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Stuartfield:
The village of Stuartfield was founded in 1772 by Mr. John
Burnett, an ancestor of our present laird. He named it in honour
of his maternal grandfather Captain John Stuart who had
purchased the estates of Crichie and Dens from Earl Marischal
Keith around 1700.
Crichie is still the byname for the village which nestles
favourably in the valley formed by four small hills - the Hills
of Jock, Scroghill, and the hills of West Crichie and Knock.
In the manner of other 18th century planned villages,
Stuartfield was built with four wide streets radiating outwards
to the north, south, east and west from a central Square (or
village Green). The village had the advantage of good wholesome
water, and the pump on the Square would have been in constant
use.
Until a hundred years ago there was a peat moss within easy
reach, providing fuel for the fire. Common land (the Commonty)
on which animals might be freely grazed was provided at the
southern end of the village, where the Chapel Well was situated.
In 1788 the population is given as 181.
Spinning and weaving were important to the new village. Many of
the original thatched dwellings were built to a design known as
a "house and a half", the half length extension to the main
building being a workroom which houses the loom in this true
"cottage industry".
Knitting was also a source of income and the main outlet for all
these products were merchants in Peterhead and Aberdeen.
A bell mounted on a pole at The Square was rung three times a
day to regulate the working life of the village.
Water from the mill dam and village streams, flowing eventually
into the Ugie, was used as a source of power for the meal and
flour mill. It also supplied the saw mill and the extensive lint
mills of Quartalehouse at the northern end of the village. At
that time Quartalehouse was separated from Stuartfield by
farmland.
The laird built a bleachfield and installed a full set of
machinery at the Waulkmill (now known as "The Dyesters" or
Quartalehouse Mill") in 1783. Home based small scale operators
were eventually to prove no match for the high speed methods
introduced by larger mills in the 19th
century.
Our lint and woollen industries have now gone but parts of the
original water system remain an interesting feature of the
village, appreciated by man and wildlife alike. The dam and
partly underground lade, which emerges at the old woollen mill
to turn the huge wheel, are still in working order.
Modern Day Stuartfield
For much of this century the population remained fairly static
at around 300. The addition of new private housing in the 1980's
almost doubled this to the present day 580.
Recent years have also seen the modernisation of most of the
older properties in the village and new homes are still being
built. The --Sycamores-- at Quartalehouse (the former Free
Church Manse) and the Mills at each end of the village are
listed buildings.
Many of our residents commute to work outside Stuartfield,
returning from the hustle and bustle to the respite of their
quiet friendly home village, but behind this facade of peace and
tranquility lies a lively and vibrant community, pursuing a wide
range of leisure activities.
Public Hall
The village Hall was built by public subscription in 1900.
It was extensively refurbished in 2000. There are regular dances
and social events, many as fundraisers for local groups such as
pre-school education and play-park group - which in 2006, raised
around 50 thousand pounds to replace the play-park equipment.
Various groups regularly
using the Hall include our Playgroup, Rising-5's, Mothers and
Toddlers, Sunday School, W.R.I., Senior Citizens, Aerobics,
Badminton, Bingo, Dancing Classes, Youth Club and the Indoor
Bowling Club. Community Education classes such as a Discussion
Group for Over-50's and Exercise Classes also meet there.
A major event in the village Hall is the Annual Flower Show in
August, in which village residents of all ages participate,
along with keen gardeners from throughout the area.
School
The village primary school was built in 1879. Our increasing
population, and the extension of the catchment area to include
the neighbouring village of Old Deer has seen the roll rise in
recent times to some 130 pupils. Modern classrooms were added in
1982 and again in 1989 to meet the needs of this influx.
Secondary education is provided at Mintlaw Academy, three miles
distant, which takes pupils through to their sixth year.
