The planned village of Foggieloan, founded by Alexander Gordon of Auchintoul in 1764, did not really begin to develop until it was bought by John Morison in 1799. Thereafter it grew steadily and a century after its foundation Gordon’s original grid, extending from North Street to South Street and from Cleanhill to School Lane, had been virtually filled with houses. A further century later many of the original houses had become slums which the Town Council had gradually replaced with council houses. By this time too, houses had modern conveniences – running water, inside toilets, electricity – but there still remained serious problems with water supply and sewage disposal. It was the major expansion of the village embarked on by the Town Council and its successor local authorities thereafter that would double the area of the settlement and provide adequate utilities. By its 250th anniversary in 2014 Aberchirder – or Foggieloan – was a pleasant place to live, with a good supply of modern houses but also a centre which gave a good idea of how the original village had looked,

Marnoch in Bleau Atlas, 1654

Roy’s map, published in 1750, shows that at some time in the previous century the name Marnoch had been applied to the area, as the church is labelled Kirk of Marnoch. This extract from the map also shows Connaird [Kinnairdy], as well as House of Auchintoul and Foggieloan (top right).

Marnoch in Roy Map, 1750