coloured glass and mirrors produced a warm light.
Her first voyage to London was in July 1844, when her cargo included 600 boxes of salmon and 215 cattle. Her return voyage was completed in under 38 hours - five hours faster than any other vessel had achieved.
By 1870, she was taken off the run, and disposed of. A new 'City of London' was launched in 1871, and she was an even faster vessel and used about 100 tons of coal on each return journey. Treasure 32: George Washington Wilson South Africa Photography Collection
2320 George Washington Wilson is one of the great names in 19th century photography, famous for capturing images of people, buildings and landscapes across Scotland. His photography drew attention to the beauty of his country, but his travels further afield are not as well known.
As an innovative pioneer in photography, George Washington Wilson's work reflected the reality and attitudes of society during his lifetime (1823-1893). In our collections we hold a vast selection of photographs and portraits taken by the G. W. Wilson Company in South Africa. These images were taken by his son, Charles Wilson, and Fred Hardie, a company photographer of George Washington Wilson & Co.
The company's photographs of South Africa captured scenes of the country which would have been perceived as unusual and exotic to British people at the time.
South Africa and its Treasures
The majority of British colonization was concentrated in South Africa during the 19th century. In the past, the country was colonized in order to control one of the main trade routes to India. Due to the abundance of resources such as spices and tea, European interest in Africa increased dramatically in the late 19th century, especially with the discovery of gold and diamonds in the 1860s-1880s.
On their return to Britain, George Washington Wilson & Co presented many photographs showing these natural resources, from the Robinson Gold mine in Johannesburg to De Beers Diamond Mines in Kimberley.
Tea was also a very valuable resource, and people in Britain were keen to learn more about its production and its use in South Africa.
Photography and Tourism
The collection held by Aberdeen City Libraries shows local places of interest in South Africa. These photographs capture Cape Town and Johannesburg, two of the biggest cities in the country. Many Europeans emigrated to these cities in the 19th century, due to the discovery of valuable resources in the surrounding area.
With the rapid rise of tourism in this period, George Washington Wilson & Co. looked for new ways to promote and sell their work. Around 1880-1890, they started to commercialize their photography via picture postcards, a relatively new concept in Britain. This new form of media met with huge success as it was easy to write and cheap to send. It soon became the standard way to communicate with friends and family when abroad, a holiday tradition which remains today.
The postcards, in colour and having a standard size, featured many different scenes from South Africa and were viewed as an innovative way to publicize the country - and the works of photographic firms such as George Washington Wilson & Co. CITIZENS OF POLAND WHO WERE FROM ABERDEEN
2877 There are many others who have traveled from Aberdeen to Poland and made successful careers. Some of these people being:
John Burnet (b. 1603)
John Burnet was from Aberdeen. Burnet was made citizen of Krakow in 1617. He had traded 10 Polish florins, a gun, and half a stone of gunpowder in return for citizenship.
Sir George Skene of Rubislaw (1619-1707)
Sir George was a former Danzig merchant who later became the Provost of Aberdeen 1676-1685. George Skene had arrived in Poland with his step-brother and apprenticed him to George Edie in Danzig.
William Forbes (1566-1627)
William Forbes was the founder of Craigevar Family and former merchant. With the riches he had acquired in Poland he bought many estates in Aberdeenshire. He was also known as "Danzig Willie" and "Willie the Merchant".
John Turner
Turner, also a former merchant in Poland, was a benefactor of the Marischal College. In 1688, he left 4 bursaries to Marischal College and his coat of arms can be seen in the historical window in Mitchell Hall.
John Craig (b. 1587)
John Craig was a trader in Krakow. He paid 10 Hungarian Florins to become a citizen of Poland.
George Crukshank (b. 1686)
Crukshank was a merchant in Krakow who paid 100 florins plus an additional 14 florins instead of the usually required gun and gunpowder.
