Old Deer and Pitfour House

Old Deer Episcopal Church dedicated to Saint Drostan

The small village of Old Deer is located in the Buchan District near Mintlaw and about 40 miles north of Aberdeen. This rural, flat area of Scotland offers farmers a modest income and due to its proximity to the coast fisherman cast their nets from places like Fraserburgh and Peterhead. In times gone by people in this part of Scotland earned a good living because of their rich trade, but its relative remote location and the lack of tourists has made the towns mentioned above poorer each decade.

Remnants of the 1218 Deer Abbey north of Old Deer

Old Deer shares a rich history since a famous Cistercian abbey influenced daily live here between the early 13th century until Henry VIII. Before this abbey was founded in 1218, a legend tells us that the enigmatic Saint Columba and his disciple Drostan had already established an abbey in these surroundings in the 7th century. In the so-called Book of Deer (possibly the oldest book in Scotland dating from the 9th century) this story tells us that Drostan received the site of Deir from the local Pictish ruler to found an abbey. Eventually though Drostan's abbey fell into decay until the Cistercian monks 'refounded' it in 1218.

Old Deer 525 cds on an Edward VII halfpenny 

The name of Deer (or Deir) comes from the Gaelic Deur which means 'tear'. Allegedly Columba shed some tears when he parted from his friend Drostan, hence its name. Nowadays only c. 150 people inhabit the small village, making it look small when compared to the bigger village of Mintlaw to the east. 

Edward VII halfpenny green tied by an Old Deer 525 Twin Arc cds. The date reads D JY 28 06, which implies this post card has been sent on the 28th of July 1906

The reverse of our post card doesn't share something exceptional with us. A certain 'L.' makes a little but bad joke when he writes that 'I sent you one at last, old dear'. Miss Lewis resided at Petfour House at the time. Of course it was inevitable to do some research on this location. And yes, the result was worth my additional effort.

Colorized photograph of Pitfour House in the early 1900s

Miss Lewis lived on an estate: Pitfour Estate to be precise. The first Laird of Pitfour, purchased the ancient barony in 1700 and renovated the estate, improved its infrastructure and planned modern villages on it. His descendants rebuild, enlarged and refurbished the grand Pitfour House in the following two centuries, but after WWI the Fergusons were bankrupt and couldn't afford to upkeep the large estate (50 square miles at its height) and in 1909 the estate was put on the market. Unfortunately the House itself was destroyed in the latter half of the 1920s and only a chapel, stables, observatory and a small temple survive (some of them in bad condition though). 

Colorized photograph of Pitfour House in the early 1900s

Where should we place Miss Lewis in all this? In 1906 the lands and the big mansion were still in possesion of the Ferguson family, so she could have been a maid to the family when they resided there. The 6th laird and his wife (Nina Maria Hood) had a reputation of being habitual gamblers and entertaining an extravagant lifestyle. On of the numerous reasons the estate fell into decay.

Ordance Survey 6 inch to the mile map of Old Deer and Pitfour Estate. This area was surveyed between 1843 and 1882.

Of happiness lost

Shieldaig near Lochcarron

Walter Wills loved to ski in Switzerland and resided many hours after his retirement in 1912 on his Scottish estate at Killilan. Born into the wealthy Wills family of Bristol which earned great profits out of the tobacco industry (WD & HO Wills, later Imperial Tobacco), Walter became responsible for the business account of the family firm. He restructured the company internally and became head of sales at some point.

Postcard sent from Achnashellach on the 23rd of September 1913. The green ½d George V Downey Head has been tied by a 690 Achnashellach Double Arc CDS.  

The photo on the front of the postcard had been taken relatively close to Killilan. Shieldaig is situated on the west coast of Scotland in the middle of the rugged Torridon mountain range and not so far away from the isle of Skye, which has grown into quite a tourist hotspot lately. In 1913 there were almost no tourists around, due to its barren location. Nevertheless, a railway line down from Inverness proved to be a modest source for limited tourism and wealthy industrialists from the South who owned vast estates here. The railway line was therefore quite a vital link for this part of Scotland. I do not know how this postcard - sent to the son of Walter Wills - Harold Edgar Wills travelled to Charterhouse. At least the location of the post office at Achnashellach - a railway station - might give you an idea. In the map below you'll find several arrows. The most northern one highlights the post office and railway station, the western one points to Shieldaig and beneath the most southern arrow the Wills spend their holidays on Killilan Estate.

