Visit to Skaterow and Downies 7/8 March 2000

By Suzi Buyers

Downies 7 March 2000-03-17
I went to No. 39, Downies, (looking for No. 40) and the lady there informed me that No. 39 and 40 had been converted into one house. She pointed me in the direction of a Mr Norman Nicholl at The Bungalow. He invited me into his home where I spent the next couple of hours looking through dozens of old photographs of Woods, Leipers and Craigs of Downies. 

Mr Nicholl gives slide shows of the history of Downies and he has maps and plans of where all the houses are and when they were built. He suggested I should read two books: 'One foot in the sea' by Robert Smith and 'Thirty Years at Portlethen' (Church History). He has promised to copy some photos and a map for me, together with a poem written in 1880 about the disaster (the great storm).

Mr Nicholl told me about the women being so strong and that they found childbirth very easy. They had strong hips as they had to carry their men-folk onto the boats to ensure they did not have to go to sea wet. Also, Downies was known as having the cleanest houses along the coast. There was very little disease as the women-folk were so particular. Outside the houses (in all villages) there was a terrible smell. There were no toilets. The men would urinate over the edge of the cliff, while the women went behind the dyke - and the children would go just outside the houses.

He also said that in the nearby village of Skaterow (now Newtonhill), he had a friend (who has since died) and in his neighbour's house were a lot of old oil paintings, painted around the time of Brownlow. This house is opposite the 'smoke house' (at the same side as the 'baker's shop' - going down towards the sea.

Mr Nicholl moved to Downies with his wife 40 years ago (1960). There was no running water at the time and all the villages were still using the only well in the village. Forty years later, Mr Nicholl is still described by the villagers as a 'newcomer'.


Skaterow 8 March 2000
I went to Skaterow today with two things in mind: to photograph the houses of my ancestors, and to possibly follow-up the story told to me the day before by Mr Nicoll of Downies regarding the house opposite - the 'old smoke house' which held old 'oil paintings'.
I took my photographs and also located the 'smoke house'. The house opposite - no 27, was still old looking and shabby and had obviously not been re-furbished as had been so many of the others. I spoke to an old woman outside No 35 which, I feel, is part of No 33 where great great grandfather Peter Christie lived.

She informed me that the woman at no 27 was a niece of the late Mary Masson and there were indeed still old oil paintings in her house.

I had come too far not to pick up the courage to knock at the door of No 27, Skaterow. I had hardly finished explaining the reason for my intrusion when I was invited in to view the paintings. They are not in the same league as George washington Brownlow, but had been valued and are, indeed, 'worth a bit'.

Miss McGregor let me photograph them. She also handed over to me all the information she had found in the house about her ancestors, together with a marriage certificate of a James Masson and Isabella Christie. In 1897, Isabella Christie lived in the very house in which I was standing.

I could not, however, find No. 34, the home of Andrew Christie and Mary McLeod.