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by the title of Lord Altree, having created the Abbey lands a temporal lordship in his favour; this peerage became extinct, and the Abbey lands fell to the Earl Marifchal. Anno 1637, William 6th Earl Marifchal obtained a new charter from the Crown of the Abbey lands, befides the tithes great and finall of the parish of Peterhead, the parfonage of the church, falmon and white-fishing. The following lands are mentioned, as fituate in the parish of Peterhead: "Terras de Lebill, terras de Munchifbill, ter"ras de Granig, (at prefent Grange), de Raekill, (where "the windmill at prefent ftands), de Fisherburn, de Peter"head cum Anchoragiis ejufdem." After the forfeiture of Earl Marifchal in 1715, the town, with the lands belonging to that family in the parish, were bought by a fishing company in England; which failing in 1726, fold the town and thefe lands to the Governors of the Merchant Maiden Hospital of Edinburgh, at the price, if I am not mifinformed, of L. 3000 Sterling. The rental amounted to 191 bolls of bear, 199 bolls of meal, 2 bolls of oats, and L. 80 Sterling of money, befides the feu-duty for property in Peterhead. The Governors let thefe lands to one tacksman at L. 245 Sterling, at which rent it remained till about 20 years ago.

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A few years before that period, the Governors expofed all their property in this parish to fale, and it was purchafed by a gentleman at Edinburgh for L. 10,000 Sterling, who thought the price high, and had an option to confider for fome time, and relinquish the bargain if he thought proper; when the time was nearly elapfed, he gave in his renunciation, which was accepted very readily by one of the Governors, who never approved of the fale, and put the paper into the charter-cheft, marking on the back of it, a miraculous escape. He was right in his opinion; in 1755 the rent was raised to L. 870, and in 1794 to L. 1040 Ster

ling, befides the money which the Governors are daily receiving for ground which is feued off, and amounts in a few years to a very confiderable fum.

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The town was formed into a burgh of barony by George Earl Marischal in 1593; it was then called Keith Inch. The number of feuers to whom the charter was granted was only 14. The ground feued out, about 3 acres; the purchase-money 30co merks, and the mail or feu-duty IIS. Scotch. From the boundaries of the different feus, they feem to have been placed from the Ronheads and Keith Inch, the eastern points, to the remoteft extremity of what is at present called the town of Peterhead, for one of the feus is bounded by the Kirkburn, which divides the town on the south-west fide from the links, where no houfes are erected. The original feuers appear to have been. fifhers, for each of them is permitted to have a boat for white-fishing, on paying the teind-fish, and "fic as happens "to pass to far fishing, the said Earl and his forefaids shall "have fuch teynd thereof as the inhabitants of Anstruther "pay." When the number of feuers fhall amount to 30 perfons, they were obliged to build a tolbooth, or pay 200 merks to the Earl for building it; they were likewife engaged to build fufficient stone flated houfes, 24 feet in length, and 16 in breadth, in fuch places as may be found most for the decoration of the burgh, and to pay L. 2 yearly till they build fuch houses. They were farther obliged to build and erect a bulwark in the mouth of the haven called Port Henry, (now the North Harbour), "for easement of their feafaring veffels, and fhall accomplish the fame half a year after that the faid Earl hath received the graffums

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❝ of 20 tenants."

The town at prefent holds of the Governors of the Merchant Maiden Hofpital of Edinburgh as fuperiors. The Government of the town is vested in a bailie and 8 coun

fellors.

fellors. The bailie is named by the fuperiors, and has his commiffion from them; the counsellors are chofen annually by the feuers, at a general meeting called for that purpose;

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of these are chofen from among the merchants, 2 from the shipmasters, and 2 from the trades. The bailie exercifes his judicial authority, or legal jurifdiction, competent in a burgh of barony; and the counsellors, jointly with the bailie, have the administration of the common good of the town; the public revenue of which, about 30 years ago, did not exceed L. 135 Sterling; it is now about L. 240, refulting from the fhore-dues, petty cuftoms, and the rent of fome land adjacent to the town, which was formerly a common, but now the abfolute property of the feuers. The whole of this revenue is annually laid out in improving the harbour, streets, other public works, and for the good of the

town.

