Strathbogie, Scotland facts for kids

A view looking down the valley from Rhynie.

Strathbogie (which means "valley of the Bogie" in Gaelic) is a beautiful valley in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It gets its name from the River Bogie that flows through it.

For a long time, Strathbogie was a special area called a "lordship." This meant it was a large piece of land controlled by a powerful family. The Gordon family owned this lordship. They were given the land by Robert the Bruce, a famous Scottish king. The main home of the Gordon family was at a place called Huntly.

History of Strathbogie

Early Mentions

The name "Strathbogie" is very old. We first see it in old Scottish records around the year 1124. These records, called the Pictish King Lists, talk about the death of a king named Lulach. He was the son of King Macbeth and was also a king of Scotland. Lulach died in Strathbogie in 1058, specifically in a place called Essie.

Becoming a Lordship

In the 12th century, around the 1100s, Strathbogie likely became a "provincial lordship." This was a way for kings to give important areas of land to powerful families. King David I probably gave Strathbogie to David of Strathbogie. He was a younger son of the Earl of Fife, another important Scottish noble.

We have clear documents from 1226 that show Strathbogie as a defined territory. These documents list the exact same lands that belonged to the lordship in 1600. This tells us that the area of Strathbogie stayed the same for hundreds of years. It included nine parishes, which are like small local areas. These were Kinnoir, Essie, Rhynie, Dunbennan, Ruthven, Glass, Drumdelgie, Botary, and Gartly.

The Strathbogie Incident (1839-1843)

In the 1800s, Strathbogie was at the center of a big event in Scottish history. This event led to a major change in the Church of Scotland.

• The Problem: In 1839, there was a disagreement about who should choose ministers for churches. The General Assembly, which was the main governing body of the Church, had rules about this. However, seven ministers in Strathbogie went against these rules. They continued with the appointment of a minister in a church in Marnoch, even though the General Assembly told them not to.
• The Suspension: Because they did not follow orders, the General Assembly suspended these seven ministers. This meant they were temporarily not allowed to perform their duties.
• The Deposition: The conflict grew. In 1841, the seven Strathbogie ministers were officially removed from their positions. This happened because they believed that the regular courts (secular courts) had more power than the Church courts in matters of faith. The Church disagreed strongly with this idea.
• The Disruption: These events in Strathbogie were very important. They helped cause a much larger split in the Church of Scotland in 1843. This split is known as the Disruption of 1843. Many ministers and members left the official Church of Scotland to form a new church, believing the government should not control church matters.