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Longside:
The village of Longside (originally called Peterugie) grew
along the edge of the floodplain of the South Ugie Water.
Historical reference to farms in the area appears in a 1544
report of a list of the lands belonging to the Abbey of Deer.
Building leases were granted by the Laird of Pitfour in 1801,
although the parish of Longside was formed much earlier, in
1641, the old church having been built in 1620. The name was
derived from the farm on which the church was built, and it is
suggested comes from the Gaelic lon : a moss, marsh or meadow.
The principal industry has always been agriculture, mostly mixed
farming, with wooded areas and peat moss. A woollen factory was
situated at Millbank, but ceased production in 1828. Grey
granite was quarried extensively in the past at Cairngall, and
transported by rail to many parts of the country, being
particularly attractive when polished. The railway, opened in
1862, linked the village with Peterhead, Maud and Aberdeen,
thence to the markets of the south. It was closed in 1952.
The Longside Fair, held twice a year in November and May, was
the most important "feeing" fair in the area: farm servants
offered themselves for hire for the subsequent six months. The
place-name "Markethill" commemorates the area covered by the
fair which continued until the 1930s.
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