 | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Cistercian |
| Established | 1219 |
| Disestablished | 1587 |
| Mother house | Kinloss Abbey |
| Diocese | Diocese of Aberdeen |
| Controlled churches | Deer; Foveran; Kinedward; Peterugie |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | William Comyn, Earl of Buchan |
Deer Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Buchan, Scotland. [1] It was founded by 1219 under the patronage William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, [2] who is also buried there.
There was an earlier community of Scottish monks or priests, never numbering more than fifteen. [3] The notitiae on the margins of the Book of Deer record grants made to the Scottish religious community in the 12th century and a claim that it was founded by Saint Columba and Saint Drostan. [4]
In 1219 the Earl of Buchan founded the Cistercian abbey of New Deer about two miles westward of the old foundation, granting to the new abbey a portion of the lands of Old Deer, the rest going to the maintenance of a parochial church. [5] William brought Cistercian monks from Kinloss Abbey near Elgin to establish the new monastery. [6] The old religious community was probably absorbed by the new foundation, which was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Deer Abbey was always a small community, with never more than 15 monks at any one time. The history of the abbey after the 1210s is obscure until the 16th century, when it was beginning to be secularized. The abbey was turned into a secular lordship for Commendator Robert Keith II (becoming Lord Altrie) in 1587.
The church was cruciform in shape, 157 feet (48 m), with a north aisle to the nave. Some fragments of this remain, along with a piscina. [3] Considerable portions of the south range of the cloisters remain, approximately 70 feet (21 m) by 90 feet (27 m). [7]
The Abbey was included in the lands obtained by James Ferguson, Lord Pitfour, and became part of the Pitfour estate in 1766. His son, the third laird, built the 5 metres (16 ft) high enclosing wall in 1809 and used the grounds as an orchard. The four-columned Doric pedimented portico was taken from an earlier mausoleum. [7] He also discovered some of the graves but did not disturb them. The fifth laird had the site cleared and used the stones from the Abbey building to have a mausoleum constructed in which to bury his daughter when she died aged 21 years in 1851. The only other person buried in the mausoleum was Ferguson's mother-in-law.
By the early 1900s, the estate was bankrupt. The property was acquired around 1926 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen, which shortly thereafter gave custody to the Ministry of Works. [8] The house, which was in poor repair, was demolished; much of its stone was said to have been used for the construction of council houses in Aberdeen. [9] The mausoleum was removed in the 1930s and parts of it were used to build an entrance; however this was undertaken without disturbing the graves of Lady Langford and Ferguson's daughter, Eliza. [10] The property is managed by Historic Scotland.
There is considerable evidence of prehistory in the local area, most notably in the form of the Catto Long Barrow and numerous tumuli slightly to the south. [11]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Abbey of Deer". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Settlements and places of interest in Buchan, Aberdeenshire | ||
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| Primary settlements |  | |
| Other settlements | ||
| Places of interest | ||
Old Deer is a parish and village in the district of Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The population in 2011 was 152. The village lies on the A950, beside the Deer or South Ugie Water, 10.1 miles (16.3 km) west of Peterhead and 2 miles (3 km) from Mintlaw. Industries include distilling, brewing, and the manufacture of woollens, and there are quarries of granite and limestone.
The Abbot and then Commendator of Melrose was the head of the monastic community of Melrose Abbey, in Melrose in the Borders region of Scotland. The abbots of the earlier Northumbrian foundation from Lindisfarne are not included here. The second abbey was founded in 1136 on the patronage of David I, King of Scots, by Cistercian monks from Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire. Control of the abbey was secularized in the 16th century and after the accession of James Stewart, the abbey was held by commendators. The last commendator, James Douglas of Lochleven, resigned the abbacy to William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton in December 1606, and the abbey itself to the king in 1608. The abbey was then erected into a secular lordship for viscount Haddington, John Ramsay, who in 1609 was created "Lord Melrose". Lochleven however resumed the title of commendator in 1613 until his death in 1620.
William Comyn was Lord of Badenoch and Earl of Buchan. He was one of the seven children of Richard Comyn, Justiciar of Lothian, and Hextilda of Tynedale. Born in Altyre, Moray, Scotland, he died in Buchan and is buried in Deer Abbey.
