Early Years
Kemnay, for the historian, is very fortunate with the existence of a map of the estate of 1792. This is a very detailed document, prepared by one Alexander Law and it denotes all parcels of land, such as they were, giving the acreage, quality of the land and the tenant's name. The bulk of the estate at that time was undeveloped, except for the area to the south-east of the 'big house' amounting to some 130 acres which had been taken into cultivation in the 1750s, and later, by the then laird George Burnett.
Before the middle of the nineteenth century there was no village as we know it. The Kirktown consisted of the parish church and manse the blacksmith and joiner and the farm of Kirkstyle. Above this, scattered around the road which at that time eventually led to Aberdeen were a number of crofts, collectively known as Parkhill.
Aberdeen Journal, Monday September 5 1881, page 7
KEMNAY PUBLIC BAZAAR
The earliest mention that has been found of the mention of "Kemnay" is in a grant of part of the lands of Kinnay [sic] by King James III to James Auchinlek and his wife Elizabeth Melwill.
Exiles' Return
A double wedding was held in Kemnay Public Hall on 18th June 1897. The participants were: George Barron Adams, a master baker aged 26 years and Maggie J Reid aged 19 years a domestic servant; George's sister Jessie Adams aged 28 years married James M Reid aged 23 years (no relation to Maggie J Reid).