Strichen Market Place:Rough Justice

Viewed from the embankment which carries the Formartine Buchan Way above Strichen Market Place the grassy space below presents a tranquil scene. Quite apart from the hustle and bustle which must have accompanied the weekly Tuesday markets the Market Place has a far from tranquil history.

In a paper entitled, 'The History of Strichen', delivered to the Buchan Field Club in 1891, Robert Anderson stated that two whale bones used to stand in the Market Stance close to the point at which the railway line crosses it. These bones were used as the town stocks and miscreants such as drunks were reputedly chained to the neck to the bones and subjected to public humiliation. Even more grisly was the nearby chair with along pole attached to it. This was used to ‘dook’ those unfortunates suspected of witchcraft in the waters of the Ugie.  A common test of witchcraft was ‘swimming the witch’; the witch was held under water, those who survived the ordeal were thought to have done so by means of supernatural powers and were deemed to be guilty. Witch hunting in Scotland was most prevalent in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, in 1597 twenty four ‘proven’ witches out of dozens who were accused of witchcraft were executed in Aberdeenshire alone.  Execution usually took the form of strangulation before being burned at the stake.

The Market Place viewed from the Line

Bridge carrying the Line across the  Market Place, the lane leads towards the Ugie. The bush seen through the bridge is full of catkins. Presumably the market stance extended down to the Ugie before the line was constructed.

Viaduct carrying the Line over the Ugie close to the Market Place. The viaduct supports gave way during  construction. The chair used to duck witches was probably on the right bank of the river in this vicinity.

The land close to the river bank is carpeted with Wood Anemones in Spring. Also known as Wind Flowers, theses delicate beauties were considered, in accordance with the doctrine of signatures, to be a cure for Parkinson's Disease.