Old Travel Blog Photograph Road To Macduff Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the road to Macduff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Macduff is a former burgh and is now the only place in the United Kingdom where deep water wooden fishing boats are still built. William Duff became the first Earl Fife. In 1760, James Duff, the second Earl built a harbour here and in 1783 succeeded in promoting Macduff to a Burgh of Barony. The 2nd Earl Fife appointed his factor, William Rose, as the 1st Provost of Macduff in 1783. I hope these photographs are of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.

The early chiefs of Clan MacDuff were the Earls of Fife. Today the Earls of Wemyss are thought to be the direct descendants in the male line of Gille Míchéil, Earl of Fife, thought to be one of the first Clan MacDuff chiefs. The clan originates from the original Scotto Pictish lines who created the Kings of Scotland and the Earldom or Mormaerdom of Fife. The direct male line of the Mormaer failed in 1353 after King Edward I took Donnchadh IV prisoner in England. His aunt, Isabella, later gave the title to Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany and Regent of Scotland. In 1425 the earldom was absorbed into the crown, not withstanding the clan retained it status as first among clans. The title of The Fife returned with William Duff, 1st Earl Fife and Viscount Madcap in 1759. Later Alexander William George Duff, 6th Earl of Fife and 1st Duke of Fife, married the Princess Royal, HRH Louise, daughter of King Edward VII. The chiefs of the clan had the right to enthrone the King on the Stone of Destiny. In 1425 the last Earl of Fife, Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, was beheaded. The Clan MacDuff hereditary right of bearing the Crown of Scotland then passed to the Lord Abernethy. The current Lord Abernethy, and as consequence bearer of the Scottish Crown, is Angus Douglas Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton.



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

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