Boddam, Aberdeenshire
Historical Description
BODDAM, a village, in the parish of Peterhead, district of Buchan, county of Aberdeen, 3 miles (S.) from Peterhead; containing 526 inhabitants. This place anciently belonged to a branch of the Keith family, who had a strong baronial castle, situated on a rock overhanging the sea, and of which there are still considerable remains. The village is situated on the eastern coast, near the headland of Buchanness, and is inhabited chiefly by persons employed in the fisheries, which are carried on to a great extent. In the haddock-fishery, commencing in March, and continuing till July, twenty-two boats, of four men and a boy each, are engaged, and, during the season, each boat takes generally about 30,000 fish, which are cured, and dried upon the rocks, and sell at from £3 to £4 per thousand. The herring-fishery begins in July, and continues till September, and employs twenty-three large boats, with crews of six men each; and the quantity of fish taken during the season, averages, when sold, about £100 for each boat. There are twelve boats employed during the winter months, in the cod and white fishery; the fish are, cod, ling, skate, and turbot, and from 1200 to 1800 are taken by each boat, and produce from £30 to £40. The fish cured here obtain a decided preference in the market, especially the haddocks, which from being dried on the rocks, are perfectly free from sand. The village has been greatly extended and improved; and a harbour of larger capacity has been constructed, which has a greater depth of water than that of Peterhead, and the approach of which is rendered safe by the lighthouse on Buchanness.
Maps
Online maps of Boddam are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)