Peterhead 

Peterhead is just southeast of Inverugie Castle and is quite a nice town. The town of Peterhead very graciously offered all 215 Keith and the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band lunch in one of the town's major hotels, Arbuthnot House. A lone piper piped the Chief into the reception hall of the hotel where the Ross Herald of Arms, Charles John Burnett Esq, explained the significance of the Scroll of Association between Peterhead and Clan Keith before presenting it to Lord Kintore. The several towns people stopped and asked us to explain the significance of the event to them. The people of Peterhead were very welcoming and friendly.

 Photo 1: Statue of Field Marshall Keith in Peterhead

Photo 2:  Alice & David Hattenbrun with friends

Photo 3: A monument in Peterhead showing the old Keith Arms

Photo 4: Peterhead Councilor, Sam Coull, welcoming the Clan Keith to Peterhead and relating the relationship between Peterhead and Keiths

Photo 5: The Earl of Kintore and his Lt. marching with the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band through Peterhead

Photo 6: Keith Highlanders preparing to pipe more tunes

Photo 7: The Ross Herald of Arms from H.M. Officers of Arms at the Court of the Lord Lyon with the Scroll of Association given to the Earl of Kintore

Photo 8: The Ross Herald and Keith Highlanders Pipe Band Major

Peterhead Information

The ancient name of the parish of Peterhead was Peter Ugie (Latin Inverugy Petri) and is found in old charters. Formerly of much greater extent than at present, it extended westward for a distance of about nine miles, and included, till 1620, the parish of Longside, formerly called Western Ugie. Peterhead grew out of the small fishing port of Keith Inch. Keith Inch, as it is now, was in fact 2 islands, Keith Inch and Greenhill. It is now only used by the oil and fishing industries and no longer has any residents.

 In 1560, the parish of Peterugie was acquired from the Abbey of Deer by the Keiths Earls Marischal of Scotland, and renamed Peterhead. The fishing village of Keith Inch (Caikinche) situated on an island was presumably also incorporated into Peterhead at about this time. Also about this time, the Peterugie settlement was being eroded and people were moving to Almanytjie.

 Peterhead's first harbour was begun in 1593, when the forth Earl Marischall (George) financed the building of a bulwark of oak timbers and boulders to protect Port Henry harbour. This bulwark stood the test of time until its demolition in 1870. 

The Ugie Salmon fishhouse at the mouth of the Ugie was built by the 4th Earl Marischal. This 400 year old salmon house is the oldest surviving building in Peterhead. It is also the oldest working premises in Scotland.

 James Francis Edward Keith was born at Inverugie, better known for his services as a military commander under Frederick II of Prussia. As a Scottish Jacobite, he was forced into exile for his activities on behalf of the Stuart pretender to the British throne (1715 and 1719). After serving for a time in the Spanish army and in Russia (1728), he distinguished himself in the War of the Polish Succession and in campaigns against the Ottoman Turks and Sweden. He entered the Prussian service in 1747 where he was made a field marshal by Frederick the Great. During the Seven Years' War, he commanded Prussian forces at the siege of Prague (1757) and successfully defended Leipzig against the Austrians. He was killed in the Battle of Hochkirch on October 14th 1758. In 1868 a monument donated by William I of Prussia was erected to Keith's memory in the Broadgate of Peterhead.

From: Some Dates in the History of Peterhead