The Bennachie Colony
The Bennachie colony was a ¾ mile long by ¼ mile wide crofting settlement at the east end of Bennachie.
The Colony
To the best of our knowledge, the colony began in 1825 when the settlers, resulting from the demise of the former communal farming systems in the rural countryside. made little crofts. Toil and sweat turned areas of heather moor into arable fields surrounded by substantial stone dykes.
The houses were simple two roomed thatched cottages, the walls made from stones from the hillside with clay being used instead of cement. The 1851 Census recorded 56 people living in this settlement north of the Clachie burn. At that time Bennachie was a Commonty – land shared by neighbouring estates. In practice, anybody living around the slopes considered that they had the right to graze sheep and cattle and take peat, wood, stone and heather and did not have to pay rent.
Colony Houses
There are 7 ruined croft houses, each with their own story to tell.
The houses were simple two roomed thatched cottages, the walls made from stones from the hillside with clay being used instead of cement.
The last of the Colonists was a remarkable man called George Esson who had returned from America and worked locally as a mason and ‘drystane dyker’. He died in 1939 in his cottage. His grave is at Chapel of Garioch Churchyard across the road from the Church. On his headstone are inscribed the words “George Esson – descended from the first and himself the last of the Colonists of Bennachie”. He appears to have been very strong and well educated as some of his remaining letters prove.
The Bennachie Landscapes Project Group has undertaken much recent work regarding the Colony. This has included excavations at some of the sites, for more information refer to this 2013 excavation report.
