A comprehensive stroll through the lives of the people of Deskford over the centuries, and the changing rules, conventions and conditions which moulded them, this book reflects the existence in any rural parish in the North East, and indeed more widely across Scotland.

It illuminates the grind of daily life and the changing fashions in agriculture, education and housing, together with the moral and legal control exercised by the Kirk and the local landowners. All social life is here, from folk belief and superstition and petty crime, to the Mutual Improvement Association, to local witches, to the local football team’s exploits, to the Women’s Guild, and throughout including the names of the individuals involved.

The book describes local antiquities such as the famous Carnyx, a Roman silver hoard, a Pictish silver hoard, a 12th century motte, three ruined castles and much more, but also includes a number of whimsical references, for example to the ‘farmer’s wife who gave birth to a child with a wooden leg’.

Copies of this book @ £25 sold out over two years ago, and, given prohibitive reprint prices, we are making 600 plus page PDF copies of print quality available to download at a cost of £10. Visit shop.