Register of Plantations Durris Estate 1850—1
Register, kept by Forestry Commission Moray and Aberdeenshire Forest District, scanned by Norman Davidson.
It appears from a note in the corner of the first page that this record was transcribed into the SO 129 Book in 16/8/1935. A little confusing is the inclusion of a typed record of all the hand written pages but assume as it was a Public Service Book that someone in the Forestry Commission (purchasers of the Estate about that time) hand transcribed all the plantation records of the Estate. The records for all the years for each plantation (1850 -1929) is in the same hand writing although further on through the book there is a change to a slightly less legible writer.
There is no information on who typed or when the typed record was completed but most likely to have been the work of some of the staff in the Forestry Commission District office located at Banchory or possibly the new FC forest of Durris formed by the purchase of the Estate.
Inside the front cover of the Register there is a sketchy note of the all the Foresters, Factors and Proprietors since the 1850s. The foresters include the names John Gordon, David Barrie, Mr Leggat, Charles, McHardy (all up to about 1878), Mr Stewart, Mr Laird, Mr Scott, Alex Lawson, John Crozier and lastly Charles Stewart. The factors include Mr Rae and Thomas Braid: the proprietors, Mr MacTear, Dr Young, Mr Young (son of previous) and Mr H P Baird.
The next page lists all the woodland and forest areas on the Estate including the tree nursery and policies totalling over 3500 acres. The notes on each give an insight into estate and forest management as it was practiced from the 1850s through to the late 1920s. Many of the individual woods named are still recognised today and some have very evocative names such as Bruntyairds, Currackstane, Flabbets, Mounthammock, Strathgyle etc.
The first page of the hand written notes has been scanned but thereafter, for ease of reading, the typed pages have been used. Please see the attached PDF for the above mentioned first pages of the actual Register and typed notes of woodlands from Ashentilly to Clune. The rest of the woodland notes are in subsequent Picture numbers.
Any comments or further information on the Estate and its people are very welcome.
Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports, Northeast Scotland