Aikey Brae Fair Stance ~ Bygone Buchan
~ Old Deer
The Horse Fair at Aikey Brae, 2-miles South of Maud between New Deer & Auld Deer in the Heart of the Buchan Countryside, was held once a year on a Wednesday in July from the mid-1800s & a Fair with Rides & Stalls was added to the Event in the early-1900s on the Sunday before. The last real Horse Fair at Aikey took place in 1946. The Event attracted Folk from far & wide including many of the Scottish Traveller Fraternity, dealing in Horses & selling the usual Trinkets, Baskets, Pegs & Tinware. The associated Song is typical of the later Cornkisters & was Composed by George Morris who had a Hotel on Oldmeldrum & who recorded the Song on a 78 on the Beltona Label. He & his brother-in-law Willie Kemp wrote many such Songs which managed to catch the Atmosphere of Life on the North-east Fairm Touns.
Aikey Fair – This is the name of an Annual Market heid on the 1st Wednesday after 19th July, on a Site a mile West from the Vvillage of Old Deer, on the way to Maud. Sticklers for strict accuracy of Speech maintain that Deer is the name of the Parish , though Old Deer is the name of the Village. New Deer is the name of both a Parish & its Kirk Town. It is often asked how the Fair came to be called Aikey, ” & the usual Answer is that the Brae on which the Market is held must have been an Oak Wood. If this had been so, it must have been long ago, for there is no trace of an Oak Tree on the Ground now; but yet it is likely that the name had at 1st had something to do with the Oak Tree. Amongst the Acts of the Scots Parliament Passed in 1661 one is Titled “Act in favours of William , Earl Marischal , for a Fair at Auld Deir,” which enacts – “That ther be a Frie Mercat or Fair, holden yeerly, within the Toun of Auld Deir or a little above the same, where unto all his Maiesties Leidges may resort for buyeing and selling of all sorts of Merchant Commodities whatsoever as shall be brought thereto & begin on the First Tuisday of July and to continew all that week over,” with Tolls & Customs, Casualties & other Dues used & wont. At that time, Markets could not Legally be Held without an Act of Parliament or the Sanction of the King, though sometimes Farmers & Dealers agreed to meet for Buying & Selling at certain place a certain day; which therefore called “Tryst.’ The Tolls & Customs Levied at Markets Established in Legal manner were considered valuable at a time when money was scarce; & when Land Sold the right of Holding Markets on it was Sold with it. The right of Holding Aikey Fair passed into the Family of Ferguson of Kinmundie & was Sold by them to Russel of Aden about c.1829. Aden Country Park is a 230-acre Country Park situated in Mintlaw. Till then, both Aikey Fair & Dustan Fair were Held in or near the Village of Old Deer; but both were afterwards removed to more Convenient Sites.
After the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Charles II, to avoid Capture, hid in an Oak & after the Restoration, a Pension of 100-Marks was conferred on the Penderell Family, who had befriended him. This Pension continues to be drawn by the Representatives of the Benefactors. When Charles came back to England at the Restoration, he arrived in London on his Birthday, 29th May 1660. The People were “Sick ” of Republicanism & received him with Great Rejoicings. One way of expressing their pleasure was exhibiting Branches of Oak Trees, in reference to the friendly Shelter of the Oak . The Oak Token “ caught on .” Almost every Town had an Inn whose Loyalty was shown by a hanging Sign-board showing a Spreading Oak. The Schoolboys of England wore & still did to some extent wear, an Oak Apple in a button hole of their Jacket on Restoration Day. The Oak Apple is the result of a Fly called Cynips laying an Egg in Spring on the Bud of Oak twig. Then, instead of the Bud developing leaves, a round ball of Cellular tissue less than an inch in dia, called an Oak Gall, is produced. On opening it, a small worm is found in the centre . If allowed to reach full development, it eats its way out of the Apple. These Gall Nuts are used in making Ink & Dyeing Silk . If Eggs are laid on several buds, there may be more than one Nut on a Twig . Sometimes there is a Gall ona leaf.
In Scotland, young men attending Fairs and wishing to engage in Harvest used to wear in their Caps or Jackets an Ear of Barley or Oats & it is very likely that at the 1st Aikey Fair Oak Apples had been worn either by Men generally, as it was only the year after the Restoration, or by young Harvesters. Markets have often whimsical names. A Turriff Market held before Whitsunday is called Porter Fair, because, it is said , when it was 1st held, a Drink of Porter was given gratis to allcomers on entering the Market. A Market Held in October at New Deer is called Skippy Fair, because the 1st of the name was Held on a Frosty Day when the Pools were Frozen & Sliding was indulged in. So Aikey Fair may have taken its name from a demonstration of Loyalty on its Opening Day to the King who had Sanctioned Holding it.
Aikey Fair was a very Popular Market. It was not uncommon in 19thC to hear Men boast that they had been at every Aikey Fair held in their lives. Farm Servants wrought extra time hoeing Turnips to get Leave to go to the Market. Children were carried in Arms while still suckling. Whole Families went with a Horse & Cart to the Market & spent the Night between the 2-days of the Fair upon the Ground. There were separate days for different kinds of Animals & when these had been Sold & some money had been got in, the last day was greatly Patronised by Matrons, who bought Clothes & Shoes for their Families. The great feature of Fair in the 1st-Half of 19thC was the Cattle Market, when Yearlings, Farrow Cows & Oxen that had done a Winter’s Ploughing were offered. The Market was attended notonly by the Farmers & Crofters of Buchan as Sellers & Scots Dealers as Buyers, but Englishmen came & carried off large Droves of young Cattle for sale at the Great English Fairs to Cattle Graziers. The Village Inn could hardly Accommodate all the Southrons who came up on the evening before the Fair began. It was said that Men who had been riding together for days like very Brothers became utterly, selfish after crossing the Ythan at Tangland Ford & Rode off every one as hard as he could Pelt, withoui waiting for a friend , in order to be foremost at Old Deer to secure good Quarters in the Inn.
c.1849, Country Inns depended much on Market & Funeral Dinners, supplemented by Drams to Kirk Folk on Sunday. The Night before the Fair Opened was said to have been one of unbounded Fun & Mirth & an Entertainment not to be missed by an old Frequenter as long as he could sit on a Horse. In the afternoon of the Cattle Market, Great Droves of Cattle began to take the Road Southward. The most Direct way to the South was by Windhill to Auchnagatt, but to be out: the Great Crowd, some Droves took their way by Bank, now called Maud. The usual Goal was the Summit of Cairn o’ Mount & the way to it most frequently taken led by Savoch across the Ythan at Tanglan Ford, through Tarves & Oldmeldrum, crossing the Dee either at Potarch, where the Cattle had to Swim the River, Banchory, where Bridge was found. Both the Feugh & the Dye had to be Crossed . Sometimes there were Bridges over the Rivers; sometimes none. The Dye is liable to be suddenly Flooded & occasionally Lives were lost there passing the Cattle through the River. When the Summit of the Cairn was reached, a Halt was called & the footsore Beasts got a few days to rest & feed on the Hill. The Hill was utilised to separate the Droves into different Lots, some for the Markets in the South of Scotland & some for England, where they could Graze till Christmas. When all had been arranged after some Exchange between different Owners, the Droves set out for their Destinations under the Care of Men who knew the way where the Cattle could rest & feed, and how far they could Travel without Distress. Often it was necessary to bave a Courier in advance when the Cattle were somewhat Fat & they had to reach Barnet Fair in good condition. The Introduction of Bone Manure about 1830 enabled Farmers to grow good Crops of Turnips & to keep their young Cattle at home another year. They were then too Fat to stand well a long journey on Foot, so they were carried to London in Sailing Smacks. In the early-1840s, these gave place to large Wooden Steam Ships, which made the Passages with great regularity though somewhat Slowly. The Railway reached the neighbourhood of Aberdeen in 1850 & by Conveying the Cattle quicker, gradually gained on the Steam Ships. These changes soon directly affected Aikey Fair. Perhaps the Market never, only for short space, lasted till the Weekend, but in the beginning of 19thC it extended over 3-Days. In the year of Waterloo it was Held on the 2nd Tuesday & Wednesday of July (old style) & now it is on the 1st Wednesday after the 19th & 1-Day is sufficient for the Business to be done. It was of no importance now as a Cattle Market; but great numbers of fine young Horses in their Prime gather to it from far & near, & it still continued to be a Harvest Hiring Fair, though the Reaper has long supplanted Harvesting Women & the Binder was doing away with the Men .