The image on the left is a reproduction of a portrait of George Skene by George Jamieson. It is from Alexander Munro's Memorials of the Aldermen, Provosts, and Lord Provosts of Aberdeen, 1272-1895 (1897). Mr Leslie of Powis
2913 A photographic portrait of Hugh Fraser Leslie (1802-1873) taken in 1865 by James Joseph Todd (1834-1904). The image is from the Todd Family Photograph Album held by Aberdeen Local Studies.
Leslie's obituary in the Aberdeen Journal, from 18th June 1873 page 5, describes him as "a man of high culture, a patriotic citizen and a warm-hearted friend." It states that he spent a considerable amount of time in the West Indies where he was a member of the Legislative Council of Jamaica.
He owned a number of coffee plantations in Jamaica that used slave labour. See his entry in the Legacies of British Slave-ownership database here: 'Hugh Fraser Leslie', Legacies of British Slave-ownership database, http://wwwdepts-live.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/42998 [accessed 9th June 2020].
On his return to Aberdeen he is said to have taken a great interest in town and county affairs and made frequent speeches of "a racy and vigorous character". Ill health meant he spend the latter part of his life in greater seclusion. Aberdeen Cinemas: Regent / Odeon
3417 The Regent was opened as the second, companion cinema of Jack Poole, after his transformation of the Palace on Bridge Place that had opened in 1931. The Justice Mills location was selected and the cinema was constructed on the eastern end of the historic Upper Mill. A cinema was able to utilise the sloping nature of the site in the way few other projects could.
Michael Thomson in Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) states that work progressed on the new cinema at an excellent rate with virtually all material and labour coming from local sources. The sparkling Rubislaw granite frontage was the work of masons Edgar Gauld of Gilcomston Terrace. Wood for the joinery work came from Sweden and Finland.
The Regent was Aberdeen's first all-new cinema since the Torry Picture House a decade before. It was also the first cinema designed by Thomas Scott Sutherland, who had previously been a designer of, and dealer in, houses, notably the granite bungalows of the Broomhill estate.
The impressive new cinema opened on Saturday 27th February 1932, to an audience mostly of guests, with the main feature being a melodrama called Over the Hill. Reporting on the opening, the Evening Express wrote the following:
"Even though Aberdeen has many magnificent edifices, there is nothing quite so distinctive as the modern design of the front of the new Regent. Fine use has been made of straight lines and curves placed in sharp contrast, and the face that looks through the entrance to Justice Mill Lane on Holburn Street has an imposing dignity about it and yet an elusive gaiety in its composition. It is built of grey granite decorated with bands of red terracotta, and a polished black granite base."
The frontage was floodlit by night and outlined by Aberdeen's neon display. Above the gantry was the large, neon "Regent" sign which made the cinema a beacon at night. The Regent and the Palace were then advertised as "Aberdeen's Super Two".
The Regent's manager John K. Stafford Poole, son of Jack Poole, was aged only 21 when the Regent opened and his innovative promotion and displays became a signature of the cinema. The younger Poole regularly invited the Gordon Highlanders to screenings and in return they would afterwards march, pipes a-skirl, through the cinema and along Union Street back to their barracks.
The Regent proved hugely popular and was soon out-performing the Palace. The success of Poole's Regent prompted Aberdeen Picture Palaces to undertake the creation of their own super-cinema, the Capitol, which would open in 1933. The same year also saw the release of King Kong and the publicity stunt of a human dressed as an ape rampaging on the frontage of the Regent.
On 16th July 1936 it was announced that another southern company called County Cinemas had acquired all the Poole picture houses, those in Devonport, Derby and Plymouth, as well as the Palace and Regent in Aberdeen. In 1939 County Cinemas merged with the larger Odeon chain. In July 1940 the "Regent" sign came down to be replaced with one that read "Odeon". As part of this powerful national circuit, the cinema could rival any in Aberdeen for showing major features.
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson] Commercial Road
3529 A photograph depicting a view of the quayside in Aberdeen Harbour. On the left multiple coal or fish barrels can be seen in the foreground.
To the right docked steam trawlers can be seen at the quay. Standing near the boats are two helmeted police officers.