In remembrance of Harold Edgar Wills 

A happy family back then, I can imagine. Wills married to Gertrude Wilson in 1887 and four children were born. Edgar Wills to whom this card was addressed was born in 1896 and was their youngest son. He studied at Charterhouse in 1912 and survived the war, unlike his elder brother Robert who died in France in 1915. Edgar served alongside his brother and probably witnessed his passing. He became a captain after Robert was killed - he had already been a captain. As so many families experienced in the 1st World War, Walter, Gertrude and the siblings of Robert were devastated about his loss. A monument was erected in France to commemorate him. Back in Bristol his father undertook the built of a homeopathic hospital and reached completion in 1925. The opening of this 'Memorial Hospital' was overshadowed by the sudden death of Edgar on the 11th of February 1922. He died in an avalanche while attempting to climb Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps. In the garden of Hampton House a plaque was placed with end with: "He was passionately fond of flowers". According to the University of Bristol which the Wills family founded the grass in this garden  "is now allowed to grow longer and incorporates wild flowers such as clover, buttercups, speedwell, spurge and forget-me-not augmenting Edgar’s memorial." Father died in 1941, his mother had passed away in 1936. 

Map of locations of interest mentioned above.

I would love to know who sent the postcard and what it is saying, but until now my attempts of reading it are unsuccessful. There are just too many abbreviations and scribbles I cannot decipher. At least 'they went to Shieldaig again' on the 22nd of September 1913, but that's all folks...    

   

Black forest of Rannoch

Dunalastair Hotel Kinloch Rannoch in the late 1910s

Last Sunday I returned from a splendid two week sunlit holiday in Scotland. Glad to have escaped the short but brutal heatwave in the Netherlands, the Highlands looked very inviting in the sunny summer gloom, as did the coasts. You were barely able to discern the Scottish shores from its warmer Mediterranean equivalents. The second week of my stay in this welcoming country I resided on the southern shores of Loch Rannoch. This place surrounded me with a similar feeling of mystique as the oracle city of Delphi in Greece: it felt as if the whole Highland landmass revolved around Loch Rannoch and its forests. Rannoch proved to be no easy place to reach. Until the late 18th century merchants and a rare solitary traveller would have to cross the tumultuous Tummel river at Killiecrankie by a ramshackle ferry. From there you would have to find you way westwards for over 26 km by using (I imagine) little trodden paths. You covered the whole length of Loch Tummel  before you would have reached the hamlet of Kinloch Rannoch. Today, a motorized vehicle makes the journey in about an hour from Pitlochry. If you would mark this small town on a Scottish map, you notice that the distance to the sea either west- or eastwards is of the same length. Moreover, when 2 persons would travel to the north or to the south at the same speed in a straight line, I think both would arrive at about the same time with only minutes apart at resp. the northern coast and the southern border. I think this wholly justifies my feeling of Loch Rannoch being the metaphorical 'craddle' of Scotland and so I hereby unofficially declare its lake and silent forests as the navel or epicenter of Caledonia. I would not put its mythical center in the dark 100m deep lake, but rather on its southern shore where a very special forest veils the gently sloping hills below: the little known Black Forest of Rannoch

Black forest of Rannoch

In folklore this forest is called the Black Forest. Why ancient people decided to give it this name could be due to two reasons: the Scottish Pines (out of which this forest primarily consists) look quite dark from the opposite side of the Loch: hence the adjective 'Black'. A more poetical origin could be found in the belief that people of old found the forest to be very old itself, ancient even and therefore a bit scary, if not terrifying. Of course both explanations ring true. The forest is rather magnificent even though it's only a small remainder of the enormous Pine forests which once inhabited large patches of Scotland. Although small and very rare (the forest is said to be over 6000 years old) I've seen only two other tourists gazing in amazement at the monumental pinewood during my stay there. I could only think of the big advantages this (until now) quite hidden pearl of ancient woodland has. I was able to stroll at a leisurely pace under its formidable trees without seeing a single soul and without hearing anything. At some moments the silence of forest made me realize how deafening the world of today would be for the people who first inhabited Loch Rannoch, or literally everyone born before the Industrial Revolution. Throughout the day you would hear small forest birds peeping or squeaking, but definitely not singing as if the tremendous age of the forest forbade all animals to transcend the forest with their worldly sounds. In some strange eerie (even Kafkaesque) way you feel trapped, even though the open pine canopy allows the blue sky to be visible resulting in very stark contrasts. Still, when you walk there all on your own over the brown hollow sounding paths which are shaped by endless needles and gnarled roots, you are not only dwarfed by the Titanean trees but you also experience an utter state of awe. I've included only one picture of the forest, since it's simply impossible to describe the feeling I experienced there under the rocky pines and thick undergrowth of logs, ferns, mosses and berries.

