Woodhead of Fyvie, often simply called "Woodhead", is an inland hamlet in

Formartine Formartine ( meaning "Martin's land") is a committee area in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This district extends north from the River Don, Aberdeenshire, River Don to the River Ythan. It has a population of 36,478 (2001 Census). The committee area w ...

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, that lies to the east of

Fyvie Fyvie is a village in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Geography Fyvie lies alongside the River Ythan and is on the A947 road. Architecture What in 1990, at least, was a Clydesdale Bank was built in 1866 by James Matthews (arch ...

near the upper

River Ythan The Ythan is a river in the north-east of Scotland rising at Wells of Ythan near the village of Ythanwells and flowing south-eastwards through the towns of Fyvie, Methlick and Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Ellon before flowing into the North Sea near N ...

. It is believed to have been an ancient

royal burgh A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

, as evidenced by the 1723 record of a "stone tolbooth and a stone cross" and a 1765 map showing a large community and

mercat cross A mercat cross is the Scots language, Scots name for the market cross found frequently in Scotland, Scottish cities, towns and villages where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or ...

, whilst Fyvie "was but a huddle of houses at Peterswell". A house called Woodhead Tolbooth, dating to the 18th century, contains masonry reused from an earlier building. All Saints' Episcopal Church (also known as Woodhead Chapel), 1849, was built by John Henderson. Its spire was added in 1870 by James Matthews. The

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

, 1844, is also the work of Henderson. Fetterletter Farm, of the late 18th century, contains within its grounds two disused, cylindrical thatched

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

s.Weathervane on Doocot at Fetterletter Farm
– Geograph.co.uk

References

;Specific ;General

in the ''

Gazetteer for Scotland The ''Gazetteer for Scotland'' is a gazetteer covering the geography, history and people of Scotland. It was conceived in 1995 by Bruce Gittings of the University of Edinburgh and David Munro of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and co ...

''.

Bibliography

* Villages in Aberdeenshire {{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub