Mains Of Bognie, Farmhouse

Mains of Bognie, 17th century. A gem of restrained Scots design; a long low house foursquare in pinned boulder rubble,

corbie-steps and coped chimneys. Built-up pend at north end with moulded arch; remains of oven. Large L-shaped walled garden.

Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

NJ54NE 16.00 59853 45136

The part of Bognie House (NJ 597 450) now remaining is used as a farm-house. 'It has near it a fine old garden, which, according to a well-grounded tradition, was laid-out......under the advice of Linnaeus the famous naturalist.' (AD 1707-1175.) It was built by the first Morison of Bognie, who succeeded the last Viscount Frendraught.

W Temple 1886.

'An older mansion-house stood on the SE of the one referred to (NJ54NE 13), where there are now some fine old trees, the remains of a garden, and some houses, upon one of which is the date '16--'.

A Jervise 1875-9.

The last Viscount Frendraught died in 1698.

F H Groome 1901.

If, by reading 'NE' for 'SE' in Jervise (1875-9), we can assume that he refers to the same building as Temple (1886), it would appear that Bognie House was built in either 1698 or 1699.

(Undated) information in NMRS.

NJ 5985 4514. The dwelling house at Mains of Bognie, and the walled enclosure to the NE of it, may be the mansion and remains of the garden mentioned in Temple (1886) and Jervise (1875-9). The house, an unpretentious building of two storeys has been restored, but evidence of an older building is seen in stone-arched doorways and bricked-up windows. The south gable of the building is now crow-stepped.

The farmer at Mains of Bognie is unable to give a date to the house.

The west gable end of the steading at NJ 5980 4500 is also indicative of an early period. It contains a walled-up rectilinear window and a carved skew-put on the north gable end. The remainder of the building appears to be fairly modern.

The date-stone '16--' (Jervise 1875-9) was not located.

Visited by OS (EGC) 2 October 1961.

NJ54NE 16.00 59853 45136

EXTERNAL REFERENCE:

Scottish Records Office

Slating of the old middle house.

Contract between Theodore Morisone of Bogny and John Thomson, slater in Lathies relating to the slating of the old middle house at Bogny.

The slates are to be brought from the quarry of Lathies.

NJ54NE 16.01 59867 45140 Walled Garden