Maryculter () or Kirkton of Maryculter is a village in the

Lower Deeside Lower Deeside is a region along the River Dee in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen in Scotland. The boundaries of this area are subject to interpretation, since the usage has altered through historic times; however, the area is generally associated wit ...

area of

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. The River Dee separates it from the town of

Peterculter Peterculter , also known as Culter, is an outer suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, about from the city centre. It lies on the north bank of the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, River Dee, at its confluence with the Culter Burn. Following the Local Governm ...

, and the B979 road runs through Maryculter.

Maryculter House Maryculter House is a historic house in the village of Maryculter, or Kirkton of Maryculter, in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History Lying along both banks of the River Dee, the Lands of Culter originally included the ...

Hotel lies slightly north of the village along the south bank of the River Dee and to the west of Templars Park. The Old Mill Inn, a former coaching inn dating back to the 18th century lay at the mouth of the

Crynoch Burn Crynoch Burn is a stream in Aberdeenshire that is a 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 histo ...

from 1797 until its demolition in February 2021 after being damaged by an extensive fire. At the edge of the village of Maryculter is a public forest land, known as the

Oldman Wood Oldman Wood is a publicly owned forest in Kincardineshire, Scotland. Crynoch Burn, a tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tribut ...

, through which flows the

. Also the children's theme park, StoryBook Glen, which also consists of a shop and restaurant is located near the old church which is still in use today as a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

. Other notable vicinity buildings include the former Lairhillock Inn which closed in March 2020 and

Muchalls Castle Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well-preserved Romanesque, double-groined 13th-century tower house structure, built by the Frasers o ...

. Maryculter also has an animal sanctuary, Blaikiewell Animal Sanctuary.

Ancient history

Traces of early peoples from the Stone Age to the Iron Age have been found in the area. Prehistoric habitation in the Maryculter area is known through archaeological sites such as

Balbridie Balbridie is the site of a Neolithic long house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated on the south bank of the River Dee, east of Banchory. The site is one of the earliest known permanent Neolithic settlements in Scotland, dating from 3400 to ...

situated somewhat west of Maryculter.

Roman legion The Roman legion (, ) was the largest military List of military legions, unit of the Roman army, composed of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens serving as legionary, legionaries. During the Roman Republic the manipular legion comprised 4,200 i ...

s marched from

Raedykes Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over northwest of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902. It is designated as a scheduled monument. A marching camp was a temporary camp used mainly fo ...

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 ...

, marching slightly west of Maryculter, as they sought higher ground evading the

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

s of

Red Moss ''Caloglossa beccarii'', known as red moss, is a species of algae that may live in freshwater or brackish environments. It is found in the aquarium trade. Description and distribution ''Caloglossa beccarii'' is most closely related to ''Caloglos ...

and other low-lying mosses associated with the

Burn of Muchalls The Burn of Muchalls is an easterly flowing stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. Its point of discharge is on a rocky beach set with scenic sea stacks. Flowing principally over agricultural lands, the Burn of Much ...

. That march used the

Elsick Mounth The Elsick Mounth is an ancient trackway crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This trackway was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian Mounth area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass o ...

, one of the ancient

trackway Historic roads (or historic trails in the US and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient track ...

s crossing the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains () is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian range extends northeast to so ...

, lying west of Netherley.

Notable residents

*Rev. Prof. George Glennie

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

DD (1768-1845), minister, born and raised in the village *

George John Robert Gordon George John Robert Gordon (4 March 1812 – 2 October 1902) was a British diplomat in South America and Europe who attracted attention in the 1870s for his marital situation. He also played a role in introducing the mediaeval song collection ''Pia ...

(1812–1912), diplomat, born at Auchlunies House in Maryculter *

Eleanor Vere Boyle Eleanor Vere Boyle (''née'' Gordon; 1 May 1825 – 29 July 1916) was a Scottish artist of the Victorian era whose work consisted mainly of watercolor illustrations in children's books. These illustrations were strongly influenced by the Pre-Ra ...

(née Gordon; 1825–1916), artist, born at Auchlunies House in Maryculter *Rev. William Selbie (1823-1895), minister of the

Free Church A free church is any Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church neither defines government policy, nor accept church theology or policy definitions from the government. A f ...

in Maryculter from 1853 to 1895Ewing, William ''Annals of the Free Church''

Line notes

References

* John A. Henderson (1892) ''Annals of Lower Deeside: Being a Topographical, Proprietary, Ecclesiastical, and Antiquarian History of Durris, Drumoak, and Culter'', D. Wyllie and Son, 271 pages
C. Michael Hogan, ''Elsick Mounth'', Megalithic Portal, ed A. Burnham

External links

Video footage of St Mary's Chapel at Maryculter House.

Bibliography

Nicol, Norman D (1999) ''Maryculter in the Eighteenth Century: Lairds, Kirk and People in a Lower Deeside Parish'' Villages in Aberdeenshire Parishes in Kincardineshire {{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub