Glenbuchat Heritage

24Brian Davidsons return to Woodside Cottage

Brian Davidson's visit to Woodside Cottage

The Photos above show:

Brian Davidson at Woodside Cottage
Woodside Cottage
Rose cottage
Davidson’s Mobile Shop with James Davidson on the right


In September 2021, Brian Davidson visited Glenbuchat to see the place of his birth, Woodside Cottage at Belnacraig.

Brian was the son of Robert Davidson who had worked at the Craigton shop in Glenbuchat and his grandfather was Walter Davidson, a major figure in Glenbuchat who had run the Craigton shop from 1909 until the 1940’s

Click for more details about the Craigton Shop

The family history is shown in full below. Brian’s father was Robert Davidson, the third son of Walter. Walter senior rented two shops, one in Lumsden and one in Glenbuchat. The first son Walter junior managed the shop in Lumsden, the second son James took over the shop in Glenbuchat and the third son Robert (Brian’s father) assisted in the shops mainly by driving the delivery vans.

Brian’s mother’ Margaret Jean Grant’ had been born in the Upper Lodge at Glenbuchat where her father Alexander Duncan was a gamekeeper. Alexander lived latterly at East Belnaboth in Glenbuchat. Robert and Margaret got married in 1946 and Brian was born in 1949. He also had a sister Doreen, who was born in 1953. At the time of his birth his parents were staying at Woodside cottage, Belnacraig, Glenbuchat. The family lived there until about 1958 when they moved to a larger house, Altnacruichan and the foot of the Belnacraig brae in Glenbuchat.

When Brian visited the glen in 2021, he was delighted to be able to visit his old home, courtesy of the present owner. It has now been enlarged and extensively modernised. Originally it had been a two-room cottage with a door in the centre and on the left a living room with a range and on the right the single bedroom. There was no separate kitchen and only an outside ‘dry’ toilet which was emptied into the garden when required. There was no water in the house, the only water being from a tap outside on the gable wall.

Brian was able to stand in the bedroom where he was born and also knelt in the flower bed where as a young child, he made furrows in the soil using a spoon.

In 1958 the family moved to the bottom of the Belnacraig Hill and went to occupy Altnacruichan cottage which was just beside the shop premises. At that time Brian was the only child of age in the glen and became fed up playing football on his own. He was put out however when another child was born at the Milton which removed his claim to be the only child in the glen.

Brian started working by helping out at the Milton farm from the age of 13. However, he longed to leave and experience he outside world and so in 1965 he left Glenbuchat to become an apprentice Electrician in Aberdeen. He chose this career after seeing the Hydro Electric Company electricians installing power in the glen.

He recalls returning at weekends and seeing the aftermath of the fire at Belnaboth, just across from his home, where 32 cattle and two dogs died in a steading fire. He recalls one of the local firemen noting that as he got out of his vehicle, he thought he was on ice as it was so slippery. It was in fact fat from the cattle running down the hill. The fire was reported in the Aberdeen Evening Express of Saturday 27 April 1968

Blaze kills over 30 cattle
FIRE fighters had to stand helplessly by s 32 beef cattle perished in glen farm fire Strathdon. Neighbours from miles around rushed to 80-acre Belnaboth Farm in lonely Glen Buchat. Flames from the blaze lit up the scene for miles around. Two collie dogs, Flossie and Spot, and a lamb, also died in the inferno. Two the cattle were due to calf within days. Forty quarters grain, six tons of straw and two tons hay and farm tractor went up the flames which completely destroyed the farm sleeping and granary. Belnaboth, which belongs to Glenbuchat estate, is tenanted Mr John Murdoch and managed Mr Stanley Cant. The fire broke out just before 11 pm. Mr Murdoch wakened Mr Grant to tell him the steading was on fire

As a child on the Belnacraig hill, Brian was a keen observer of the local ‘worthies’ around him.

Rose Cottage

The nearest cottage to Woodside was Rose cottage, at that time a small two room cottage with an asbestos roof.

Click for Rose Cottage

The cottage was occupied by a single lady Euphemia Leslie known as Effie. Brian remembers her as a rather eccentric woman

Click for Euphemia Leslie

Craighead
Further up the Crag was the croft at Craighead. The croft was occupied by brother and sister George and Leah (proper name Mary Ann) and Lea’s husband Jock (or John). The three of them ran the croft and can be seen in many pages including:

Click for Craighead

During the summer months George Hay vacated his bedroom and slept in a wooden shed by the house and the family took in lodgers. Below is an advertisement in the Aberdeen Evening express of 1961. This continued into the 1970’s. The visitors often came from the town for the country experience. This was available in spades at Craighead. Brian recalls that the Davidsons reared turkeys for sale. To say they were free range is an understatement as they had the run of the inside of the kitchen with resultant deposits were certainly a challenge to hygiene.

BOARDING HOUSES
BEDROOMS, Sitting room, farm board, attendance. 22nd July onwards: terms moderate. Davidson. Craighead. Glenbuchat. Strathdon
Aberdeen Evening Express - Wednesday 28 June 1961

Click for Craighead Visitor

Broombrae, East and West.

The two semidetached cottages are just in front of Woodside and down the hill.
In East Brombrae was Robert Shearer, father of Nan Shearer who married Robert Murdoch and who eventually lived further down the hill. Robert had worked as a tailor at the Craigton Shop. In those days the tailors sat cross legged on a shelf near the window to get the best light. Many years in that position had left Mr. Shearer bow legged.

Click for Shearer family at Broombrae

In west Broombrae lived John and Mary Sinclair.

Weavers Cottage

Click for Weavers Cottage

Weavers’ cottage was another small cottage which had been the home of Glenbuchat’s last weaver, James Hay, who died in 1917, His wife Jane Hay stayed on for a while after that. In 1935, after his marriage George Tait lived there. He was a long-time postman in Glenbuchat and in 1966 on retirement moved to Aldachie Cottage.

Click for James Hay Weavers Cottage

George Tait had a small shed at the bottom of the Belnacraig hill where he kept equipment required for his rounds especially in bad weather. These included his bicycle and snowshoes.

Click for Mr Tait

In the 1960’s Weavers was taken over by Mr Ken Henderson a lecture from the Education College in Aberdeen and who used the house as a weekend home. Occasionally he gave Brian a lift back to Aberdeen on a Sunday night.

Balnagowan
This was the croft of Isabella and Alexander Shand. They were probably the last small crofters in the glen, farming about 10 acres with a couple of cows and a horse as well as a trusty ‘Fergie’ tractor. They left in the early 1970’s.

Click for Balnagowan Album

Braehead.
This was the cottage housing Jessie and William Thom. William was a retired roadman and Jessie had a passion for cats and the house was full of them, too many to count. Occasionally, when she visited the Shop at the bottom of the hill, there were rabbits hanging up for sale. Out from her voluminous great coat she would produce a small knife and then proceed to remove the livers from the dead rabbits. These then went back into her pockets. She would then walk on the short road from the Hall to the bridge over the Buchat burn, then known as ‘the flat’. There she would distribute the livers and quickly became surrounded by a multitude of the surrounding area’s cat population.

Click for Mrs Thom

Another of Jessie’s habits, less endearing to the shop girls, was her testing of the butter. Butter was produced by the neighbouring farms and collected by the shop van to be sold at the shop. The different butters were kept in separate containers. Jessie would ceremoniously go along the row of butter containers and with her forefinger and taste one butter after another without and regard to hygiene.

Craig Cottage and Bowiebank.

These two cottages had previously been the Free Church School and the front cottage Craig cottage was the teachers house and the rear part, the school room. The rear part had been subdivided in to a cottage and called Bowiebank.

In 1955 it was occupied by William and Jessie Tomson and later by Bob Murdoch who was originally from Belnaboth and his wife Nan (nee Shearer) from Broombrae. Willie Thomson and his father had been farmers at the croft of Dockington His wife had been a cook at the local school. They moved to East Broombrae after the death of Robbie Shearer.

Click for Bob and Nan Shearer Bowiebank

The front part, Craig Cottage, was occupied by Charlie and Edith Fraser. Charlie had been a farmer at the Kirkton Glenbuchat. Brian’s reaction to the Frasers showed that a social hierarchy existed even in the small glen. Brian said that Charles Fraser belonged to a class of gentlemen farmers. Although only farming a small acreage, Brian saw him as a man who gave the orders and others did the work. As a result, he felt that they were different from him and he had no contact with them.

Altnacruichan
This cottage lies next to the shop and was occupied by Brian’s family from 1958. In 1955 it was occupied by a Jane Reid whom Brian found a rather strange woman. She always dressed in white and had a club foot with a heavy boot on if. She had been in that cottage from before 1922

Glenbuchat hall
Opposite Altnacruichan is the Glenbuchat hall. In the late 50’s there was still social activity in the hall with Occasional dances, the Lairds Social, Halloween and Christmas parties and the Farmers Ball and of course a Burns Supper

Click for Glenbuchat Hall

Sunnybrae Farm
The croft was run by Albert and Annie Grant

Click for Sunnybrae Croft

Sunnybrae Cottage
Was occupied by James Gibb. He was still there in 1975

Newton
Lilly and Adam Coutts’ lived there. Their son s son Willie, a year older than Brian, was a good friend of his.

Glenbuchat Mill
The Mill was no longer functioning as a mill. The Farquharson family lived there. Father William Farquharson who did general jobs around the glen and for the estate. His wife Isabella dies six months after delivering her 5th child. The children were Cathy, Willie, George, Margaret and Agnes. After his mothers’ death Willie was taken out of school to look after the family while father worked.

Smiddy
The Smiddy was no longer a blacksmith but was the workshop for the estate joiner.

Davidson Family History

George Davidson
Birth 16 Dec 1825 Methlick
Death 21 Feb 1900 North Ardo, Methlick,
Parents
Peter Davidson 1794–
Anne Innes 1791–
Spouse
Ann Gray 1838–1901
Children
George Davidson 1850–
Ann Davidson 1864–1924
Catherine Davidson 1867–1939
Peter Davidson 1869–1952
John Davidson 1871–1909
James Davidson 1873–
Alexander Davidson 1876–1884
Walter Cheyne Davidson 1879–1946
Jane Davidson 1882–1887

Walter Cheyne Davidson
BIRTH 10 FEB 1879 Meikle Ardo,
DEATH 08 JUN 1946 Glenbuchat,
Parents
George Davidson 1825–1900
Ann Gray 1838–1901
Spouse
Isabella Gran 1874–1951
Children
Christina Ingram Davidson 1900–1995
Walter George Davidson 1902–1970
Mary-Ann Grant Davidson 1904–1995
James Alexander Davidson 1906–1992
Isabella Davidson 1908–1987
Robert Grant Davidson 1912–1989
Donald Davidson 1917–1996

1901 Scotland Census
Name Walter C Davidson
Age23 Estimated Birth Year1878
Relationship Head
Spouse's Name Isabella Davidson
Address Swinahard Cottage
Occupation Gen Merchants Assistant

Robert Grant Davidson
BIRTH 1912 Craigton, Glenbuchat,
DEATH 19 SEP 1989 Glenbuchat,
Parents
Walter Cheyne Davidson 1879–1946
Isabella Grant 1874–1951
Spouse
Margaret Jean Duncan 1920–1985
Children
Doreen Margaret Davidson 1953–2005
Private

Alexander Duncan
Birth 7th December 1855 Moss-Side, Rothiemay,
Death 4th December 1958 East Belnaboth, Glenbuchat,
Spouse
Maggie Stuart Gray 1887–1973
Children
Margaret Jean Duncan 1920–1985

Margaret Jean Duncan
Birth 6th April 1920 Upper Lodge, Glenbuchat, Strathdon,
Death 6th August,1985 Upper Corskie Croft, Dunecht,