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.
On 12th February 1466/67, at Edinburgh, King James III confirmed, amongst others, the grant of half of the lands of Kinnay [Kemnay] in the Sheriffdom of Aberdeen to James Auchinlek and Elizabeth Melwill (one of the daughters and heirs of the late Alexander Melwill of Glenbervy)
This is the first mention of a link with Glenbervy, a link which was to last for some one hundred and sixty years. Elizabeth, daughter of James Auchinlek and Elizabeth Melwill, married William Douglas (second son of Archibald, 5th earl of Angus) who was knighted in 1511 but who was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, and was followed by his only son Archibald Douglas.
On 6th April 1538, King James V confirmed to Archibald Douglas of Glenbervy and his wife Agnes Keith, amongst others, the lands and barony of Kennay.
Over the following 96 years the lands of Kemnay passed through the hands of various members of the Douglas family until on 1st July 1624 King James VI granted to Thomas Crombie and to his lawful heirs through his wife Margaret Ker, "the lands and barony of Kemnay … with manor, tower …" etc.
What this "manor/tower" consisted of is unknown but it would have been sufficient to allow the carrying out the work of a minor estate, such as collection of rents, a place to hold the barony courts and to administer justice. The standard fortified building in Scotland at that time was the tower house, a building having a small footprint, no access at ground level (to increase security) and few home comforts inside.
During the struggles of the covenanting times, Kemnay suffered several times at the hands of the rebels. In 1639 Kemnay House was attacked and the raiders made off with around 22.5 tonnes of provisions. In June 1640, when Thomas Crombie was in England, the property was again targeted.
On 9th April 1644 (by which time Sir Thomas Crombie had died) the property was again attacked and a considerable sum of money along with meal and other provisions were stolen.
The building we see today is mainly 17th century with 18th and 19th century additions. If we strip away all these additions we would be left with the original tower house , some 5 metres square which today is the main stair tower within the house. The walls would have been around 1.2 metres (four feet) thick and, more than likely, the entry would have been at first floor level. The internal arrangements would have been entirely conjectural but the top level would have been the present day "Morrison's Room."
According to Sir Thomas Crombie's will dated 5th July 1640 he rebuilt, or at least, carried out extensive alterations to the property (maner place tower and fortailzie of Kemnay laitlie buildit …). This then formed an L shaped building with the entrance in the re-entrant angle which was covered by a gun loop, now seen in the entrance hall.
Following the death of Sir Thomas Crombie the estate of Kemnay was sold to Alexander Strachan of Glenkindie and remained with that family until 1682 when it was acquired by Sir George Nicholson who in turn sold it to Thomas Burnet, a writer in Edinburgh, in 1688.
Burnetts of Kemnay
In 1688 Sir George Nicholson sold the estate of Kemnay to Thomas Burnet, a writer in Edinburgh (in liferent) and to his eldest son, Thomas who was an Advocate. Thomas Burnet (elder) married Margaret Pierson the only daughter of an Edinburgh merchant. He did not survive too long after his purchase as his gravestone records that he was buried on the 2nd November 1688, his widow being buried on 19th February 1689.
The second Burnet laird of Kemnay was another Thomas, an Advocate, although he did not practise, who travelled widely in Europe and was a favourite at the court of Hanover. He was instrumental in securing the succession of George I to the throne of Great Britain. At the age of fifty seven he married, in 1713, a young English beauty, Elizabeth Brickenden, daughter of Richard Brickenden of Inkpen, Berkshire, by whom he had three children; George (1714-1780), Anne (1717-1787), Elizabeth (1721-1723).
In 1727 a young Dr. George Lamont was employed as a tutor to the young George Burnett and the two became firm friends. George's father died on 26th February 1729 aged 73 years. In November 1728 the young George was enrolled in the class of Colin Maclaurin at Edinburgh University where he studied until at least the summer of 1731.
In the summer of 1731 marriage banns for George Lamont and George's mother were proposed in Aberdeen. The couple eventually moved to London where Dr George Lamont had a successful medical practice.
In 1734 George married his cousin, Helen, daughter of Sir Alexander Burnet of Leys and settled down to life at Kemnay. He is, arguably, the best Burnett laird of Kemnay. Over the years he broke in and brought to fruitful production some 130 acres of what can only be described as rather poor land around the mansion house of Kemnay – a project for which Lord Kames in the "Gentleman Farmer" was to give him great praise. He planted trees, made roads and experimented with new ways in agriculture – he was amongst the first to grow turnips in the fields, he was an early believer of the use of clover and artificial grasses in the production of fodder for cattle.
