Cullen
| |
---|---|
Looking west over Cullen, with Cullen Viaduct on the left | |
Location within Moray | |
Population | 1,390 (2022) [1] |
OS grid reference | NJ512672 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BUCKIE |
Postcode district | AB56 |
Dialling code | 01542 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Cullen (Scottish Gaelic : Inbhir Cuilinn) is a village and former royal burgh in Moray but historically in Banffshire, Scotland, on the North Sea coast. The village had a population of 1,327 in 2001. [2] [3] The organs of the wife of Robert the Bruce are said to have been buried in its old kirk after her death in Cullen Castle. [4] Robert made an annual payment to the village in gratitude for the treatment of his wife's body and its return south for burial. [5] In 2000, the recent non-payment of this sum by the government was challenged and settled to the village's favour. [6]
Cullen has a long history, well-documented thanks to the survival of a number of sources. These are summarised in two key books: the Annals of Cullen by W Crammond (1904) and the Church Annals of Cullen by W Robertson (1938). The first deals primarily with the civil governance and the latter with church governance up to the disruption. Cullen received royal burgh status between 1153 and 1214 AD during the reigns of Malcolm IV and William I. It is also known to have received a charter in 1455 AD from James II. The burgh was abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. [7]
Around 139–161, Ptolemy mentions in his Geography the River Celnius in the North East of Scotland. Both William Forbes Skene and George Chalmers identified the Celnius with Cullen Burn. [8] The first mention of Cullen in Scottish history was in 962, when King Indulf was killed by the Norwegians (and/or Danes) at the mouth of the River Cullen [9] and referred to as the Battle of the Bauds. "Atween Coedlich and the sea, There lies Kings' sons three." Legend has it that within the vicinity, a Scots, a Danish and a Norwegian King are buried, marked by the three isolated rocks within Cullen Bay and named the "Three Kings". However, it is possible that these rocks derive their name from the similarity of the name Cullen with Culane (Cologne) as in the medieval mystery play "The Three Kings of Culane". [10]
The church was founded as a chapel by King Robert the Bruce. [11] The organs of Robert's wife are said to have been buried in its old kirk after her death at Cullen Castle; the King then made an annual payment to the village in gratitude for the treatment of his wife's body and its return south for burial. [5] This payment was stopped after a 1975 reform of Scottish local government. In 2000, the non-payment of this sum was challenged and settled to the village's favour. [6]
Robert Burns stayed overnight at what was then the old town of Cullen in 1787 during his tour of the Highlands. Travelling from the west to the east he remarked that up to this point, "the country is sadly poor and unimproved". [12]
The old town of Cullen was demolished in 1822 and its remains are next to Cullen House. It was under James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater, that plans were first mooted for moving the town, [13] but it was not until his successor Ludovick Ogilvy-Grant, 5th Earl of Seafield, that the plans were enacted. The town was moved 0.5 miles (800 metres) away both to modernise (the houses of the old town flooded from water running down off the raised road when it rained heavily) and to provide the Earl with greater privacy. The new town was planned by George MacWilliam and built between 1820 and 1822. [14]
The central market cross in the town square originally stood in the old town. During the building of the new town, it was temporarily erected at the top of the ancient fort structure that guards the entrance to the Cullen Burn, known as the Castle Hill. This resulted in the present layout of the village, a generous cross shape of two major streets, Seafield Street and Grant Street, with a central town square and "the Seatown" sandwiched on the false beach between the mouth of the burn and the harbour. In the previous layout, the town was spread along a road above and parallel to the burn, running between the Castle Hill and Cullen House, the Seatown being at the mouth of the burn where boats used to be pulled up onto the beach. The most prominent building in the new town is Cullen Town Hall, which was completed in 1823. [15]
The fishing industry developed quickly in the 1880s, and the harbour was busy with large fishing boats, these giving way to steam drifters at the start of the 20th century. The industry became centralised on larger harbours, the boats became larger diesel-engined designs that required non-tidal access. The site of Cullen railway station was redeveloped after the station closed in 1968. [16]
The main part of Cullen House dates from 1543. An east wing was added in 1711, and there were alterations by David Bryce in 1858. The House and estate buildings were converted into fourteen dwellings in 1983 by Kit Martin. Prior to the use of Cullen House by the Earls of Seafield, the castle of Findlater, now a ruin, on a rocky coastal outcrop approximately 2 miles (3 kilometres) to the east, was the Earl's seat. [17]
The village now has a population of 1,327. [2] [3] Cullen is noticeably busier in summer than winter due to the number of holiday homes owned. The village has a beach and golf course. The 1,086-foot (331-metre) Bin Hill (or Bin of Cullen) is a nearby hill with an associated footpath.