The hills in the background are likely those of Balnagask. This suggests the image is looking east along Commercial Road or south east down Pocra Quay.
The white-washed house in the distance is likely North Kirkhill Farm. Point Law
3570 This shot has been taken along Point Law and features a bustling fish market scene.
Horse-driven carts carry supplies down the street, and steam drifters are moored alongside. Past the harbour, the hills by Greyhope Road are visible.
One of the steam drifters appears to be the Agnes Dickson (A227). She was owned by Adam Dickson and graced the Aberdeen Harbour between 1909 and 1914 under this name and number in mariner almanacs.
The presence of the Agnes Dickson suggests this photograph dates from that approximate period. Point Law
3572 The photograph looks South-East to Point Law from Provost Matthews' Quay.
In direct line of sight is a mixed fleet of sail boats and steam drifters. They sit moored in the tidal area of the harbour.
The hills between Old South Breakwater and Torry Harbour stretch hazily in the background.
Two of the visible sailing boats are registered with Inverness and Aberdeen. They are thought to have been the White Rose (A149) and the Unity (INS450).
Both of these vessels were in Scotland at the same time for a period of about ten years. In accordance with this, it is likely the photograph was taken between 1903-1913. Tidal Harbour
3582 This shot overlooks the mouth of the Tidal Harbour. The direction it faces is toward Pocra Quay, possibly from the strategic point of Albert Basin.
On the right of the photo, 2nd class sailboat 823A is under sail. Most sailboats registered in the area were involved in the popular herring trade.
A paddle tug and steam trawler sit mid shot with the hills adjacent to Old South Breakwater beyond.
Pulling out of the shot on the left, can be noticed an other paddle steamer. According to The Aberdeen Weekly Journal, The Northern Lights Service had many around the East Coast of Scotland, especially between 1900-1920. River Dee and Creag nam Ban
4224 A photograph, looking east, showing the River Dee between Ballater and Braemar. Beyond the river is the outline of Creag nam Ban and Sgor an h-Iolaire. These hills stand to the south east of Abergledie.
This image likely dates from the 1970s or 80s. It is a part of a collection of slides donated to Aberdeen City Libraries by Aberdeen City Council's Publicity department. Union Works
4399 A mid-20th century photograph of the Union Works in central Aberdeen. This images looks south east across College Street from a high vantage point and has railway tracks, Poyernook and the hills of Torry in the background.
The factory likely dates from around 1862. A notice from the Aberdeen Herald newspaper of 17th May 1862, page 4, records Alexander Pirie & Sons moving from the Adelphi to their new premises of Union Works, Poyernook.
From the 1860s onwards, the works were owned and operated by Alexander Pirie & Sons, then Pirie, Appleton & Co. and finally Wiggins Teape (Stationery), Ltd.
At the time of this photograph, the works were likely operated by Pirie, Appleton & Co. This image may been sourced from a promotional brochure for the company. In addition to the Union Works, they also had factories at Chadwell Heath in East London and in Dublin, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
As with many significant local enterprises, the operation of Pirie, Appleton & Co. is described in mid-20th century Official Handbooks created for the Corporation of the City of Aberdeen. The volume from 1954 states that the company specialised in manufacturing commercial envelopes, including their successful "River Series."
The company had also recently introduced a quality note-paper to their range called "Mitre Club," which is described as a brand of social stationery. They additionally manufactured different types of account and manuscript books, including a system of loose leaf binding known as "Swing-o-Ring." Other products include "printers' cards, paper collars, commerial heading, filing folders, and record cards." (pages 166-167).
In this image, a large sign can be seen on the north side of the factory building that reads "The mark of good stationery" with an Aberdeen terrier. This black Scottie dog, closely associated with the city, was adopted as a trade-mark of the company in the mid-20th century.
Wiggins Teape and Co. had amalgamated with Alexander Pirie & Sons in 1922 (see Aberdeen Daily Journal, 30th March 1922, page 4). Alex. Pirie & Sons and Pirie, Appleton & Co. were subsidiary companies of Wiggins Teape.
The Union Works site closed down not long after 1969 when Wiggins Teape began construction of a replacement factory at Dyce (see Evening Express, 4th September 1969, page 7).
The site was sold and the works were demolished to make way for the multi-storey office block, St. Machar House. Built by Sir Robert Alpine & Sons for Neale House Properties (Aberdeen) Limited, to a design by architects Mackie, Ramsay & Taylor, construction was well under way by Autumn 1975 (Evening Express, 2nd August 1975, 'Business Bureau' page 6).
Below the southern end of St. Machar House, the rest of the old Union Works site is occupied by the College Street Car Park, built by Arup and Partners (Scotland), with consulting architects Baxter, Clark & Paul, and opened on 4th July 1991. Treasures 5: The Aberdeen Bon-Accord and Northern Pictorial Holidays Numbers
174 This Art Deco style cover from 1935 features a series of photographs depicting boating by the sea, the busy beach promenade and walking in the nearby hills. The lower half of the design is given over to details of the public transport available to holidaymakers with silhouettes of a tram and bus.
Come and visit our 125 Treasure exhibition in the Central Library during July 2015 to take a closer look at the full bound volumes of these remarkable newspapers. Treasure 8: Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management
178 During 2015, Scotland celebrates the year of Food and Drink and this theme is continued as part of the Celebrate Aberdeen weekend in August. Keeping the theme in mind we would like to reveal "The Book of Household Management" by Mrs Isabella Mary Beeton, one of the most famous cookery books ever published.
Isabella Mayson was born on 12 March 1836 in London and it was whilst studying in Heidelberg she took to pastry making which she continued to practice at a local confectioners upon her return to England. In 1856, she married Samuel Beeton, a well-known editor and publisher and began to write articles on cooking and household management for the English Woman's Domestic Magazine.
In 1861, Beeton's Book of Household Management' was published. It was an immediate success, selling over 60,000 copies in its first year of publication and nearly two million by 1868.
Isabella died young at the age of 28 on 6 February 1865 of an infection following the birth of her fourth child but Samuel Beeton went on to publish a 2nd edition in 1869. In 1888 there was a major revision, with 27 new sections which included menus, table decorations, directions for using tinned meats and a section on American, Colonial and Continental cookery.
Aberdeen City Libraries hold a copy of this entirely new edition and it is numbered "five hundred and fifty-eighth thousand". It is 1644 pages in length with 13 beautiful colour plates and 68 full page illustrations. It includes a section on menus for all seasons with menus in both English and French. It is an absolute treasure and a tribute to Mrs Beeton that a version is still reproduced today. Treasure 45: British Association for the Advancement of Science - 1934 Visit Souvenir
214 The British Science Association holds its annual British Science Week in March when a variety of events including talks and activity days for adults, schools, and families are held country-wide to celebrate science and technology.
The British Science Association has evolved from the organisation which was founded in 1831 as the British Association for the Advancement of Science with the aim of promoting interest and research in the sciences, believed to be in decline at the time.
Their annual meetings, held in different cities across the UK during a week in early September, allowed professional scientists to discuss their current research not only with members of other scientific disciplines but also with the general public.
In this Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design, it may be interesting to look back at these annual meetings of the Association when Aberdeen welcomed 2000 - 3000 scientists and members in 1859, 1885, 1934 and 1963.
The 1934 visit was even more special because it coincided with the Jubilee of the city's adoption of the Public Library Acts in 1884. A special luncheon was held on Friday 7 September in the Aberdeen Central Library Reference Department when the City Librarian, G.M. Fraser, and the Library Committee entertained 112 invited guests, including the President Sir James H. Jeans, the President-elect Professor W. W. Watts, and about 70 of the more distinguished members of the Association, with representatives of educational, official, professional, commercial and industrial interests of the city. This was believed to be the first time that such an event had been held in a public library and it was regarded as hugely successful.