.

The town is nearly in form of a crofs, and may be divided into four parts: The Kirk-town, Ronheads, Keith Inch or Quenzie, and the town properly fo called. A small ropery is carried on; a number of day-labourers and manufacturers refide in the Kirktown, which formerly was disjoined from, but is now almost connected with the town by one continued street. The feus extend no farther than the Kirktown to the weftward, which is feparated by a small rivulet from the manfe and the links, where there is excellent golfing, and where the young men of the town, and many far advanced in life, resort for amusement. Formerly there was a fishing-boat with a crew which belonged to this part of the town, but all the boats at prefent belong to the Ronheads, the north east part of the town, where the fishermen, failors, pilots, and a few fhipmasters refide. Here there are 9 boats, which employ about 40 hands; all these fishermen are likewife pilots, and are therefore not so fteady in catching fish as the people in Boddom; they are

very hardy and intrepid as pilots, go out boldly to meet ships in the greatest storms, and have the character of being as ready and discreet as any on the coaft. On the Keith Inch, the north part of which is called the Greenhill, there are feveral excellent houfes, and fome refpectable families. Here, on the fouthermoft part, is an old caftle, built by George Earl Marifchal in the beginning of laft century. He was employed at the Court of Denmark on an embaffy, and brought over the Princess of Denmark, who was mar ried to King James VI. It is faid he built this caftle from a model of the palace of the King of Denmark; it has been long used as a granary and storehouse, and though the walls and roof are standing, is in a ruinous ftate.

Near this there is a small fort, and a guard-house, with a battery of four 12, and four 18 pounders, brought here in the course of the laft war. There were once feven cannon placed at the mouth of the two harbours, befides fome brafs pieces in the tolbooth, which were all carried to London after the year 1715. The Keith Inch formerly at ftreamtides was entirely feparated from the town, the tide flowing from the North to the South Harbour. This is now prevented by a mound of earth, raised so high as never to be overflowed by the fea; on the north fide of this are placed the flesh-house, a number of fheds for coals, lime, and timber, and a falt manufacture; on the fouth fide is the warehouse, two small docks or flips for fhip-building, and the South Harbour.

Harbours.-There are two harbours, the North and the South. The North Harbour is the oldeft. There is a pier of very large ftones on the north-eaft fide, without any cement, but which feldom needs repairs; fhips fometimes enter this harbour, and are laid up for the winter; in general, it is only employed by large boats from the Murray

frith,

frith, and the fishing and pilot boats of Peterhead. There is 11 feet depth of water at ftream-tides in this harbour. The channel is narrow.

The South Harbour is rendered much more commodious than it was formerly by the channel being deepened. There are now two excellent piers on the south and weft fides of the harbour, and they form with the Quenzie, or Keith Inch, on the eaft fide, a capacious bafon, where at present above 60 ships may remain in great fafety, and with some additional expence in clearing the channel, and erecting another pier or quay on the east side, I am informed it may contain about 100 veffels.

The fouth pier, which suftains the whole force of the German Ocean, (and at some times, from the waves that break over the parapet, the appearance is very grand and tremenduous), is 460 feet in length, 42 feet wide at the broadest part, 40 feet high from the foundation of the head to the top of the parapet. The weft pier is 633 feet in length, the parapet-wall 325 feet; the height at the head from the foundation to the top of the parapet-wall is 26 feet.

They are both of large pieces of granite, fquared and neatly dreffed, and are thought of fufficient strength and firmness (with a little attention) to refift the force of the fea the foot-path and quay is broad and commodious, and the workmanship on the whole is well executed.

The two piers, with expences in deepening the harbour, have coft the town above L. 5000 Sterling; of this they have received about L. 4000 from Government, the Governors of the Merchant Maiden Hofpital, and contributions from a few individuals. The depth of water is from 12 to 14 feet at stream-tides, and from 8 to 9 feet at neaptides.

Confiderable

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