| Collection | GB 0231 University of Aberdeen, Special Collections |
| Level | Fonds |
| Ref No | MS 3600 |
| Title | Gordon of Cluny papers |
| Date | 1665 - 2008 |
| Extent | 173 boxes, 44 wrapped volumes, 37 rolls of plans: 72 linear meters |
| Creator Name | Gordon family (fl early 17th c - 20th c), of Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire |
| Administrative History | Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire, was the historic seat of the Gordons of Cluny from the eighteenth century, passing through marriage to the Linzee-Gordons, in whose hands it remains today. The family owned several other estates in the North-East, including Slains, Midmar, Kebbaty, Buckie and Kinnernie; as well as property in the Scottish Highlands, most notably the Long Island estate of Lady Emily Gordon-Cathcart, spanning the islands of Barra, South Uist and Benbecula.
For further details see John Malcolm Bulloch 'The Gordons of Cluny from the Early Years of the Eighteenth Century down to the Present Time' (Buckie, 1911); and Alexander Macpherson, 'Gleanings from the Charter Chest at Cluny', 4 vols (Inverness: 1899 - 1901). See also the unpublished family histories in Section 11. |
| Custodial History | The records were surveyed in situ, at Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire, by the National Register of Archives (Scotland) in 1974. Storage conditions at the castle being found unsuitable for their long-term preservation, in 1997 they were placed on temporary deposit at the Scottish Record Office. The agreement to their deposit on indefinite loan to the University of Aberdeen was signed in June 1998, and the records were physically transferred to the University in 1999. |
| Source | Deposited in the University in January 2005 for a 20 year term, by the Trustees of the Robert Linzee Gordon's Grandchildren's Trust. Gifted in September 2025. |
| Description | This collection relates to the management of the various estates belonging to the Gordons of Cluny in the period c 1880 - c 1930. It contains substantial and informative series of records for the estates of Cluny, Slains, Midmar, Kebbaty, Buckie, and Kinnernie, all Aberdeenshire, the estate of Kinsteary in Nairn, the Long Island estate of Barra, South Uist and Benbecula, and the estate of Titness Park in Berkshire, which will be of interest to anyone engaged in the rural, agricultural, social or architectural history of these areas. The papers relating to the Long Island estate are of particular interest, as they date from a time of endemic discontent amongst the crofters there, and include details of the resulting emigration (mainly to Canada) and social unrest. |
| Arrangement | Estate papers
Personal correspondence
Papers relating to finanace of family members
Legal papers
Cluny Trust papers
Political papers
Military papers
Livestock and breeding papers
Charitable activities papers
Education papers
Genealogical papers
Pictures and printed material
Papers of D.C. MacDonald, lawyer, Samuel Milne, engineer and William C. Allen, Inverurie |
| Access Status | Restricted |
| Access Conditions | Some are not unfit for production. |
| Language | English |
| Physical Description | Many of the records were affected by damp when in storage at Cluny Castle, and as a result are in an extremely fragile state. |
| Related Material | Manuscript notes on the first family of Gordon of Cluny in Aberdeenshire (based upon the Balbithan MSS) (MS 2345). |
| Copies | Microfilm copies of some items listed on the NRA(S) survey list, relating to emigration from the Long Island estate to Canada, and which have not been deposited in the University, are held by the Saskatchewan Archives Board, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. The collection consists of correspondence, reports, lists of settlers with their holdings, maps, copies of land deeds, memoranda of leases, reports on land examinations, municipal tax notices and receipts, cheque stubs and inventories of documents transferred. A copy is available. |
| Related Record | MS 4018 |