This attractive menu card in the form of the binding of a book was created by local printing firm Taylor and Henderson at a cost of £9. 5s. 6d. for 120 copies. Catering, including the food, decorations and staff, was provided by the Royal Athenaeum Restaurant at a cost of 5 shillings per head - a total cost of £50 11s. 3d
Having been greeted in the Library Committee Room by Lord Provost of Aberdeen Henry Alexander, the guests were guided by members of staff through the Lending Department to the main staircase which was laid with crimson cloth and decorated with plants and shrubs.
The Library staff were also able to enjoy the day by being treated to lunch at the nearby Caledonian Hotel on Union Terrace, although they were expected to return in time to help escort their honoured guests from the Library.
Guests included Sir Arthur Hill of Royal Botanic Gardens, Miss Olga Nethersole, founder of The People's League of Health, Dr Marie Stopes, paleobotanist, but perhaps better remembered for her work on women's rights and birth control, Sir Josiah Stamp of London Midland and Scottish Railway, and Sir Arthur Eddington, astronomer.
Treasure 46: The Aberdeen Herald
217 When the first weekly issue of The Aberdeen's Journal was published by James Chalmers in January 1748 who would have guessed it would still be in production today (admittedly with several changes of title and ownership) as The Press and Journal.
The monopoly of The Aberdeen Journal, as it soon became, remained almost unchallenged throughout the eighteenth century but the nineteenth century saw the publication of several competing newspapers. Most of these were short-lived but included The Aberdeen Herald, and General Advertiser for The Counties of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, and Kincardineshire, which was published between 1832 and 1876.
We hold the first copy of this weekly newspaper in our collections. It was printed and published by George Cornwall, and was issued on Saturday 1 September 1832. It succeeded an earlier paper called The Aberdeen Chronicle which had been in production since 1806. The Aberdeen Journal was seen then as politically neutral but the Herald is described as Whig-Radical and its opening advertisement states "In fact, the chief object of The Aberdeen Herald will be to obtain a cheap, efficient, and patriotic system of Government".
Since the Herald was published on a Saturday while the Journal appeared on Wednesday, it was able to include articles which would have been old news by the following Wednesday and could also provide updates to news from earlier in the week.
The newspaper cost 7d which was far beyond what an ordinary person could pay and restricted readership to the wealthy. This high cost was a result of taxes imposed by the Stamp Act of 1712 which was not abolished until 1855. Papers could then be bought for 1d and there was freedom to produce mass-circulation newspapers with improved text layout.
The front pages of newspapers, even as recently as the early 1900s, did not contain news stories but were filled with adverts - business, theatrical events, shipping, property and public notices. The issue of The Aberdeen Herald for 21 April 1866 contained an advert explaining the change of name for the town of Inverurie. Local historian, Dr Douglas Lockhart, provides the following account of the town's name change.
The market town of Inverurie was one of the fastest growing places in Aberdeenshire during the mid-nineteenth century when its population increased from 735 in 1821 to 2524 in 1871. Many factors contributed to rapid growth at this time including good communications, initially by turnpike roads and the Aberdeenshire Canal to nearby Port Elphinstone, and from the mid-century it lay astride the railway line between Aberdeen, Elgin and Inverness.
Further advantages were the extensive agricultural surroundings, markets and successful local businesses. Surprisingly Alexander Smith in A New History of Aberdeenshire, which was published in 1875, has little to say about the transformation of the town. However, he wrote a lengthy paragraph to describe how 'INVERURIE was, in former times, written Inneraury, Ennerawrie, and Hennerawie, and latterly Inverury' and he notes that the name meant "the confluence of the river of the margin".
On 5 February 1866 the Council met to discuss what appears to have become a growing problem - mail was being sent to Inveraray in Argyllshire because Inverury was not listed by the Post Office as a Post Town. The solution was simple: "return to the ancient spelling of the Burgh as Inverurie and to memorialise the Postmaster General to have it set down on the Lists as a Post Town". The Postmaster agreed to the name change and the scene was set on 19 April for the Council to discuss advertising the new arrangements. The wording of an advertisement was approved and it was decided to place it in the Edinburgh Gazette, Aberdeen Journal, Aberdeen Free Press, Aberdeen Herald and Banffshire Journal and "to endeavour to get the Railway Company to alter the spelling of the Station in their Tables".
