Notes: | A map of the coast of Buchan in northeast Scotland, now part of Grampian Region, from the town of Banff in the west to the mouth of the River Ythan, near Ellon, in the south. Inland the boundary encloses the Hill of Corsegight, east of Turriff, and the settlements of Allathan and Middlehill on the Little Water, 5 km west of New Deer. - This map is an excellent source for place-names, most of which locate settlements such as fermtouns, larger houses and castles, and towns.
- There are some notes on this map in the neat hand of Robert Gordon. For example, off the coast near Bulress buchan (lower right) Gordon has written:
The bowness fortified sometyme by the danis[h] - Just below this we find Pont's original entry in faded ink:
bowness with fresh wat[er] a great stre[n]gth so[m]tyme fortified by the danes Gordon, in his description of Aberdeen and Banff, records that a party of Danes were defeated by local forces while fortifying the headland (see Mitchell, 1907; ii, 265, 305). - The grid in faint red ink which covers this map may have been added by Gordon. A note in his handwriting (top right) reads:
Evrie one of these dimensions do little exceed half a Myle - Pont has recorded the names of the owners of many of the houses, using his characteristic g.s. abbreviation, probably meaning 'good sir'. See, for example, g.s. Fraser at Mekle creechy (Crichie), south west of his neat depiction of [Old] Deer with its ancient Abbey (centre). This Cistercian institution was founded in the year 1219 by the Earl of Buchan.
- There are standing stones near the Abbey, shown by Pont's usual symbols.
- Pont 9 overlaps the north west part of Pont 10.
- Several of Gordon's manuscript maps include this area, the most useful being [Gordon] 33, 34, and 35. These maps contain significant additional information.
- The relevant Blaeu map of this area is Aberdonia & Banfia. However, this map contains 55 place names taken from Gordon's maps which are not found on Pont's map.
View the Pont Maps website. View maps by Blaeu and Robert and James Gordon. |