Evening activities in the school are numerous, the buildings
being the venue for meetings of the Community Association,
Parent-Teacher Association, School Board, Rainbows, Brownies,
Guides, Beavers, Football Training Class and Community Education
Groups such as the Writers' Circle also use the school.
Pleasure Park
Our pleasure park is off Knock Street. Within the park you'll
find the public toilets, football pitch, bowling green and
tennis court.
Services
The community is well served by its village shops, post office
and butcher. The local medical practice provides a surgery
within the village. Other businesses, including our village
hotel "The Crichie Inn", motor garage, garden machinery centre,
electrician, builder etc. provide for many of our day to day
needs.
Walks
Walks from Stuartfield are included in a booklet issued by the
Tourism Group, but here are four suggestions:
1) Wander up the main street to see features of curiosity and
interest in the village.
(2) Explore the grassy lanes running parallel to Burnett Street
on each side.
(3) Visit the Crichie Inn and the shops around the colourful
attractive Square.
(4) Walk up the "Laird's Brae" (the left fork at the southern
end of the village) and enjoy the pleasant wooded road past the
driveway to Crichie House where the present Laird (a descendant
of Capt John Stuart who bought the estate in 1700) lives with
his family.
Crichie in earlier times
There are several indications of early Pictish inhabitants. The
remains of earth houses were found nearby. Flint arrowheads and
stone battle axes bear witness to skirmishes between warring
factions in the vicinity in ancient times.
At one time there was a stone circle near Crichie Mains, to the
south of the village. The stone circle at Parkhouse stands
little more than a mile to the west.
Quartalehouse (--Gort-lie-mor--in ancient times), Biffie (--Bidbin--)
and dens (--Etdanin--)are mentioned in theBook of Deir, which
was written partly in the 9th and partly in the 12th centuries.
A deed of 1587 conveying Abbey lands to Robert Keith,
Commendator of Deer, again mentions the lands of "Dennis" (Dens)
and Biffie of "Quartailhouse and the Waulkmylne thereof" and of
the "Mulne of Crichie and the multures of the same".
Quartalehouse has no connection with quarts of ale or with ale
houses. Quart derives from --Cort-- or --Gor--t, and the Gaelic
--Gort-lie-mor-- translates as "field of the great stone", but
"field between two steams" has also been suggested.
Churches
Stuartfield is noted for having had five churches at one time.
All have now gone but you may find it interesting to search out
the old manses and church buildings which remain.
Both the Church of Scotland Parish Church and the Episcopal
Church are today in Old Deer, a mile to the north of Stuartfield.
Stuartfield's first church was the Episcopal Church built in
1708. The Rev John B. Pratt, author and Buchan historian, was
curate here from 1821 to 1825.The congregation united with the
Old Deer congregation in 1831. The church building then became
an Episcopal School and was later used as the Hammermen's Hall.
A Congregational Church was established in 1810 but fell into
disuse around 1900 due to decreasing membership.
A United Presbyterian congregation was formed in 1822, with its
church at the south-west corner of the Square. They built a new
church at the end of East Street (now Knock Street) in 1867, but
the United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church united in
1897 and the thirty
year young U.P. building was demolished.
In 1892 the short lived East Independent Church was formed under
the leadership of the Rev George Johnston, ex-minister of the
Church of Deer. The wooden building with a slated roof in which
this congregation worshipped stood at the bottom of Mill Street,
where now stands the
doctor's surgery. It was dismantled in 1906 and transported to
Auchnagatt where it still serves at the village hall.
In 1843 a United Free Church was built at Quartalehouse. From
1897 this served the joint congregations of the UP and UF
churches. Closure of the Congregational and East Independent
Churches at the turn of the century left this as Stuartfield's
sole remaining place of worship.
The Free Church of Scotland united with the Church of Scotland
in 1929 and the building became Stuartfield's village church for
the integrated congregations.
The Stuartfield congregation united with the congregation of the
Church of Deer in 1953 but the Quartalehouse church remained in
use until 1965.
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