Inverury officially became Inverurie the following day and on 21 April The Aberdeen Herald announced the change of name in the advertising columns of its front page. The Banffshire Journal in addition to printing the advertisement also published a glowing report on building activity in the burgh and noted that "within the memory of living inhabitants [the town] has been thoroughly regenerated".
Aberdeen Local Studies holds files of many local newspapers on microfilm, including the Aberdeen Herald and the Free Press. A digitised partial file is also available on the British Newspaper Archive which can be freely consulted online in the Central Library using your library card. Treasure 111: Aberdeen Artists' Society
332 The celebration of art in Aberdeen can be traced through the collection of exhibition catalogues held in our Local Studies department, including those of the Aberdeen Artists' Society from its early years to the present, through to those produced by modern galleries, local art groups and societies, Gray's School of Art and more recently the directory produced for the North East Open Studios.
The origins of Aberdeen Artists' Society date back to 1827 when a group of artists resident in Aberdeen "resolved to associate themselves for the purpose of mutual improvement in Painting and the furtherance of the Art generally, in Aberdeen" and hold "An Annual Exhibition of Paintings, Sculptures and Designs". The artists in question included James Giles who was President, Alexander Fraser, Vice-President and James Troup, Secretary. Other members included Archibald Simpson.
The Aberdeen Artists' Society are working with Aberdeen Art Gallery on a new program of exhibitions after the Gallery re-opens in 2017 and the annual exhibition will return in 2018/19.
Check out our Treasures from our Collections interactive display to find out more about the history of Aberdeen Artists' Society. Peter Williamson
468 A broadside from 1758 presenting the case of Peter Williamson (1730-1799), who, in his pamphlet French and Indian Cruelty Exemplified in the Life and Various Vicissitudes of Peter Williamson, denounced the merchants of Aberdeen for having been involved in the kidnapping of children to be sold as slaves in America.
Williamson claimed to be one of those children who suffered this terrible fate. Though to this date there is no historical documents to definitively confirm Williamson's account.
On his return to Aberdeen, the town's magistrates accused Williamson of calumny, imprisoned him, and forced him into an admission of guilt. They also publicly burned the offending pages of his pamphlet in the Town Square and banished him from Aberdeen on the 23rd June 1758.
Only ten days later, on the 3rd of July 1758, this broadside shows that Williamson had found witnesses to prove he was born in Aberdeenshire from honest parents and that he had told the truth in his book about his experiences.
The lower half of this broadside is the statement from Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk, an Aberdeen County Justice of the Peace, that indicates that he had been presented with evidence of Williamson's claims and that he believed them to be true.
Wrongfully persecuted, Williamson was ready to prosecute the merchants of Aberdeen for the "illegal behaviour" they had inflicted on him. Williamson eventually won his his lawsuit in 1762.
The broadside both makes the case for Williamson in his dispute with the Aberdeen magistrates and serves as an advertisement for his book.
Aberdeen City Libraries hold a number of books about the life and work of Peter Williamson and he has an entry on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography by P. J. Anderson, revised by A. W. Parker (available online with an active library membership). The Dying Confessions of William Gordon and Robert McIntosh
479 Five days before his execution, having murdered his wife, William Gordon recounts his crime. He recalls the evening of the murder. Both intoxicated, he and his wife went out. They had an amicable time. Gordon does not recall much from their return home, bar that he went for his pipe. He later discovered his wife dead. He declares having had no recollection of her death. Three weeks later, Gordon remembers having shoved her to the floor, to which she shouted 'Murder!'. Gordon also remembered having scissors in his hand, which leads him to believe that to have been the murder weapon.