Remains of the Market Stance of Aikey Fair. This was originally a Market for Selling Horses & Cattle & for Hiring Men & is recorded in an Act of 1661 but may well be Older. It was held Anually on a Wednesday in July throughout the 19thC & up until 1926. During the 1900s, the Market was expanded to include a Fair with Rides & Stalls, attracting a wider Audience. The last Horse Fair took place in 1946. By the 1950s, it was operating as a Sunday Fair Site, the only one in the Area. It is now no longer in use as a Market. The Market stance is shown on the 1st & 2nd Edition OS Maps as Occupying an area of Land on the South side of B9029, but by the 5th Edition OS Map of c.1945 it instead occupies an irregular shaped Site on the North Side of the B9029. A number of Quarry Pits are also marked within the Southern Area on the 1st to 5th Edition OS Maps, while the Western part of the Southern Site is recorded as containing the remains of Mounds & Field Systems (NJ94NE0008). A Shooting Target is also shown on the 1st Edition OS Map only, at c.NJ 9610 4774.
Education came from the Songs & Stories told in the Twilight Hours around the Fire
Aikey Brae: Remains of Mounds & a Minor Field system: 6 or 7 low Stony Mounds & a low Curving Bank are all that remain of this probable Field System. There is no sign of the Larger Mounds to West, which may have been Destroyed by Forestry Activity. Depicted as ‘Tumuli‘ on 1st Edition OS Map. Probably linked to Settlement remains recorded to the South (NJ94NE0007). The Eastern part of the Site was as also used for Horse Markets during the 19thC (NJ94NE0051).
c.1830 Aikey Fair, which was still held Annually on Aikey Brae, in the Parish of Old Deer, in Buchan, was the largest Fair in the North of Scotland. A Legendary account of its Origin is to the effect that a Packman of unknown Antiquity, Aul’ Aikey by name, in crossing the River Ugie, on Stepping Stones, a mile west of the Ancient “Abbey of Deir,” dropped his Pack. On Fishing it out of the Water, then slightly flooded, he proceeded some 300-yds farther on to what is now known as Aikey Brae, which was then, as it still is, covered with Short Grass & Heath. Here he spread out his Goods to Dry. The contents of the Pack consisted of Prints & Woollens, some of them being of Gaudy Colours. A good many people passed during the day & being attracted by his Stock bought up all the Articles in it. Aul’ Aikey was charmed with the Success which followed what he had regarded as a Calamity – the Accidental Soaking of his Pack. Apologising to his Purchasers for the Meagerness of his Stock he promised to show them something better worth looking at if they would meet him next year at the same time & place. He kept his Word, while the Report of his Gains brought others with Goods for Sale to the same Place & so Traffic gradually increased year by year till Aikey Brae, from its Central position, became a General Mart for the large & populous District of Buchan. Doubtless the story of the Packman is fully as picturesque as credible. That as it may, the Hillside called Aikey Brae, where Aikey Fair is held yearly on the Wednesday after the 19th of July, slopes to the North down to the Ugie, while between the Market Stance & the River runs Eastward from New Maud Junction, the Peterhead Branch of the Formartine & Buchan Railway.