George's wife, Helen, died in 1750 and he then married Janet Dyce from Disblair, near Fintray, who was a great diarist relating mainly to the weather and these have been passed down to us in the form of a relatively recent publication (1994) "More frost and snow" (ISBN 1 898410 08 9) and covers the period from 1758 to 1795. Who would have believed that on 14 June 1772 they "had a large Cukember" or that on 18 June 1768 they would be tucking in to "green peas. Cherries and strawberries several times before 29." It is reported on 28 June 1780 the first melon was cut and that there was a good crop.
George and Helen's family consisted of: Helen (1734-1810), Alexander (1735-1802), Anne (1736-1781), Jean (1739-1782?), Elizabeth (1740-1807), Mary (1747-1802).
Alexander was educated at the University of Leyden and went as Secretary to Andrew (later Sir) Mitchell to the Court of Berlin in 1756, a post he was to hold until Mitchell's death in 1771. This was a tumultuous time in the history of central Europe including the Seven Years War and at times it affected both Mitchell's and Burnett's health. Andrew Mitchell returned to London in 1765 for about a year and during this time Alexander Burnett acted as Chargé d' affaires at the Court of Prussia. Following Mitchell's death he was not promoted to fill the post, possibly because he was not a member of the aristocracy, and he returned to London with his health "greatly impaired." Once he returned to Aberdeenshire he settled in Seaton House in Aberdeen and served for two terms as rector to King's College.
Following his father's death in 1780, Alexander took up the reins of estate management, and continued the good work started by his father. Seeds and plants were purchased from Nurserymen around London – some of whom had originally worked in the gardens at Kemnay. He formed a lake to the front of the house complete with an island and a gazebo. On the estate plan of 1792 it shows a sight line from this gazebo through the forest plantation which is marked "view to Castle Fraser" an indication of how closely they worked with their neighbours.
In 1781 Alexander married Christian, daughter of John Leslie who was professor of Greek at King's College and their family consisted of: George (1783-1784), Helen (1784-1864), John (1786-1847), Elizabeth (1787-1806), Christian (1789-1874), Lamont (1791-1842).
Dr. George Lamont, George Burnett's former tutor died in 1789 and left Alexander as his sole executor. Among the assets which Alexander inherited from Dr Lamont was an estate in Tonbridge Wells.
Considerable time was spent winding up Lamont's affairs and sorting out all the legal technicalities which come with these events. Eventually Alexander sold off the lands in Tunbridge Wells realising some £12000 sterling.
The death of George Lamont ended a connection with the Burnett family extending back some sixty years.
The figure who comes to prominence following Alexander's death in 1802 is his widow, Christian, who took on the role of managing the estate as well as bring up her relatively young family. Her son John, who was sixteen years old when his father died and was being educated in Surrey was kept in touch with the ongoings of the estate at Kemnay. He had thoughts of going to Cambridge but finances did not permit this and John spent several years at college in Edinburgh.
It was while he was at Edinburgh that he met in with Dr. Charles Stuart of Dunearn who became a Baptist minister there. John eventually married Stuart's third daughter, Mary, in 1814, and the couple returned to Kemnay where they brought up their family consisting of: Mary Erskine (1815-1890), Alexander George (1816-1908), Christina Leslie (1818-1866), Charles John (1820-1907), George (1822-1890), Stuart Moubray (1824-1893), Henry Martyn (1826-1881), Erskine William (1828-1848).
Looking back on John Burnett's time as laird, three things seem to dominate. He comes through as a very religious man, following in the Baptist faith he acted as a central figure around the north east of Scotland. Tracts came from the Temperance and Tract Societies of Aberdeen, the Scottish Bible Societies, and the Anti- Slavery movement, to such a degree that his descendant, Susan Burnett, 9th of Kemnay remarked that 'if he was as full of good works as his house was of religious tracts, he must have been a worthy man.' He carried out building works to his house, soon after he became laird and again extensive works in the 1830s. He it was who started the family's slide into bankruptcy in the 1920s. The start of this slide may have been the granting of a liferent annuity to his widow of £250 which the estate struggled to meet.
John Burnett died on 22nd December 1847 and was buried in the family enclosure just outside the recently built parish church of Kemnay.
He was followed as laird by his eldest son, Alexander George, who was equally as fervent, if not more so, in his religious practises as his father. AG (as he is commonly referred to) studied for some time in Edinburgh and stayed for a time in London. He travelled extensively both at home and in Europe, publishing and preaching on his travels. His descendant, Susan Letitia Burnett, 9th of Kemnay, cannot hide her dislike for her great grandfather in her book Without Fanfare about her family in Kemnay, describing him as a "sanctimonious bigot."
His tenure as laird saw many changes in the area and on the estate – The railway arrived in the late 1850s and this saw the start of extensive quarrying on Paradise Hill by John Fyfe which was to change the face of the land. The need for accommodation caused by the large influx of folks to the quarry saw the creation of the village and the work of improving the land, started by George Burnett one hundred years earlier, reached the position we more or less see it in today.
AG married on 4th September 1849 Letitia Amelia, daughter of William Kendall of Bourton, Gloucestershire and had children: Letitia (1850-1936), John Alexander (1852-1935), William Kendall LLD (1854-1912), Amelia (1855-1941). Sadly Amelia Kendall Burnett died on 22nd April 1855 aged 28 years. On her gravestone it states "for five short years the wife of Alexander G Burnett …" In 1877 AG married Anna Maria Pledge, daughter of Rev. Ebenezer Pledge of Peabury Chapel, Kent. Offspring of this union were: Ebenezer Erskine [known as Erskine] (1877-1951), Alexander Douglas Gilbert [known as Gilbert] (1879-1962), Henry Martyn (1881-1915), Octavious Winslow (b & d 1882), Stuart (b & d 1883), Frances Mary Stuart (1884-1976). Anna, who had for eight years been the wife of AG died on 19th September 1885 aged 36 years "she was a model daughter, sister, mother and wife." In 1893 AG again entered into matrimony, this time with Emily Julia Burch daughter of Joseph Burch of Toddenham Hall in Suffolk. Emily died in January 1908 and AG died on 19th February 1908.
Despite AG living through what might appear to be some of the most prosperous times in the history of the village; the start of the quarries, the building of village and the development of agriculture, he derived little financial benefit from it all. In 1854 he mortgaged the estate with his father-in-law, William Kendall, possibly necessitated by the actions of his father. This he redeemed in 1870. His gallivanting around the country and abroad had to be paid for and on his death it was found that he had borrowings of around £48,000; the estate was valued at £54,000. This put his son and heir, John A. Burnett, in a rather precarious position as he himself had been borrowing money for a long time in order to survive.
Although Alexander George Burnett was not held in very high regard by members of his family, a tribute appeared in the Aberdeen Daily Journal of 20th February 1908, following his death, which portrayed him in a totally different light.
There was a building on the estate which had been built earlier in the 19th century, some say by religious dissenters. It had been built in such as way that in the event of it ceasing to be a place of worship it could readily be converted to living accommodation. Whatever its origins, AG used it as his personal chapel in which he preached on many occasions even when he was in his nineties. The building was eventually converted to housing and is still known as Chapel Cottage.
John Alexander Burnett was involved with the D'Oyley Carte opera company and accompanied them on an American tour in the 1880s and after that, if the company were playing in Aberdeen, he always received tickets for their performances. On the outbreak of war in 1914 he tried to enlist in the British army but was turned down because of his age – he was sixty two! Undaunted, he went across to France and tried to enlist there, but was again turned down. He eventually joined the French Ambulance Corps and drove an ambulance in the front lines until he was gassed. He was awarded the Croix-de-Guerre. A sportsman of some renown he kept wicket for Surrey and captained the Scottish Curling Team.
In 1877 he married Charlotte Susan, the daughter of Arthur Forbes Gordon of Rayne, and had children: Arthur Moubray, 8th of Kemnay, (1878-1948), Lettie Muriel (1880-1966) Charles Stuart (who became Air Chief Marshal) (1882-1945), Thomas Leslie (1885-1940), Robert Lindsay (who became Admiral) (1887-1959), and Irene Dorothy May (1893-1982).
Affairs on the estate limped along until April 1921 when John A. granted a trust deed in favour of trustees for James Meston and Co., Aberdeen who then took over the running of the estate and started to dispose of it, mainly to sitting tenants in the farms, a process which carried on until after the second world war.
Eventually the family were left with Kemnay House and surrounding policies, the farms of Backhill, North Craigearn, Craigearn.
Notes
Aberdeen Daily Journal, 20 February 1908: DEATH OF MR BURNETT OF KEMNAY
We regret having to announce that Mr Burnett of Kemnay died at Kemnay House at five o' clock yesterday afternoon – about three hours after the dead body of his wife had been carried from Kemnay House to the station on the way to Ipswich for interment. The painful event, though not unlooked for, has caused profound sorrow throughout Kemnay, where Mr Burnett was greatly beloved.