This confession begins by citing the book of Hosea from the Christian Bible. Gordon then articulates the nature of his sin, confessing it to be the 'sin of drunkenness'. He compares the severity of his sin to the eternality of God's omnipotence. His confession warns its readers against sinning as he has. He does not apologise for the murder of his wife, instead expressing regret for becoming intoxicated. This marks the text particularly interesting for understanding perceptions of alcoholism and alcohol related crimes in nineteenth-century Scotland. Fascinatingly, though facing death, Gordon still devotes two paragraphs to acknowledging various people that supported him during his incarceration. Gordon concludes the main body of the text by imploring his audience to take up Christianity.
The confession is reprinted in Aberdeen's Journal, on 5th June 1822, five days after Gordon's execution. The paper confirms that Gordon authored this text, saying it was distributed by the Reverend Thom. The confession is well written and articulate, revealing the author's profound knowledge of Christian scripture. Gordon himself was from the parish of Cabrach, made a livelihood selling fishing tackle, and was aged around forty-five at the time of the murder.
The accompanying editorial declares that many had come to believe that the murder 'had been perpetrated by the unhappy man while under the influence of that most baneful of human vices, and, of course, a prey to all the evil passions which it naturally engenders.' The view that the death was caused by excessively drinking, and that the defendant had not consciously decided to murder her, was prevalent. Remarkably, 'many Gentlemen (including several of the Jury who tried him)' lobbied King George IV to commute Gordon's sentence. The judge, however, refused to capitulate.
Accompanying Gordon's confession is that of the twenty-two-year-old Robert McIntosh, on 29th May 1822. McIntosh describes the conditions of his imprisonment in the dungeon, expresses regret for the repercussions of his crime and prostrates himself before God. The Journal reports that McIntosh had murdered the forty-year-old Elizabeth Anderson of Crathie. The paper continues that McIntosh had slit Anderson's throat. At the time, Anderson had been promised marriage by him and was pregnant with his child.
The Journal reports the day of their execution. In the Old Court Room, Psalm 51 was sung. Gordon joined in loudly. As they went to the scaffold, both prayed. The paper reports McIntosh's nerves getting the better of him, and him being brought a glass of water. After Gordon finished praying, at twenty minutes past three, they were hung. Gordon passed very quickly. McIntosh, on the other hand, 'struggled considerably, and was convulsed for several minutes', due to the rope being improperly set up. The Journal reports that countless thousands witnessed their hanging, the first of its kind in seventy-years. Inhabitants' Petition
507 This broadside, entitled 'Defence of the Links. Inhabitants' Peition' was issue by J. Urquhart, of the Lemon Tree on 23rd June 1856. It refers to a dispute between two rival railway company directors, James Adam and John Duncan.
Duncan desired to create an Aberdeen to Peterhead and Fraserburgh railway line, whilst Adam wanted a Formartine and Buchan line. The broadside dates to 1856, a year of fierce debates over the future of the railways. Permission was only granted for the construction of a line in 1858, and was awarded to Adam.
Duncan's line was particularly controversial for it desired to be built into the area known as the Links. Duncan had tried to begin construction before the inhabitants of the Links had discussed the issue. This caused uproar amongst the Links' inhabitants, particularly as Duncan was required to follow parliament's say on the matter before beginning construction himself. This broadside details the matter. Duncan is elsewhere denounced, here, for providing false information about the return value of his project for investors. This broadside defends the way in which attendees of a committee meeting were listed in a petition. This had been criticised by the Herald, as can be seen in this broadside. Links Encroachment
509 This broadside, entitled 'Links Encroachment' and a reprint of the 21st June 1856 edition of the Aberdeen Herald, refers to a dispute between two rival railway company directors, James Adam and John Duncan. Duncan desired to create an Aberdeen to Peterhead and Fraserburgh railway line, whilst Adam wanted a Formartine and Buchan line. The broadside dates to 1856, a year of fierce debates over the future of the railways. Permission was only granted for the construction of a line in 1858, and was awarded to Adam.
