Drumoak (, , ) is a village situated between
Peterculter and
Banchory in North Deeside,
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
, Scotland. Drumoak is proximate to the
River Dee, with Park Bridge, named for the local Park Estate, being a local crossing; Park Estate, was formerly owned by the railway engineer
Sir Robert Williams; Sir Robert is interred at Drumoak.
There is a church, small shop (located in Park), bowling green and the, now demolished, Irvine Arms restaurant pub (aptly named after the family that owned the 13th century
Drum Castle
Drum Castle is a castle near Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. For centuries it was the seat of the chief of Clan Irvine. The place-name Drum is derived from Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic ''druim'', 'ridge'. The site is located approximately northea ...
). Drum Castle is run by the
National Trust for Scotland and is open to visitors. Relics and portraits of the Irvine family are kept here, and it was conferred by
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
onto William de Irvine. There are a number of housing developments progressing; a new primary school and nursery with over 100 pupils serves Drumoak. The Dee River gravels also attract gravel extraction on both sides of the river.
Drumoak Manse in 1638 was the birthplace of
James Gregory, discoverer of diffraction gratings a year after Newton's prism experiments, and inventor of the
Gregorian telescope design in 1663. The design is still used today in telescopes such as the
Arecibo Radio Telescope upgraded to a Gregorian design in 1997 giving Arecibo a flexibility it had not previously possessed. His older brother
David
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
was also born there in 1620.
Between Drumoak and Peterculter is the site of a
Roman encampment Normandykes
History
A history of Drumoak was commissioned by the Kirk Session of Drumoak Parish Church in 2000 in order to commemorate the second millennium. It was entitled ''The Parish of Drumoak'' and was written by Robin Jackson.
See also
*
Balfour
*
Lower Deeside
*
Drum railway station
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in Aberdeenshire