Buchanhaven is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, dating to around 1739. It is one mile north of Peterhead town centre, and near to the mouth of the River Ugie. It has its own school, Buchanhaven Primary School, which caters for children in Buchanhaven and the nearby Waterside estate. It is also the home of Buchanhaven Hearts F.C.
New Deer is a settlement in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland, which lies in the valley of Deer. It is located at the junction of several roads crossing through the Howe of Buchan. It was founded after monks from Deer Abbey, Old Deer, built a chapel at Auchreddie, which translates as "field of the bog myrtle", and lies clustered on both sides of the slope of a tributary of South Ugie Water. Around 1507 the register of Deer Abbey lists its lands in the "new paroche of Deir". The name Auchreddie has dropped in significance over the years; however, the southern end of the village is still known by this name.
Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.
The Abbot of Deer, was the head of the Cistercian monastic community of Deer Abbey in Buchan. It was founded in 1219 by William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan. There was an earlier community of Scottish monks or priests which was probably absorbed by the new foundation. It was turned into a secular lordship for Commendator Robert Keith II in 1587. The following is a list of known abbots and commendators:
Mintlaw(literally meaning a smooth, flat place) is a large village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies at the intersection of the A950 and A952 roads, west of Peterhead. The 2001 UK census records a population of 2,647 people.
Longside is a village located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, consisting of a single main street. It lies seven miles inland from Peterhead and two miles from Mintlaw on the A950. Its population in 2001 was 721. The River Ugie flows through it.
St Combs is a small fishing village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, immediately southeast of Inverallochy. It has existed since at least the 17th century, and takes its name from a church to St Colm that used to exist in the area and was abandoned in 1607. Only a fragment of it remains. The remains of Lonmay Castle are also in the area. The village sits across Loch Strathbeg from Rattray.
Cairnbulg Castle is a z-plan castle situated in Cairnbulg, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire. It stands by the River Philorth and was originally known as Philorth Castle. The 17th-century Philorth Castle, an L-plan house consisting of a sizeable crow-stepped block, was demolished after a fire in 1915.
Dundarg Castle is a ruined castle about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north-northeast of New Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, built within the ramparts of an earlier Iron Age promontory fort. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of North-East Aberdeenshire, and by Charles McKean as "Scotland's answer to Tintagel". It became a small Celtic monastery for a period.
Inverallochy Castle is a ruined courtyard castle, near the village of Inverallochy in the Buchan area of North-East Scotland, dating to 1504. It lies 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of Cairnbulg Castle, near Fraserburgh, and formerly stood beside the now-drained Loch of Inverallochy. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of North-East Aberdeenshire.
James Ferguson FRSE was a Scottish advocate and Tory politician and the third Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in the Buchan area of north east Scotland, which is known as the 'Blenheim of the North'.
Inverugie Castle or Cheyne's Tower is the ruins of a motte-and-bailey castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a scheduled ancient monument.
The Pitfour Estate, in the Buchan area of North-East Scotland, was an ancient barony encompassing most of the extensive Longside Parish, stretching from St Fergus to New Pitsligo. It was purchased in 1700 by James Ferguson of Badifurrow, who became the first Laird of Pitfour.
James Ferguson, Lord Pitfour was a Scottish advocate and second Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in Buchan. His flourishing law practice was sited opposite Parliament House in Edinburgh. He became Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in 1760 and was elevated to the bench as Lord Pitfour, in 1764.
James Ferguson was a Scottish lawyer and was also the 1st Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in the Buchan area of north-east Scotland, which became known as 'The Blenheim of the North'. Prior to the purchase of the Pitfour estate, he had the honorific 'James Ferguson of Badifurrow', the estate he eventually inherited after his grandfather cut all ties with Ferguson's uncle, Robert Ferguson, who was in hiding to attempt to avoid treachery charges.
George Ferguson was the fourth Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in the Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, that became known as The Blenheim of the North.
Old St Peter's Church is a scheduled monument in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. While the medieval main tower is still standing, only ruins remain of its other sections, some of which date to the 12th century. The pyramid roof of the tower is believed to be 18th century.
