PETERCULTER Aberdeenshire
This is a village on the north bank of the river DEE the village developed from a paper mill founded in 1751.The land of Culter was divided in the 13TH
century, the church on the north side of the river is dedicated to St Peter, and on the south side of the river the church is dedicated to St Mary. To the
South west of the village is Normandykes a roman marching camp
Here there are two parishes Peterculter which is in Aberdeenshire and Maryculter which is in Kincardineshire, Maryculter in the middle ages belonged to the Knights
Templar and later to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. Near the DEE are the ruins of St Mary’s chapel built by the Templars in1287 and enlarged by the Hospitallers.
The chapel eventually became the parish church serving the community untill1787 when the present parish church was built south of it. In 1827 the last Menzies
laird gave the estate to the Catholic bishops to establish a college the present buildings were built in 1897, and the Chapel of St Mary in1901. The collage is called St Mary’s Collage
of Blairs. There are many historical documents here including memorials from Mary Queen of Scots.
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