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Authors: Raymond Lamont-Brown
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beyond. His church was the one built in 1804 to replace the old building of St Monire, which had been used until the end of the eighteenth century. In her volume Recollections of a Royal Parish the late Mrs Patricia Lindsay remembered:
One member of the congregation in [Queen Victoria’s first years at Balmoral] used to excite much interest and amusement among strangers. This was the Minister’s collie, who was a regular attendant at church, following Mr Anderson up the pulpit steps and quietly lying down at the top. He was always a most decorous, though possibly somnolent listener, but he was also an excellent time keeper, for if the sermon was a few minutes longer than usual ‘Towser’ got up and stretched himself, yawning audibly.
When the Queen first came, Mr Anderson feared she might object to such an unorthodox addition to the congregation, and shut up ‘Towser’ on Sunday. Her Majesty next day sent an equerry to the Manse to enquire if anything had happened to the dog, as she had a sketch of the church in which he appeared lying beside the pulpit, and if he were alive and well, she would like to see him in his old place. Greatly to Towser’s delight he was thus by royal command restored to Church privileges.
Queen Victoria soon began to appreciate the religious fervour of her new Crathie neighbours who were steeped in the traditions of the Scottish Reformed Kirk. Ready admonishment was heaped upon the shepherd, for instance, who went in search of a straying lamb on the Sabbath, or a youth humming a popular tune on the Lord’s Day, or a girl finishing her sewing – she would be made to unpick each stitch she had sewn on the holy day. For the Calvinist worshippers, Communion Sunday in late June was a great gathering when folk flocked to Crathie Kirk by cart and pony, or by a stiff walk over the hills. The sacrament lasted some six hours and although her position as Head of the Church of England precluded her from taking part for some decades until she attended in 1871, the Queen’s actions on the day of rest were closely monitored by her neighbours – including actions for admonition. Local tradition has it that Queen Victoria was upbraided to her face by one of the elderly parishioners for doing a good deed on the Sabbath. The Queen pointed out to her: ‘Our Lord undertook acts of charity on the seventh day.’ ‘Ah weel,’ replied the relict, ‘then I dinna think any more of Him for it.’ 31
One long-term effect of the royal family’s appearance on Deeside that the ordinary folk did not expect was the inundation of their village by journalists eager to extract every detail of gossip about the royal family at Balmoral, to satisfy the growing hunger for newspaper coverage of royal events. In due time John Brown became adept at chasing newsmen away from the places where the royal family picnicked.
On his service to the Queen
‘I wish to take care of my dear good mistress till I die. You’ll never have an honester servant.’
John Brown
A special broadsheet carrying only stories of royal visits was published in Aberdeen and people would scan the columns of the Aberdeen Journal (Established 1748) at breakfast time to see where the royal family might be that day. Artists set up their easels to capture local colour to run alongside the stories. The newspapers covered royal plans weeks ahead so the burgeoning ranks of royal watchers could gather in towns and villages along the royal route from Aberdeen or Braemar to catch a glimpse of the Queen and her entourage, and the many displays of loyalty and devotion set up along the roads she travelled. And for the first time press stories about royalty in Scotland began to be filed for the London press on a regular basis. Here is what one correspondent reported about Queen Victoria’s first visit to Balmoral and Crathie in 1848:
Ballater was reached at half-past 1, where their approach was announced by the booming of cannon on the height of Cairn-darroch [
One member of the congregation in [Queen Victoria’s first years at Balmoral] used to excite much interest and amusement among strangers. This was the Minister’s collie, who was a regular attendant at church, following Mr Anderson up the pulpit steps and quietly lying down at the top. He was always a most decorous, though possibly somnolent listener, but he was also an excellent time keeper, for if the sermon was a few minutes longer than usual ‘Towser’ got up and stretched himself, yawning audibly.
When the Queen first came, Mr Anderson feared she might object to such an unorthodox addition to the congregation, and shut up ‘Towser’ on Sunday. Her Majesty next day sent an equerry to the Manse to enquire if anything had happened to the dog, as she had a sketch of the church in which he appeared lying beside the pulpit, and if he were alive and well, she would like to see him in his old place. Greatly to Towser’s delight he was thus by royal command restored to Church privileges.
Queen Victoria soon began to appreciate the religious fervour of her new Crathie neighbours who were steeped in the traditions of the Scottish Reformed Kirk. Ready admonishment was heaped upon the shepherd, for instance, who went in search of a straying lamb on the Sabbath, or a youth humming a popular tune on the Lord’s Day, or a girl finishing her sewing – she would be made to unpick each stitch she had sewn on the holy day. For the Calvinist worshippers, Communion Sunday in late June was a great gathering when folk flocked to Crathie Kirk by cart and pony, or by a stiff walk over the hills. The sacrament lasted some six hours and although her position as Head of the Church of England precluded her from taking part for some decades until she attended in 1871, the Queen’s actions on the day of rest were closely monitored by her neighbours – including actions for admonition. Local tradition has it that Queen Victoria was upbraided to her face by one of the elderly parishioners for doing a good deed on the Sabbath. The Queen pointed out to her: ‘Our Lord undertook acts of charity on the seventh day.’ ‘Ah weel,’ replied the relict, ‘then I dinna think any more of Him for it.’ 31
One long-term effect of the royal family’s appearance on Deeside that the ordinary folk did not expect was the inundation of their village by journalists eager to extract every detail of gossip about the royal family at Balmoral, to satisfy the growing hunger for newspaper coverage of royal events. In due time John Brown became adept at chasing newsmen away from the places where the royal family picnicked.
On his service to the Queen
‘I wish to take care of my dear good mistress till I die. You’ll never have an honester servant.’
John Brown
A special broadsheet carrying only stories of royal visits was published in Aberdeen and people would scan the columns of the Aberdeen Journal (Established 1748) at breakfast time to see where the royal family might be that day. Artists set up their easels to capture local colour to run alongside the stories. The newspapers covered royal plans weeks ahead so the burgeoning ranks of royal watchers could gather in towns and villages along the royal route from Aberdeen or Braemar to catch a glimpse of the Queen and her entourage, and the many displays of loyalty and devotion set up along the roads she travelled. And for the first time press stories about royalty in Scotland began to be filed for the London press on a regular basis. Here is what one correspondent reported about Queen Victoria’s first visit to Balmoral and Crathie in 1848:
Ballater was reached at half-past 1, where their approach was announced by the booming of cannon on the height of Cairn-darroch [
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