ABERDEEN-L Archives

From: Stuart Mitchell <>
Subject: Downies fisher village
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 17:41:11 +0000

Hi Ray,

The following is from Peter Anson's "Fishing Boats & Fisher Folk on the
East Coast of Scotland" (1930; reprinted 1971) p 132:

"About a mile and a quarter northward lies Downies, an even more derelict
village than Skateraw, probably owing to the fact that that it is some
distance from the railway and not so convenient for Aberdeen as a place of
summer resort. It consists of a few white-washed cottages and the ruins or
foundations of a good many more. A path leads to to the edge of the cliff,
whence it descends to a tiny cove, sheltered by rocky headlands on either
side. My sketch* of Downies was made at low water, and shows how the few
boats** still left (not more than eight, and most of those rotting away,
out of the seventeen craft that were registered here fifty years ago) are
hauled up the face of the cliff. Notice the primitive wooden "slip-way" to
prevent the boats from being damaged on the rocks(1)."

* Dated 24/8/1929
** All those shown are small open 4-oar sailing boats
(1) (Footnote) In 1900 there were still forty fisherman in Downies; today
there are but eight. The boats shown are the 'Smiling Morn' 85A, 'Mary'
32A, and 'Sally' 217A.

For comparison, Catterline, just north of Tod Head, with its small harbour
protected by a stone pier, had:
1845 - 9 boats, 22 fishermen
1881 - 28 yawls and drifters, 30 fishermen (8 boats to the summer herring
fishing, 12 yawls for year-round line fishing)
1930 - 6 boats

while Crawton, a mile north of Catterline was totally deserted and ruinous
by 1930, despite having:
1860 - 12 boats, 20-30 fishermen
1900 - 6 yawls & 3 drifters, 30 fishermen
1927 - last fisherman left

Anson blamed the abandonment on fish being no longer plentiful inshore.

HTH

Stuart Mitchell

This thread:

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