The majestic Black Forest of Rannoch, July 2019

Kinloch Rannoch  

At the eastern end of Loch Rannoch the now small village of Kinloch Rannoch lies. The village does not comprise more than a bridge, a couple of older houses along the main road and a 1970s housing estate, although there is a country store for basic groceries and one of the oldest and most luxurious hotels in Scotland: the Dunalastair (see photo postcard above). The original inn was established in 1788 and is said to have been built by Jacobite soldiers after their defeat at Culloden. I should add that the whole village of Kinloch Rannoch exists only because Jacobite soldiers sought a place - or should  I say refuge - for a modest living. In the 1860s the Dunalastair estate belonged to a member of the Macdonald clan, which built the current hotel and renamed it the Macdonald Arms Hotel.

Address side of the Dunalastair Hotel photo postcard postmarked with a 685 Kinloch Rannoch CDS 'double arc' on 1d George V ~ 28-8-1922

The Dunalastair Hotel postcard above was sent on the 28th of August 1922 when the hotel was already quite renowned. The sender writes that he stayed in the hotel for one week and the he would leave the next day for Forfarshire (current Angus). The postcard was sent to Watchet, Somerset.

George V 1d tied by a 685 Kinloch Rannoch CDS 

When I stayed at Kinloch this summer the post office (counter in the country shop) only opened in the morning between 8:30-11:30. It was closed on Saturday and I was amazed I couldn't even buy some stamps to frank my postcards with because the stamps were put in a vault after the post office closed at 11:30 a.m.... Apparently the UK has some severe restrictions on who may sell postage stamps. Although the postcards did eventually arrive, the Edwardian and Georgian opening times of the Kinloch Rannoch post office would have saved me a 15 minute drive the next morning. The office opened in 1825 and until 1827 fell within the post town district of Aberfeldy. Thereafter Pitlochry became Rannoch's post town. In 1896 the post office was granted the numeral 685 and in 1905 it became a sub-office of Pitlochry.

Kinloch Rannoch seen from the east with the Dunalastair Hotel just over the first bridge on the right. The Black Forest of Rannoch is barely discernible over the flat headland protruding into the loch. © Jānis Šmēdiņš

  

Proof that the Kinloch Rannoch post office was open after 11:30 am (in 1905)

     

Introduction

I established this new weblog with one simple purpose: to create a means of wandering through Scotland's landscape and history by using interesting postal items. I know that this simple constitutional rule will eventually spin out of control, either by me zooming in too much on the philatelic part of the story or by omitting Scotland in several successive logs because my interest shifted towards other area's (both philatelicly and geographically speaking). In both cases (or should I say in all cases) I, the author, am to blame. If you feel, or rather think this blog is slowly turning into a potpourri which at first stealthily lures you into a wondrous, omniscient world but at second thought learns you nothing: contact me. Then, obviously, I've dropped several stitches in the fabric of this weblog. When you feel at lost in this inscrutable jungle of facts I generated, please give your opinion also! Although I try to stick to the subject most of times, at rare occasions I cannot grasp for any words. Then the opposite happens: I will grasp for words upon a subject will follow. A recipe ripe for disaster...at least if you're not a demagogue or lawyer.

