Rhynie, Aberdeenshire

Rhynie
The village green and war memorial, Rhynie Kirk behind the green, with Tap o' Noth in the distance
Rhynie is located in Aberdeenshire
Rhynie
Rhynie
Location within Aberdeenshire
OS grid referenceNJ498271
Council area
Lieutenancy area
  • Aberdeenshire
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHUNTLY
Postcode districtAB54
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
  • Gordon and Buchan
Scottish Parliament
  • Aberdeenshire West

Rhynie (/ˈraɪni/; Scottish Gaelic: Roinnidh) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is on the A97 road, 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Alford.

Though only having a population of about 500 people today, research suggests that it was likely to have been home to thousands 1400 years ago.[1]

The Rhynie Chert is named after the village, as is the fossil plant genus Rhynia. The Rhynie Chert is a sediment deposited in the Devonian period, contained important fossils that shows land ecosystem of the Devonian.[2]

The missionary, teacher and chocolatier Alexander Murdoch Mackay was born in Rhynie on 13 October 1849.

Etymology

The name Rhynie may involve an early Pictish rīg meaning "a king" (cf. Gaelic ríg/rí; cf. Welsh rhi).[3]

History

The "Craw Stane", a Pictish symbol stone depicting a salmon and an unknown animal

Eight Pictish symbol stones have been found at Rhynie, including the "Rhynie Man", a 6-foot (1.8 m) tall boulder carved with a bearded man carrying an axe, possibly a representation of the Celtic god Esus, that was discovered in 1978.[4] The "Rhynie Man" now stands inside Woodhill House (the headquarters of Aberdeenshire Council) in Aberdeen.[5]

Between 2011 and 2017 investigations by archaeologists from Aberdeen University and Chester University by the Pictish symbol stone known as the Craw Stane, near the site where the "Rhynie Man" was found, uncovered a substantial pallisaded complex dating to the early medieval period. Among the finds at the site were fragments of a late 5th- or 6th-century Roman amphora that must have been imported from the Mediterranean region. This is the only known example of a Roman amphora from Eastern Britain dating to the post-Roman period, and indicates that the inhabitants of the settlement would have been of high status.[6]

Archaeologists working at the excavation have speculated that the settlement may have been a royal site occupied by Pictish kings.[5] It has been suggested that Rhynie may have been a centre for royal assemblies between the sixth and eighth centuries.[7]

Transport

The village is served once a day on weekdays by the 231 service between Alford and Huntly.[8][9] It was previously served by the 416 to Inverurie, but this route was withdrawn in 2021.[10]

Notable people

Trivia

A bothy ballad alludes to Rhynie thus: "at Rhynie I shure my first hairst." The Station Hotel at Rhynie is mentioned in the sketch "The Will" by Scotland the What, the joke being that there is no railway station at Rhynie, "...but they were aye hopin' for one."

References

  1. ^ "Ancient royal 'power base' uncovered near tiny village". BBC. 7 April 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  2. ^ Garwood, Russell; Oliver, Heather; Spencer, Alan R. T. (2020). "An introduction to the Rhynie chert". Geological Magazine. 157 (1): 47–64. doi:10.1017/S0016756819000670. ISSN 0016-7568.
  3. ^ Christie, Neil; Herold, Hajnalka (2016). Fortified Settlements in Early Medieval Europe: Defended Communities of the 8th-10th Centuries. Oxbow Books. ISBN 9781785702389. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  4. ^ Shepherd, Ian A.G. & Shepherd, Alexandra N., "An incised Pictish figure and a new symbol stone from Barflat, Rhynie", in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 109, 1977-78, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh, pp. 211 - 222, ISSN 2056-743X
  5. ^ a b Urquhart, Frank (16 November 2011). "Archaeologists find village fit for Pictish kings". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  6. ^ Noble, Gordon, Gondek, Meggen, MacLean, Daniel & MacIver, Cathy, "Excavation Results: The Craw Stane Complex", in Noble, Gordon (ed.) (2026), Rhynie: A Powerful Place of Pictland, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh, pp. 67 - 107, ISBN 9781908332387
  7. ^ Grigg, Julianna (2015), The Philosopher King and the Pictish Nation, Four Courts Press, Dublin, ISBN 9781846825637
  8. ^ "231 timetable" (PDF). Stagecoach. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  9. ^ "New bus service proves popular". Evening Express. 28 March 1985. p. 26. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Stagecoach make service changes". www.ellontimes.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

Further reading

  • Noble, Gordon & Evans, Nicholas (2019), The King in the North: The Pictish Realms of Fortriu and Ce, Birlinn, Edinburgh, ISBN 9781780275512
  • Noble, Gordon (ed.) (2026), Rhynie: A Powerful Place in Pictland, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh, ISBN 9781908332387

Sources

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