Duncan's line was particularly controversial for it desired to be built into the area known as the Links. Duncan had tried to begin construction before the inhabitants of the Links had discussed the issue. This caused uproar amongst the Links' inhabitants, particularly as Duncan was required to follow parliament's say on the matter before beginning construction himself. This broadside details the matter. Duncan is elsewhere denounced, here, for providing false information about the return value of his project for investors. This broadside lists attendees of a committee in support of Duncan's construction plans. It criticises Duncan's party for enlarging the real number of attendees at the meeting. Grand reform meeting held at Aberdeen, 18th May 1832
530 A colourised lithographed sketch of the Grand Reform Meeting that took place on Broad Hill, Aberdeen on Friday 18th May 1832.
Popular and parliamentary support for electoral reform had been growing across the United Kingdom in this period. At the time, only a small number of wealthy landowners had the right to vote, the franchise was geographically inconsistent, and the representation by members of parliament was out-dated.
This Aberdeen meeting, like many that took place around the country at the time, was organised following the House of Lords blocking the Third Reform Bill of Prime Minister Charles Grey (1764-1845), 2nd Earl Grey, and the subsequent resignation of Grey and his Whig ministers.
Newspaper accounts of the meeting indicate that attendees had just learnt that the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), a Tory opponent to reform, had been unable to form a government following the resignation of the Whigs and an invitation from King William IV, and that the monarch had recalled Earl Grey.
Organised by prominent local supporters of electoral reform, the Reform Committee, the meeting agreed seven resolutions for presentation to parliament including the following: consternation at the bill not being passed, support of Earl Grey and colleagues, agreement to withholding national supplies (funding) from the government until the bill is passed, and that Joseph Hume (1777-1855), then MP for Middlesex, present the petition instead of the member for the Aberdeen boroughs, Horatio Ross (1801-1886), who was accused of backsliding on reform.
The report in the following day's Aberdeen Chronicle newspaper suggest the meeting was attended by 30,000 to 40,000 people. The Tory-leaning Aberdeen Journal, in its issue of Wednesday 23rd May 1832, page 2, gives an estimate of 15,000 to 20,000.
Contingents of various trades began to muster at Union Street West at about 1.30pm. A large procession proceeded east along the street and were joined by the Reform Committee from the Royal Hotel, 63 Union Street, located just after the junction with Market Street.
The full procession, with the Committee at its head and joined by deputations from the country, travelled to the Links via Castle Street, King Street, Frederick Street and Constitution Street. Several bands accompanied the procession and there were a large number of banners with reform slogans.
On the motion of Reverend William Jack (1768-1854), principal of King's College, Sir Michael Bruce of Stenhouse and Scotstown (1798-1862) was called to chair the meeting. John Angus (1799-1878), an advocate and later Town Clerk of Aberdeen, was the secretary.
Speakers included General Andrew Leith Hay of Rannes (1785-1862), Alexander Bannerman (1788-1864), Sir John Forbes of Craigievar (1785-1846), Alexander Blackie, banker, Thomas Burnett, younger of Leys (1778-1849), John M. Gerrard of Midstrath, Alexander Kilgore, surgeon, James Forbes of Echt, Alexander Stronach of Drumallan, James Nicol, advocate, William Allardyce, wine merchant, Harry Leith Lumsden of Auchindour, William Moir of Park and Alexander Forbes of Ainslie.
Both the account in the Aberdeen Chronicle and the speeches on the day remark on the disruptive potential of the crowd, under circumstances of reform not being progressed. Though the speakers urged those in attendance to continue in a peaceful manner.
Some speakers compared the fight for electoral reform to that for religious freedom in Scotland. There is explicit and repeated support given for William VI, but the Duke of Wellington is considered an inappropriate progressor of reform. The return of Earl Grey is promoted.
Faced with the prospect of William VI ennobling new Whig members of the House of Lords, Tory opponents of the Third Reform Bill abstained from votes and it passed through the upper house. The Representation of the People Act 1832 was given royal assent on 7th June 1832, and its Scottish equivalent around the same time, and came into law.
The Act was a substantial reform of Britain's antiquated electoral system, redistributing seats and changing the conditions of the franchise, but still left most people without the vote. Subsequent popular and parliamentary politics would led to further legislation and the fuller suffrage of modern times.
Document dimensions: 26 x 40 cm. |