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 ( 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. The River Dee separates it from the town of

Peterculter Peterculter ( sco, Petercouter), also known as Culter (Scots: ''Couter''), is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, about inland from Aberdeen city centre. Peterculter is on the northern banks of the River Dee, near the confluences with Crynoch ...

, 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 pa ...

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 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 ...

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 affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not ...

, 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 ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

. 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 of ...

. 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 40 ...

situated somewhat west of Maryculter.

Roman legion The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of ...

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 for ...

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 ...

, marching slightly west of Maryculter, as they sought higher ground evading the bogs of Red Moss 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 Mu ...

. 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 ...

, one of the ancient

trackway Historic roads (historic trails in USA 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 trackway ...

s crossing the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) 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. T ...

, 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 letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

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

George John Robert Gordon George John Robert Gordon (1812-1912) was a British diplomat who served as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation from 1854 until 1858. He was born in Maryculter, Aberdeenshire, on 4 March 1812, the oldest child of Alexander Gordon ...

(1812-1912), diplomat, born in Maryculter *Rev. William Selbie (1823-1895), minister of the

Free Church A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions from ...

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 {{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub