Peterculter ( sco, Petercouter), also known as Culter (Scots: ''Couter''), is a suburb of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, about inland from Aberdeen city centre. Peterculter is on the northern banks of the River Dee, near the confluences with

Crynoch Burn Crynoch Burn is a stream in Aberdeenshire that is tributary to the River Dee. This stream rises somewhat above Netherley and flows near Netherley House; and thence into the Red Moss, a significant natural bog habitat; thence near the historic ...

and

Leuchar Burn Leuchar Burn is a stream that rises in the Loch of Skene, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland Initially near the headwaters Leuchar Burn flows in a southerly course;United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map, Landranger 45, Stonehaven & Banchory, 1:50,000 sc ...

. Following the 1996 Scottish council boundary changes it became part of the City of Aberdeen's Lower Deeside ward. Communication mast on Ardbeck Hill Peterculter - geograph

Communication mast on Ardbeck Hill Peterculter - geograph

The latter part of the name is said to come from the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

compound word "Cul-tir", which signifies the "back part" of the country.

History

About south west of the Peterculter is the site of the Roman marching camp at

Normandykes Normandykes (Grid Reference: NO 830994) is the site of a Roman marching camp to the southwest of Peterculter, City of Aberdeen, Scotland. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately , covers about of the summit and eastern slopes of a hi ...

. King

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

bestowed the church of Kulter, "iuxta Abirdene", upon the

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

and monks of St Mary of Kelso, about 1165–1199. The gift was afterwards confirmed by Mathew, Bishop of Aberdeen, within whose diocese the church sat. Alan of Soltre, chaplain, who had probably been an ecclesiastic of the hospital, or monastery of Soutra, in

Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Sco ...

, was presented by the Abbot of Kelso, to the vicarage of the church of Culter, 1239–1240. In 1287–1288, an agreement was made between the Abbot and Convent of Kelso and the brotherhood of the Knights of Jerusalem, regarding the Templars’ lands of Blairs and Kincolsi (Kincousie, now Kincaussie), on the south side of the Dee, by which a chapel, built by the Templars at their house of Culter, was recognised as a church, with parochial rights, for the inhabitants of the said lands. It was this agreement that changed the existing parish of Culter into two separate parishes with two separate names, the other being

Maryculter Maryculter () or Kirkton of Maryculter is a village in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The River Dee separates it from the town of Peterculter, and the B979 road runs through Maryculter. Maryculter House Hotel lies slightly ...

Attractions

High up on the steep, rocky bank of the ''Culter Burn'' near the western exit of the town was a colourful and well-tended kilted wooden figure holding a broadsword and

targe Targe (from Old Franconian ' 'shield', Proto-Germanic ' 'border') was a general word for shield in late Old English. Its diminutive, ''target'', came to mean an object to be aimed at in the 18th century. The term refers to various types of shie ...

(shield) that represents

Rob Roy Macgregor Robert Roy MacGregor ( gd, Raibeart Ruadh MacGriogair; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero. Early life Rob Roy was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, a ...

, who according to local legend leapt across the burn at that point to flee pursuing Hanoverian troops (Given the width of the stream there, the story - which has its local variants in many parts of Scotland - is unlikely to have much basis in fact). The outlaw Gilderoy is a more likely historical figure for the story. The original statue is thought to have been a modified ship's figurehead. The statue was replaced in 2017 by a resin effigy, wearing ancient Macgregor tartan. Due to its nearness to Aberdeen City and being only about from the

Cairngorm National Park Cairngorms National Park ( gd, Pàirc Nàiseanta a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh) is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Tro ...

, Culter is a base for tourists. In the town itself there are chances of many local walks, including its connection to the

Deeside Way The Deeside Way is a rail trail that follows, in part, the bed of the former Deeside Railway in Aberdeenshire. Forming part of the National Cycle Network (National Route 195) the trail leads from Aberdeen to Ballater. The route The pathway r ...

at the site of the former Culter railway station, as well as the forest area known locally as 'Sandy Hilly', or 'The Muggie Widds' (St. Margaret Woods), the entrance to which sits beside the Bucklerburn region. For sport, there is Peterculter Golf Club and Culter Sports Centre. Each year, on the last Saturday in May is the Culter Gala, in the main

playing field Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...

of the town; this event draws hundreds of local townsfolk.

Education

Culter School is a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

in Peterculter dating from 1896.Early history of Peterculter

Notable people

* Alexander Cuming, explorer. * William Duff, minister and psychologist * Oswald Lumsden, cricketer *

William Lumsden William Forbes Lumsden (4 September 1879 — 28 October 1956) was a Scottish people, Scottish first-class cricketer and British Army officer. The son of the advocate James Forbes Lumsden, he was born in September 1879 at Peterculter, Petercul ...

, cricketer *

John Mortimer Sir John Clifford Mortimer (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for novels about a barrister named Horace Rumpole. Early life Mortimer was born in Hampstead, London, ...

, cricketer *

Nan Shepherd Anna "Nan" Shepherd (11 February 1893 – 27 February 1981) was a Scottish Modernist writer and poet, best known for her seminal mountain memoir, ''The Living Mountain'', based on experiences of hill walking in the Cairngorms. This is noted as a ...

, writer, whose portrait currently appears on a Scottish £5 note. *

Peter Donald Thomson Peter Donald Thomson (1872–1955) was a Scottish minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1934. Life He was born in Glasgow. He was educated at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh. He studied divinit ...

, moderator of the Church of Scotland.

Notes

External links