Lossiemouth is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important fishing town. Although there has been over 1,000 years of settlement in the area, the present day town was formed over the past 250 years and consists of four separate communities that eventually merged into one. From 1890 to 1975, it was a police burgh as Lossiemouth and Branderburgh.
Banffshire is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been split between the Aberdeenshire and Moray council areas. The historic county boundaries of Banffshire are still used for certain functions, being a registration county and lieutenancy area.
Earl of Seafield is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1701 for James Ogilvie, who in 1711 succeeded his father as 4th Earl of Findlater. The earldoms of Findlater and Seafield continued to be united until 1811, when the earldom of Findlater became dormant, while the earldom of Seafield remains extant.
Rothes is a town in Moray, Scotland, on the banks of the River Spey, 10 miles (16 km) south of Elgin. The town had a population of 1,252 at the 2011 Census. A settlement has been here since AD 600.
James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater and 1st Earl of Seafield, was a Scottish politician, prominent during the reign of Queen Anne. He was created Earl of Seafield in 1701 and was an active supporter of the 1707 Act of Union although by 1714 his opinion of the Union had changed and he proposed the first Self Government for Scotland Bill to end the Union.
Findlater Castle is the old seat of the Earls of Findlater and Seafield, sitting on a 50-foot (15 m)-high cliff overlooking the Moray Firth on the coast of Banff and Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Colonel Francis William Ogilvie-Grant, 6th Earl of Seafield, known for most of his life as Francis William Grant, was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician. He is numbered as the 25th Chief of Clan Grant.
Clan Ogilvy, also known as Clan Ogilvie, is a Highland Scottish clan. Originating from Angus, Scotland, the progenitor of the Clan received a barony from King William the Lion in 1163. In 1491, King James IV elevated Sir James Ogilvy as Lord Ogilvy of Airlie.
James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater and 4th Earl of Seafield was a Scottish peer and an accomplished amateur landscape architect and philanthropist. He promoted the British landscape garden in mainland Europe, where he spent lavishly on public works and "improvements of the scenery."
James Ogilvy, 6th Earl of Findlater and 3rd Earl of Seafield was a Scottish peer.
Sir James Grant of Grant, 8th Baronet, was a Scottish landowner, politician and Chief of Clan Grant. He was often referred to as the Good Sir James.
John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun was a Scottish aristocrat.
Cullen Castle was a royal castle about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of Cullen, Moray, Scotland, west of the burn of Deskford, and south of Seatown. The remains have been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, accessible to the public. This is not to be confused with Cullen House or Castle of Cullen of Buchan. There is also a ruin of a Cullen Castle in County Waterford, Ireland.
Cullen Old Church is the parish church for Cullen and Deskford, in Moray. It was originally a part of the Roman Catholic Church, but has been a part of the Church of Scotland since the Scottish Reformation. John R. Hume describes Cullen Old Church as a fine example of late Scots Gothic architecture, and it was designated a Category A listed building in 1972. It is still an active place of worship, with weekly services presided over by Rev Douglas F Stevenson.
Rettie is a toponymic surname of local origin from the old lands Reattie or Raittie in the parish of Innerboyndie, Banffshire. These lands were granted to Gilbert de Dun by David II of Scotland in 1368.
Cullen House is a large house, about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) south-west of the coastal town of Cullen in Moray, Scotland. It was the seat of the Ogilvies of Findlater, who went on to become the Earls of Findlater and Seafield, and it remained in their family until 1982. Building work started on the house in 1600, incorporating some of the stonework of an earlier building on the site. The house has been extended and remodelled several times by prominent architects such as James Adam, John Adam, and David Bryce. It has been described by the architectural historian Charles McKean as "one of the grandest houses in Scotland" and is designated a Category A listed building. The grounds were enlarged in the 1820s when the entire village of Cullen, save for Cullen Old Church, was demolished to make way for improvements to the grounds by Ludovick Ogilvy-Grant, 5th Earl of Seafield; a new village, closer to the coast, was constructed for the inhabitants. Within the grounds are a bridge, a rotunda and a gatehouse, each of which is individually listed as a Category A structure.
James Ogilvy, 5th Earl of Findlater and 2nd Earl of Seafield was a Scottish peer.
Cullen Town Hall is a municipal building in The Square, Cullen, Moray, Scotland. The structure, which is currently used as a heritage centre, is a Category B listed building.
The Cullen Viaduct is a former single-track railway viaduct at the Moray Firth in Cullen, Moray, Scotland. Containing eight arches, it formerly carried the Great North of Scotland Railway line between Portsoy in Aberdeenshire and Elgin in Moray. Crossing the Burn of Cullen and the A98, it was built as a result of a refusal by Seafield Estate, to the south, to have the line encroach on its land.