The Brae affords an extensive view of the Country to the West, North & Eeast, including the fine Grounds of Pitfour, with the Mouldering Ruins of the Abbey of Deir nestling amid the Orchard Gardens of the same Seat, the Grounds of Aden & 6-miles to the North, the highest ground in Buchan –Mormond Hill – with the noted Figure of a White Horse occupying an acre of the Surface of the South Slope of the Hill, the space within the Outline of the Animal being covered with ‘White Quartzose Stones‘.
When their Great Annual Fair approached the Dwellers in Buchan, Eastward & Westward, began to bestir themselves in preparation for the most important Gathering of the Year. On the day preceding the Fair Cattle were to be seen converging from all sides to Fields within easy reach of the Stance. Dealers & others from a distance came, all on Horseback. Thus at the Ford of the Ebrie, near Arnage, some 8– miles off, as many as a 100-Horsemen would pass on the Evening before the Fair. They Rode not unfrequently at full Gallop. Bets on the comparative merits of their Horses sometimes gave rise to Racing in tins sort; but there was, in addition, the prevalent notion that it involved a sort of Slur to allow your neighbour to pass you on the Road to the Fair. On the day of the Fair 50 or 60-acres of Aikey Brae were covered with People, cattle, horses & various kinds of Merchandise.
Aikey Fair Day was regarded as the Great Summer Holiday; & both old & young flocked to it. Indeed, it was the Boast to have seen so many Fairs. “Old Cairnadaillie,” who died at the age of 96, affirmed that he had been at 91 Successive Fairs at Aikey Brae, having been 1st carried there in his Mother’s Arms. As many as 10,000-Persons are said to have been sometimes present, all Attired in their Sunday Best. The men appeared in the old-fashioned, Home-spun, woven & Tailored Coat & Vest, with big pockets & big buttons, knee breeches & hose, all made of the Wool of Sheep reared at Home. They wore Shoes with large Buckles; & some of the Rustic Dandies came dressed in White Trousers & Vest. The women also were in their “‘Braws,” & those of the Fair Sex who could afford it appeared in White. They generally wore high-crowned Gipsy Mutches; Then, as now, in matters of Dress, the Common Folk Trode on the Heels of the Gentry. The latter made a point of attending the Fair & several Carriages might always be seen at it.
The Traffic at Aikey Fair, as at other Annual Fairs of the Period, included Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Merchandise, & Chap-book Literature of no very pretentious character. There was always a wonderful supply of “Carvy” & Coriander Sweeties wherewith the Lads might Treat the Lasses. The Shows & Amusements at the Fair were of a very simple kind. The Pipers from the Country around assembled & often a Dance would be Improvised on the Green-sward. As time wore on there appeared the Slicht 0als exposed for Sale at the Fair, very few sheep being reared in the Districts around it. Most of the Cattle Sold in the Fair were driven South by Savock of Deer, Tarves, Inverurie, Echt, Banchory, the Cairn o’ Month, etc, to be fattened on the Rich Pastures of England. Years ago as many as 6000-Beasts are said to have passed through Tarves in a continuous Drove, a mile long, on their way South on the day after the Fair. In 1836, however, only 2200 Cattle were counted- on this road on the same day, while at the present day not over 250 in all appear in the Fair, though in 1876 as many as 600-Horses were shown.
The Merchandise Sold in Aikey Fair about 1800 consisted chiefly of Webs of Sacking, Bed-tick, a variety of Prints often of Gaudy Colours, Cottons in the shape of Moleskins & Corduroys, of which the outer Garments of Working Men were then mostly made; Wool & Yarn were also Sold in large Quantities. On the day before the Fair there used to be a large Wholesale Business done in Woollen Cloths among Merchants & Others. About the Period indicated there were, as now, Tents in the Fair for supplying Refreshments. Such a thing as Whisky for Sale was unknown, the Liquor being confined to Home-brewed Ale, which was much Drunk, though it was rare to see any one Tipsy.
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