Old Photograph Kingsford House Scotland

Old photograph of Kingsford House by Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Battle of Alford was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which took place near the village of Alford, on 2 July 1645. Having defeated Colonel Hurry at Auldearn, the Marquis of Montrose continued his raiding campaign in the Highlands. Fearing that Montrose intended to attack Aberdeen again, Major General William Baillie led the Covenanter army to cut him off.

The two armies were roughly equal in size at about 2,000 foot, although Baillie had 600 horses compared with Montrose's 250, giving him an advantage. However, this advantage was negated by the effect of the presence of representatives of the Committee of Estates on his chain of command. This committee was the ruling body of the Covenanters, comprising the Earl of Argyll, the Earls of Crawford and Tullibardine, the Lords of Elcho, Burleigh, and Balcarres, who had all been involved in recent defeats by Montros, together with a number of Calvinist clergy. It had the power to overrule Bailie's orders.

Montrose took up a position on a low hill overlooking the ford across the Don at Alford. Baillie did not want to risk crossing the ford, seeing that his troops would be vulnerable to attack before they could form up for battle, but the Committee, urged on by Baillie's cavalry commander, Balcarres, insisted on battle. Montrose waited until the Covenanting horse was across the river, and the infantry was crossing, before ordering a general attack. A fierce fight ensued around the ford between the Covenant cavalry under Balcarras and the Royalist Cavalry under Lord Gordon. Montrose committed his reserves, a force of Gordon infantry, and the Covenant forces broke. The difficulties presented by escaping across a ford meant that the rout was particularly vicious. Covenant losses were about 1,500 of their 2,000 infantry, although much of their cavalry, along with Baillie, Balcarres and the Committee escaped. The Royalists lost several hundred men, including Lord Gordon. Nevertheless, the battle of Alford was one of the few bright moments for the Royalist cause in the aftermath of Naseby, only two weeks earlier.



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Old Photograph Breda House Scotland

Old photograph of Breda House by Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Breda House dates from around 1894 and was designed by the well known architect Marshall Mackenzie and built in a traditional Scots Baronial style.



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Old Photograph Bridge End West Burra Shetland Scotland

Old photograph of cottages in Bridge End on West Burra on the Shetland Islands, Scotland. West Burra is one of the Scalloway Islands, a subgroup of the Shetland Islands. West Burra is linked to the Shetland Mainland via Trondra by a series of bridges. This village is near to the bridge to East Burra.



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Old Photograph Hamnavoe West Burra Shetland Scotland

Old photograph of cottages in Hamnavoe on West Burra on the Shetland Islands, Scotland. West Burra is one of the Scalloway Islands, a subgroup of the Shetland Islands. West Burra is linked to the Shetland Mainland via Trondra by a series of bridges. The main village of Hamnavoe in the north of West Burra is unique among villages in Shetland, in having been planned and laid out by the factors of the estate, in much the same way as many estate villages created by landlords in Scotland; another parallel, albeit on a larger scale, is Ullapool, created by the British Fisheries Society. The original plan form is still clearly visible, despite the accretion of later development. Hamnavoe was once an important fishing centre. Today, none of the larger Shetland fishing boats is likely to be seen here but smaller vessels catch shellfish. Although full-time fishermen still live in the area, the fishing tradition is nowadays more evident in fish farming; there are several mussel and salmon farms around Burra.



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Old Photograph Burravoe Yell Shetland Islands Scotland

Old photograph of cottages in Burravoe on the Isle of Yell, Shetland Islands, Scotland. The most notable building here is the Old Haa Museum which dates from 1637 and is the oldest house on Yell. On 19 January 1942, a Catalina aeroplane crashed on the hill above Burravoe. Seven of her ten passengers were killed, and one of the propellers can be seen outside the Old Haa Museum.





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

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