Colonsay

Well, to take off from this philosophical prologue I've made a scan of a rather attractive photo postcard I have in my collection. It shows you the Scalasaig Hotel on the Isle of Colonsay: a small relatively flat island in the western inner Hebrides. In 1931 only 232 souls inhabited the island, since then the population steadily declined to about 100 people living there in 2001. From 1905 onwards the island has been the property of successive lords Strathcona and Mount Royal. During summer the island is served by a daily ferry service from Oban (takes 2 hours and 20 minutes) and a twice-weekly ferry service from Islay (70 minutes), the latter only faring in summertime. When winter arrives the ferry only runs on Mon-, Wednes-, and Fridays. The island also maintains a small airport from which you can fly to Oban and Islay.

The harbour and pier of Colonsay, a place called Scalasaig. 

The main settlement lies on the east coast of the island and functions as central hub from which the ferry departs and where supplies are delivered. The Scalasaig Hotel as is displayed on the photo postcard above was built in 1750 and probably diverted many islander's thoughts from their misery existence over 100s of years. Today the hotel still exists, only being renamed as the Colonsay Hotel. 

Map of Colonsay published around 1930

I would digress about the complete history of the island, if this wouldn't have been my first post in which I only *just* adopted my severe guidelines. So, let's have a quick glance at the reverse (which I think is even more interesting...).

Colonsay 744 CDS double arc on 1d Edward VIII ~ 22-07-1937

In August 1903 the post office on the island became a sub-post office and was granted the status as post town, prior to that date the post office fell within the post town district of Greenock near Glasgow. According to the text - obviously written by a child - the sender enjoyed her holiday just north of Scalasaig in a hamlet called Glassard. Still, even a postcard sent from the island of Colonsay isn't that rare. Considering a population of 200 people and a few tourists in the summer of 1937 there would have existed several outgoing postal items every day (if the ferry ran). And so every summer in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s etc. would have seen a small increase of 'holiday mail'.     

Edward VIII 1d tied by a Colonsay 744 CDS

When a definitive becomes rare...

What really interested me though is not only the card and postmark, but foremost the stamp: it shows King Edward VIII, yes that's the one who abdicated his throne within a year over his girlfriend. Upon his father's death on 20 January 1936 Edward became king by primogeniture. It took 6 whole months to design, press and release a simple set of 4 stamps. On the 1st of September the first 3 appeared and slowly they found their way to all (sub-) post office across the UK. Edward abdicated the throne on the 10th of December 1936, making his brother King George VI. It took the Royal Mail 5 months to release stamps bearing the image of the 3rd UK monarch of 1936. Happily he occupied his throne considerably longer than his brother. The remaining stamps (from sheets) of Edward VIII were pulled back on June 29 1937. I should note though that stamps bearing his image were only invalidated when the decimal system was introduced in 1971.

So now we remain with one last question: how many sheets of 1d Edwards were sent to Colonsay? Sheets contained 240 stamps each. The red 1d stamp was primarily used for inland postcard rates, so on postal items it is probably the most common of Edward VIII stamps. Postcards are much easier to store and were back then indeed far more collectible than letters. Still, let's assume the 1d sheets arrived on Colonsay somewhere in late 1936 there surely wouldn't have been more than 5 postcards sent from the island each day (especially not during the winter). Only in the summer of 1937 the amount of postcards would have seen a small increase, but even then I don't see a population (including tourists) of a little more than 200 souls sending over 10-15 postcards each day.

Surely by December 1937 the island would have had the new George VI stamps, so let's say the Edward VIII 1d stamp was in use for a whole year and dividing this year in half (5 postcards during the winter, 15 during summer) I estimate that about 3750 postcards could have been sent from the island bearing an Edward VIII 1d stamp. Seeing that number I still think it is a grossly overestimated figure. My gut feeling says that it would have been half of that or even less. Still, we will use this overestimate. From these 3750 used on Colonsay 1d stamps only 10% would have survived. That's largely due to the specialty of the place. Postcards from islands were (and are still) very popular amongst collectors.  Most of times less than 1-2½% survives of the total amounts of postcards from more common places.

Then still only about 370 Edward VIII postcards would have survived, most of them tugged away in collections. That's about the same number of letters recovered from the Hindenburg Zeppelin crash in the same year, each of them being sold for over $5000,- at auctions today. Well, of course that's a totally different story, but it gives you at least an indication how small the number is. And, as I've been saying, I think the amount of postcards which have actually having been sent from Colonsay is lower still. So I guess I own a proper valuable item then: I might consign it to a rarity auction some day ;)