The Muckle Spate of 1829

On 3-4 August 1829, disastrous floods occurred in the North East of Scotland. Extremely heavy and slow-moving rain going eastwards over the Grampian Mountains on those days resulted in severe damage being caused to land and properties across the Highlands, North-East, and Angus estimated at £2.04 million in today’s money. Records from the time note that 95mm of rain fell over 24 hours in Huntly, and that the water level of the River Dee rose by 27 feet.

There are various references in Aberdeenshire’s Archives relating to the damage caused, including the destruction of the Bridge at Ballater, and severe damage to the Bridge of Feugh in Banchory.

But one of the most detailed notes of the event appears in the Aberdeenshire Turnpike Road Trustees minutes in the form of a detailed annual report by the General Superintendant John McDonald on the state of the roads and bridges controlled by the Trustees in the County. As well as containing the usual statements about potholes, McDonald’s report provides a striking picture of the devastation left by the floods in Aberdeenshire, as the extract shows.

Extract from John McDonald’s Annual Report on the state of the Turnpike Roads in Aberdeenshire, 1 October 1829 (AC/2/3/3 pp. 461-462), transcripted;

Donside Road from the Bridge of Alford to the Bridge of Ernan

This Road from the Bridge of Alford to the Mossat Bar is in a pretty fair state except some parts of the Ditches here and there not secured. A small supply of Metal in the Recesses along this Lot . All weeds cut off. Several of the Bridges have been damaged in the causewaying by the late Flood and also pieces of the Road washed away. The Road has been repaired in these places and the repairing of the Shoeings of the Bridges commenced. A long piece of the Precipice near the Bridge of Alford has been railed with wood since last year which will protect both the public and the Belt of Wood lately planted along that part of the Road. From Mossat Bar to the Bridge of Bucket The Metal part is in good order with a reasonable supply of broke metal in sundry places along the Road but the Ditches in general in bad order unsecured which stagnates the water and instead of running in the Ditches it runs on the edges of the Road. Weeds not perfectly cleared off this Lot particularly the Ditches and the embanked Slopes. The shoeings of three Bridges have been damaged on this Lot but not to any great extent. The Slope of the Embankment near the Bridge of Bucket on the East the bottom of which was formerly close to the edge of the River has been swept away. This part of the Road was very dangerous before & more so now and ought to be fenced with pailing without delay, and also the approach to this Bridge is very dangerous to the public owing to the acute angle there. The Wing wall of the Bridge on that side ought to be extended.

From the Bridge of Bucket to the Centre of the Bridge of Cruan

The Metal part of this Lot is generally in good order but the Ditches and weeds in the same state as the Middle Lot, and in very bad order. Great destruction has been done to sundry parts of this Lot by the late floods, which one can scarcely describe. Upwards of two and a half miles of the road damaged in different places, particularly the two Haughs of Buchaam and New, and at the Bridge of Noghty at Bellabeg and Bridge of Ernan

1st a piece of the Road at Mains of Glenbucket, close to the water edge, almost swept away which had been repaired after the abating of the Flood, and betwixt that point and the Bridge on the East very deep Gulphs swept out to the edge of the Metal

2d The Haugh of Buchaam - through this Haugh a considerable piece of the Road has been swept away, and in that place the River runs now where the Road was, and in another piece, on this Haugh the Metal has been swept clean away out of the Box, and the sides left entire, and in other parts the top metal wholly swept off and the bottom left all damaged more or less

3d Haugh of New on the west end of this Haugh a considerablt length of the Road swept away, and the River running where the Road was, and a few yards on the North side of it, and the remaining part of the Haugh is damaged more or less on the Road...

[Originally published as a Document of the Month in August 2009]