A letter written in 1644 by the Marquis of Montrose to the Burgh of Aberdeen will be the first document to go on display in a new feature on the Aberdeen City Archives website.
The ‘Document of the Month’ feature will showcase different historical documents each month along with a description, background information, and a transcription if necessary.
The documents show the wide variety of information that Aberdeen City Archives has to offer and provides an opportunity to learn more about local history.
Aberdeen City Archives collects and preserves historical records related to Aberdeen City and Shire and secures significant modern records for future generations.
There is a wealth of items to choose from, including a series of council minutes dating from 1398 which represents the finest set of medieval burgh minutes in Scotland.
The first document to be shown is a letter from the Marquis of Montrose to the Burgh of Aberdeen, dated 13 September, 1644. At that time, Montrose was a Royalist, while the Burgh was on the side of the Covenanters. Addressed to his “loveing friends”, he demanded the Covenanting burgh surrender to the Royalist troops – or they would suffer. The old and the young would be free to leave, while anyone else left should “expect no quarter”.
The letter was a strong threat to the burgh, but it was still ignored. Aberdeen mustered a force and later that same day the Battle of Justice Mills was fought, in which Montrose was victorious.
Montrose’s letter was chosen to highlight how exciting some of the sources can be. It publicises a dramatic event from a less familiar period of Aberdonian and Scottish history in a way that is easily accessible.
Montrose’s letter was chosen to highlight how exciting some of the sources can be. It publicises a dramatic event from a less familiar period of Aberdonian and Scottish history in a way that is easily accessible.
Phil Astley, Aberdeen City Archivist, said: “By displaying our more interesting items in this way we are hoping that the new feature will be popular with both our regular users and those less familiar with archives. We hope it will encourage people to use Aberdeen City Archives, as well as inspiring them to explore repositories in other parts of the country.”
To find out more go to www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/archives.
From: Aberdeencity.gov.uk
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