Old Photograph Clock Tower Fife Street Dufftown Scotland

Old photograph of the Clock Tower on Fife Street in Dufftown in Moray, Scotland. The Tower was originally the town jail, later the Burgh Chambers and now houses the VisitScotland Tourist Information Centre. The clock is known locally as " The clock that hanged MacPherson ". MacPherson of Kingussie was an infamous freebooter condemned to death at Banff in 1700 for robbing the rich and giving it to the poor. The local inhabitants raised a petition for his reprieve but when the pardon was on it's way, MacPherson's arch enemy, Lord Braco, the Sheriff of Banff, put the clock forward a quarter of an hour to make sure MacPherson would hang. Sometime later the clock was removed from Banff and installed in Dufftown's tower.



Tour Scotland wee video of old photographs of Dufftown in Moray, Scotland. The old Kirkton of Mortlach, with its historic church, is on the southern outskirts of the present town. In the 19th century, James Duff, 4th Earl Fife, established Dufftown as housing for soldiers returning home from the Napoleonic War. Dufftown's notable buildings include Balvenie Castle, which was partly built with stones from the ruins of nearby Auchindoun Castle. The street plan of Dufftown is mainly four main roads meeting at the clock tower; previously a prison but now a tourist information centre. Dufftown is located on the River Fiddich and is the location of several Scotch whisky distilleries. It produces more malt whisky than any other town in Scotland. George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, was born in Dufftown on 5 June 1829. He was the son of William Stephen, a carpenter, and Elspet, daughter of John Smith, a crofter at Knockando, Moray. He wwas known as Sir George Stephen, Baronet, between 1886 and 1891, was a prominent Canadian businessman. He made his fame in Montreal and was the first Canadian to be elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He was the financial genius behind the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway.. He died on 29 November 1921. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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