Strathbogie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Srath Bholgaidh'' or ''Srath Bhalgaidh'') is a district and river valley of northwest

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 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 ...

, formerly one of the great divisions of that shire, called

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

ships or

thanage The Thanage is a system of nobility, predating the modern Peerage in Scandinavia and the British Isles. The basic title in the Thanage is the Thane, who in the Peerage is called a Baron. Superior to the Thane is the Median-Thane, who in the Pe ...

s, comprehending the whole original estate that King

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

gave to the noble family of Gordon, the ancestors of the

Duke of Gordon The title Duke of Gordon has been created once in the Peerage of Scotland and again in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The Dukedom, named after the Clan Gordon, was first created for the 4th Marquess of Huntly, who on 3 November 1684 was c ...

. By 1836, the lordship had become extinct.

Name

Strathbogie is first documented as "Strathbolgyn", a name which incorporates the elements ''strath'' meaning "broad valley"; ''bolg'', meaning "bag" or "belly"; and ''-aidh'', a suffix indicating an adjective. The name therefore means "bag-shaped valley".

History

The placename Strathbogie is first attested in a version of the Pictish King Lists dated to c. 1124, describing the death of

Lulach Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin ( Modern Gaelic: ''Lughlagh mac Gille Chomghain'', known in English simply as Lulach, and nicknamed Tairbith, "the Unfortunate" and Fatuus, "the Simple-minded" or "the Foolish"; before 1033 – 17 March 1058) was King of ...

, son of

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

and

King of Alba The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth I MacAlpin (), who founded the state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thought to have grown ...

, at

Essie Essie is a given name and nickname/hypocorism usually used as a feminine name. As a standalone name, ''Essie'' can be found in several languages, including Romance, Germanic, and Persian ones. In each case, the name means "star." As a nickname, ...

in Strathbogie in 1058. Strathbogie was probably granted in the 12th century as a

provincial lordship Provincial lordships is a modern term used by historians to describe large feudal landholdings created in Scotland during the 12th and 13th centuries. These landholdings were granted by kings to their supporters to secure royal control of territor ...

David I David I may refer to: * David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399 * David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741) * David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881) * David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048) * David I of Scotland (di ...

to David of Strathbogie, a younger son of the

Earl of Fife The Earl of Fife or Mormaer of Fife was the ruler of the province of Fife in medieval Scotland, which encompassed the modern counties of Fife and Kinross. Due to their royal ancestry, the earls of Fife were the highest ranking nobles in the re ...

, but it is first documented as a defined territory in 1226. The lands listed in this document exactly match those listed as belonging to the lordship in 1600, showing that the lordship had always consisted of the nine parishes of Kinnoir,

, Rhynie, Dunbennan, Ruthven,

Glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...

, Drumdelgie, Botary, and

Gartly Gartly ( sco, Gairtlie, gd, Gartaidh) is an inland hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is several miles south of the town of Huntly, and sits on the River Bogie, a tributary of the River Deveron. The parish in which it is located also takes i ...

. In 1839, the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

suspended seven ministers from Strathbogie for proceeding with an induction in Marnoch in defiance of its orders. In 1841, the seven Strathbogie ministers were deposed for acknowledging the superiority of the secular court in spiritual matters. These events culminated in the Disruption of 1843.

Geography

It extends over an area of , which includes arable and uncultivated land, stretching east and west of the

River Bogie The River Bogie ( gd, Balgaidh), also known as the Water of Bogie, is a river in north-west Aberdeenshire in the north east of Scotland. It is noted for its brown trout fishing. Starting with the confluence of the Craig and Corchinan burns nea ...

, which discharges itself into the

River Deveron The River Deveron ( gd, Uisge Dubh Èireann), known anciently as the Dovern, is a river in the north east of Scotland. The river has a length of , and has a reputation for its Atlantic salmon, sea trout and brown trout fishing. In its upper rea ...

Huntly Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlement ...

at the centre, which was the town of the Chief.

References

Bibliography

* * {{cite book , last=Ross , first=Alasdair , date=2015 , title=Land Assessment and Lordship in Medieval Northern Scotland , location=Turnhout , publisher=Brepols , isbn=978-2503541334 Districts of Scotland Provincial lordships of Scotland