Monykebuck
New Machar is a parish in the Aberdeen district of Aberdeenshire. It is bounded by Udny, Belhelvie, Old Machar, Dyce, Fintray, and Keithhall. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Parkhill
Elrick, Parkhill, Straloch, Torryleith
The parish of New Machar had a detached part separated from the main portion of the parish by a small intervening part of the parish of Udny. This detached part of New Machar was also a detached part of the county of Banff. It has been transferred to the county of Aberdeen, and it has also been connected with the main portion of the parish of New Machar by annexing to that parish the intervening portion of the parish of Udny, consisting of that part of the estate of Torryleith which was in Udny. See affected properties and landholders. (1892: Boundary of counties and parishes in Scotland as settled by the Boundary Commissioners under the Local Government Act, 1889, by Hay Shennan)
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
In ancient times there was at Monykebuck a chapel of St Columba. On 9 May 1609 this parish, with the chapel, was disjoined from Old Machar. The new parish was named Monykebuck, but by the end of the seventeenth century, it had come to be generally called Upper Machar. In the eighteenth century this latter name gave place to New Machar. The present church was erected in 1791. There were three chapels in the parish - St Mary's at Clubsgaval or Parkhill, St Mary's at Straloch, and St Mary's at the Bishop's Manor in Lochgoul.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Parish registers turned over to the Registrar-General, as a result of the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854. The letters B. D. and M. indicate Births (or Baptisms), Deaths (or Burials), and Marriages (or Proclamations of Banns) respectively. Numbers indicate separate volumes or books. Note: These records are by no means complete or without damage; consult the Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland (1872) to learn more about the condition of the records.
| OPR and RD Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Name | Number | Type |
| 1676-1854 | New Machar | 227 | OPR |
| 1855-1858 | New Machar | 227 | RD |
| 1859-1967 | New Machar | 227a | RD |
| 1859-1967 | New Pitsligo | 227b* | RD |
| 2009 | Aberdeenshire, Garioch | 331 | RD |
| 2026 | (New Machar) Aberdeenshire Council; Newmachar Community Council | ||
| 2026 | (New Pitsligo) Aberdeenshire Council; New Pitsligo Community Council | ||
*In 1853 New Pitsligo was disjoined from Aberdour, New Deer, Strichen, and Tyrie.
(2009: Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland - Old and New, National Records of Scotland)
Local community councils (2026) are provided as a potential source of additional information for settlements within the original boundaries of the parish. (Source)
Statistics from informal and official censuses
Cumming, Davidson, Duncan, Henderson, Murray, Reid, Simpson, Smith, Thomson, Wood
Note: Names appearing in research materials, other than censuses. Simple names (First name, surname only) have been omitted unless they appear associated with large properties. All women's names, and men's names with occupations, military ranks, or peerage titles are included.
By the Reverend Mr William Stronach.
"The number of souls in December 1790 was 1030, of whom 458 were male, and 572 were female. In the parish there were 60 large farmers with an average of 9 in their families, 6 blacksmiths, 4 weavers, 6 shoemakers, 12 wrights and millers, and 4 tailors. There are 4 uninhabited houses.
The common people speak the Scotch language, and in what is commonly called, and well known by the name of, the Aberdonian Dialect. The people are tolerably industrious. The circumstances of the people do not admit of their being expensive or luxurious, nor do they seem to be so inclined. The people, though not in affluent circumstances, enjoy in a reasonable degree, the comforts and advantages of society, and seem contented with their situation."
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)
Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 7, p. 465
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 12, p. 1025
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
