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Encyclopaedia of the North East

F - Finnan haddie to flint

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A large printed capital letter F with fishing equipment, pieces of flint, and tools for making linen.

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finnan haddie l18- 
A haddock cured with the smoke of green wood, peat or turf 
(cf haddie, nickname for an Aberdonian). 

Finnan is the local pronunciation of the Kincardineshire fishing village of Findon which gave its name to a method of smoke-curing fish. It was first practiced there in the early 19th century in the days before refrigeration as a means of preserving the fish.

Net weights. Two stones, one cuboid, the other ovoid, both with grooves cut across the middle to allow cords to be tied around them.

Net weights, from Justice Port (left) and Bridge of Don (right)

ABDUA:15890, 15876

Mariner's ticket and box. A paper form printed with blue ink and filled in by hand with black ink, listing identifying details of the bearer such as name, height, complexion, eye and hair colour, and signed by the bearer and officials. Also a small wooden box to store the ticket which is inscribed Robt. Mason Sketrow and decorated with a row of incised saltires.

Master's Ticket of Robert Masson, fisherman, Sketrow 1844, and box.

ABDUA:17974

Netting needle. A long, flat piece of wood with a round point and a rectangular hole near the point which has a tongue of wood projecting across it.

Netting needle for making and repairing nets and creels, Buchan (20th cent.)

ABDUA:15669

Snuff box. A rectangular, silver snuff box about 5 centimetres long. It is inscribed Presented to James Thomson FROM THE FISH TRADE OF PETERHEAD 1907.

Snuff box presented by the Fish Traders at Peterhead to James Thomson, in 1907.

ABDUA:18167

Gutting knife. A knife with a hooked steel blade, a curved wooden handle and a cord attached to a metal loop near the blade.

Gutting knife (19th cent.)

ABDUA:18316

Floats. Two hollow glass balls, one dark green, the other light green. They are wrapped in dark brown netting.

Glass floats, Kincardine (late 19th cent.)

ABDUA:17854

Hag stone. A large, elongated and unevenly shaped pebble with two holes running through one end. A cord is tied through one of the holes.

Hag stone, hung over a fisherman's bed in Stonehaven as a protective charm (19th cent.)

ABDUA:17617

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flax n 
The fibres of Linum usitatissimum used to make linen. 

Aberdeenshire became the centre of the Scottish linen industry during the 19th century. Villages such as Cuminestown, Fetterangus and Stuartfield were established to cater for the trade. All over the North East hamlets and farms called Linton betray their ancestry as weaving and spinning centres for flax.

Linen weight. A block of pink and white speckled granite about the size and shape of a loaf of bread, with iron handles projecting from the short ends.

Granite weight for pressing linen (19th cent.)

ABDUA:36679

Linen. A folded sheet of white linen cloth.

Linen cloth (19th cent.)

ABDUA:17954

Plant specimen. Piece of paper with a dry, flattened plant attached. The plant has long stems with small, long pointed leaves up the length of the stems and clusters of around 8 flowers at the top.

Herbarium specimen of flax, Linum usitatissimum.

LEMUR:1000014

Bank note. A tattered paper bank note for one pound with creases and tears from being folded many times.

1 note of Maberly & Co, a linen manufacturing firm whose bank failed in 1832.

ABDUA:17952

Yarn winders and yarn. Two wooden yarn winders consisting of a bar with bars on either end positioned perpendicular to each other, and a spool of yarn thread.

Yarn winders known as 'cros-iarna', and a reel of flax yarn, Aberdeenshire (early 19th cent.)

Left to right: ABDUA:18867, 18865, 18877

Heckles. Two wooden platforms with a large number of thin metal spikes projecting upwards from the middle.

Heckles for dressing flax, Aberdeenshire (early 19th cent.)

ABDUA:18855, 18858

Heckle combs. Two large combs with long, fine, slightly curved metal teeth on wooden handles.

Heckle-combs (early 19th cent.)

ABDUA:18856, 18857

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flint n 
a glass-like concretion of silica: a piece of flint, esp one used for striking fire, or one made into a tool.

Although not occuring in the solid rocks of the North East, flint has been deposited by ice and water in many areas, particularly along the Ythan. It was also once mined at Boddam near Peterhead.

Flint cores. Three pieces of flint, one white, one deep red, the other orange, all with pieces chipped off them.

Flint cores from Forvie Sands.

Flint core. A large dull orange piece of flint about nine inches long, with smooth faces where smaller pieces have been chipped off.

Flint core, Bridge of Don.

Hammer stone. An oval shaped stone, roughly the size of a large potato, with two flattened and roughened patches on the top.

Hammer stone, Belhevie.

Spear point. An orange flint spear point about 9 centimetres long, roughly oval shaped.

Spear point, Bog of Fintray (c4000-2000BC).

ABDUA:64502

Flint axe and adze heads. Made of flint with sharpened edges, the adze rough and rectangular, the axe smooth and tapered.

Left: polished adze head, Chapelton, Leslie (c4000-2000BC).

Right: polished axe head, Fintray (c4000-2000BC).

Gun flints. Three pieces of black flint about 2 centimetres wide. The pieces have been chipped into almost flat square shapes, with sloped sides.

Gun flints, used in flintlock guns (19th cent.)

ABDUA:64505

Snapped flakes. Four tiny flakes of grey, orange and cream coloured flint.

Snapped flakes, for making knife blades, Sands of Forvie (4500-2000BC).

Flint arrowheads. Four leaf shaped arrowheads in orange and grey flint.

Leaf shaped arrowheads, Aberdeenshire (c4000-2000BC).

Flint arrowheads. Clockwise from upper middle: a large leaf shaped arrowhead, a barbed triangular arrowhead with a shaft, a diamond shaped arrowhead, a tiny barbed triangular arrowhead with a shaft, a tiny triangular arrowhead with a shaft, a small leaf shaped arrowhead, and a long barbed triangular arrowhead.

Arrowheads. Clockwise from top centre:

Leaf-shaped, from Nairn (c4000-2000BC)

Barbed and tanged, Oldmedrum (c2500-600BC)

Rhomboidal, Ellon (c4000-2000BC)

Barbed and tanged, Aberdeenshire (c2500-600BC)

Barbed and tanged, Fyvie (c2500-600BC)

Leaf-shaped, Fintray (c4000-2000BC)

Hollow tanged, Nairn (c2500-1000BC).

Flint knives. Clockwise from top left: A large light grey semi-circular knife, a small orange rectangular knife sharpened on both sides, a large dark grey pointed oval shaped knife, a small black rounded oval knife, and a small orange semi-circular knife.

Polished flint knives (c4000-2000BC). Clockwise from top left:

Discoidal knife, Bog of Fintray, Aberdeenshire

Knife, Boghead, Chapel of Garioch

Knife, Bog of Fintray

Pitchstone knife, Bog of Fintray

Discoidal knife, Bourtie, Aberdeenshire.

F - Finnan haddie to flint