Auchterless ( gd, Uachdar Leasa, meaning the "Upper Part of Less") is a village in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

, Scotland; grid reference NJ 713 416, postcode AB53 8BG. The nearest large settlement is Turriff. It is traditionally known as "Kirkton of Auchterless".

History

The history of Auchterless dates back to prehistoric times, with prehistoric remains including stone circles, and the remains of earthen huts. Ruined St Drostan's Church retains a birdcage bellcote, a chamfered arch window and bell dated 1644. Towie-Barclay farm incorporates Tolly Castle, once a Barclay stronghold. It is two miles north east of Auchterless. It was built in the 14th century, but the bulk of the remains are from the 16th century. Auchterless (New Parish) Church was built in 1879 by W & J Smith. Parts of the previous church are built into the tower wall. The Duff of Hamilton

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

, 1877, has pedimented gables and a marble coat-of-arms. Auchterless station served the settlement and was opened in 1857 by the Banff Macduff & Turriff Junction Railway, later part of the Great North of Scotland Railway, then the LNER and finally

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

, on the branchline from

Inveramsay Balquhain, also known as Balquhain Stone Circle, is a recumbent stone circle from Inverurie in Scotland. It is a scheduled ancient monument. Description and measurements It is located in farmland at an altitude of c. on a terraced hillside lea ...

to Macduff, the station closed to passengers in 1951 and the line closed to goods in 1966. The station lay to the north-east, the main building remaining as a private housing as do the railway cottages.

References

;Specific ;General * ''AA Touring Guide to Scotland'' (1978) Bibliography * Villages in Aberdeenshire {{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub