Hello. I’m Colin Miller and I’m one of the volunteers who enjoys looking into the Archives connected with Bennachie.
Old estate records are held at the Special Collections Centre at Aberdeen University.
A highlight of the research was the discovery of information about the leases imposed on the colonists in 1859.
The leases stated that each colonist had to: · Pay an annual rent · In the first year, dig a ditch round the entire boundary of the croft
· Improve half an acre of land each year by trenching, and draining it if necessary, until all the land within the boundary had been improved.
And, if vacating their croft, they were to have no claim for the value of the house or anything else.