Rooted in the North East!

Rosehearty lies on the north facing coast of Aberdeenshire four miles west of
Fraserburgh.   It was probably first settled by Danish fishermen in the 1300s and the name means Abhartach's Point in Old Gaelic. History fails to record who Abhartach was.

Fishertown Cottages Observation Tower

In 1424 the Fraser family built Pitsligo Castle on a site a few hundred yards inland from the coast. This was considerably enlarged by the Forbes family in 1570: the Frasers moving to Pittulie Castle which they built a short distance to the east. The remains of the two castles can be seen from Rosehearty.

In the 1630s Sir Alex Forbes, resident of Pitsligo Castle and later to become the First Lord Pitsligo, dramatically expanded the existing settlement of Rosehearty. The aim was to develop a large commercial fishery, with Sir Alex taking 20% of everything landed at his new port. The harbour probably dates back to this expansion, and Pitsligo Church was built in 1632. 

Undiscovered Scotland.co.uk.

Hugh Mercer (January 17, 1726 – January 12, 1777) was a soldier and physician. He initially served with British forces during the Seven Years War, but later became a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a close friend to George Washington. Mercer died as a result of his wounds received at the Battle of Princeton and became a fallen hero and rallying symbol of the American Revolution.

Mercer was born near Rosehearty, at the manse of Pitsligo Kirk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to Presbyterian Minister, Reverend William Mercer of Pitsligo Parish Church and Ann Monro.^[1] At 15, he attended the University of Aberdeen, Marischal College, studying medicine and graduated a Doctor. He was assistant surgeon in the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, and was present at the Battle of Culloden when Charles' Army was crushed on April 16, 1746, and any survivors were hunted down and killed.^[2] As a fugitive in his own homeland in 1747, Mercer fled Scotland after months in hiding. He bought his way onto a ship and moved to America, settling near what is now Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and practiced medicine for eight years.^{[3]  Wikepedia.}

In April this year the American Envoy is to come to Rosehearty and tart up the family grave or lair as they are known in Scotland.  Whooo.  

There's more!

• Sir Walter Murdoch (1876-1970), Australian academic and essayist; Murdoch University in Western Australia is named after him; Walter Murdoch was born in Rosehearty and spend the first 10 years of his life there, the youngest of 14 siblings, before emigrating with his family to Melbourne in 1886; his father James Murdoch was the Free Kirk minister at Rosehearty. He was the uncle of Keith Murdoch, born in Melbourne, after his father Patrick Murdoch, another F.K. minister, and also a son of James Murdoch, had emigrated from Cruden in 1884; the later Sir Keith Murdoch established the newspaper empire that his son Rupert Murdoch took over and turned into the present media conglomerate Newscorp.  Wikepedia.

Hmmmm.

I could go on.  Have I told you about Mr Glover?  Thomas Blake Glover, perhaps tomorrow.  Dont want to overload you.

Right now back to normal.

Three white tails = three deer.

There is a heronry just across the field.  Imagine a heron, gangly legs ok?  In the top of a pine tree ?  Oh yes, nesting?  Oh yes.

Awesome.  Beak, sharp pointy thing, with twigs, up a very waving about tree.  Laying eggs, imagine, doesnt bear thinking about does it.  I am so glad I am a human being not expected to go up a tree, and balance.  I find that difficult enough ......down on the ground.

And this chap and his mates has found our bird table.  Not a rook its a vacuum.

Still rooted in the North East.