Alexander George Burnett was the eldest son of Mr John Burnett of Kemnay, and was born at Kemnay house on 6th November 1816. The Burnetts have held the lands of Kemnay since 1688, when they were acquired by Thomas, second son of James Burnett of Craigmyle, who was a brother of Sir Thomas Burnett, Bart., of Leys. The late Mr Burnett's early education was attended to by his father and his mother, who was a Leslie of Powis. As he grew older, he was instructed by a tutor, and he subsequently entered as a student at Edinburgh University. His studies there were, however, greatly interrupted. First, he spent three months in Bristol; then he resided for two years in London, where he witnessed the celebrations in connection with the Coronation of the late Queen Victoria; and this was followed by a year's sojourn in Flanders, during which he acquired great fluency in the French tongue, and travelled a good deal in France, Germany, and Switzerland. On returning to this country, he completed his studies at Edinburgh University, and it is interesting to note that among his fellow-students were Principal Angus, of Regent's Park Theological College, London, and Principal Cairns of Glasgow. Thereafter, Mr Burnett attended the classes in the Free Church College, Edinburgh, one of his teachers having been the late Dr Thomas Chalmers. It was Mr Burnett's ambition to enter the ministry, and he had frequently stated that but for his father's opposition he would have systematically pursued his studies with that object. As it was, he was subsequently accepted as a preacher by his class-mate, Principal Angus; and from that time forward he frequently acted in that capacity, not only at home, but abroad. He erected a chapel at Kemnay, and it was his wont to conduct Sunday evening services as long as his strength permitted.
On the death of his father in 1848, Mr Burnett succeeded to the estate of Kemnay. Some time after this, Mr Burnett was severely injured in a railway collision, and had not long recovered when he was badly mauled by a band of ruffians who robbed him in London. The anxieties of a large property also weighed upon Mr Burnett, and he received a heavy blow when a failure involved him in a loss of £20,000. But Mr Burnett set ' a stout heart to a stey brae,' and, as he himself publicly stated, he succeeded in clearing off his financial difficulties, and in accumulating 'a large balance in hand.' Mr Burnett believed in resident proprietorship, but he was compelled, under medical advice, to reside for several months of the year either on the continent or in the south of England. Notwithstanding, he kept in close touch with his tenantry, in whom he ever took a warm interest. During his time, thanks to the famous quarries, Kemnay grew from a small hamlet to a thriving town of some 3000 inhabitants.
In the business of the county Mr Burnett took his full share, according to his opportunities, as a Commissioner of Supply, a Road Trustee, and a Justice of the Peace. As a Commissioner of Supply, he will be chiefly remembered for a motion he annually submitted in the opposition to a grant to the Roman Catholic institution in Aberdeen known as Nazareth House.
Mr Burnett was a great traveller. Apart from frequent visits to France, Italy, Germany, Russia, and Norway, he made no fewer than half a dozen trips across the Atlantic, and travelled a good deal in both the United States and Canada.. His varied experiences abroad gave him abundant scope for the exercise of his passion of writing. Nothing was too minute to escape his observation. From his pen came at least a score of publications on the most diverse subjects, among them being 'France and the French,' 'France since the War,' 'Italian Experiences,' 'A Trip to Norway,' and 'A Peep into Russia.'
Mr Burnett, in addition, published a large number of sermons and addresses, including sermons on the Tay Bridge disaster and Queen Victoria's Jubilee, and on the death of Dr Guthrie and others. But it was as a letter-writer to the press that Mr Burnett chiefly distinguished himself. His pen was scarcely ever idle. While religious subjects absorbed the larger share of his interest, there was practically no subject under discussion which he was afraid to tackle; and he never engaged in a controversy but he enlivened it. Many of his views, particularly on religious topics, were very far removed from those now current, and he had a number of particular prejudices, not to say antipathies, among which may be mentioned the Scottish Episcopal Church; but his letters were always interesting if only for the personal reminiscences which he frequently wove into them and for the stoutness with which he maintained and defended his individual opinions.
In politics, Mr Burnett was a Liberal, and at local political meetings he was generally present when at home, and seldom let pass an opportunity of giving expressions to his views.
On the occasion of his attaining the jubilee as a proprietor, Mr Burnett was entertained at dinner by his tenants, the feuars and householders on his estate, and other friends. In the course of the proceedings, suitable acknowledgement was made of Mr Burnett's high character as a landlord and of his varied services to the community.
Mr Burnett married, in 1849, Letitia Amelia, eldest daughter of Mr William Kendall, of Bourton-on-the-Water, and by her, who died in 1855; he had two sons and two daughters. The elder son is John Alexander Burnett, who married in 1877 a daughter of Mr Arthur Forbes-Gordon of Rayne, and has issue four sons and one daughter; and the younger, Mr William Kendall Burnett, advocate, in Aberdeen; while the daughters are Letitia and Amelia Burnett. Mr Burnett married, secondly, in 1877, Anna Maria, daughter of Rev. Ebenezer Pledge, minister of Pembury Chapel , Kent, and by her, who died in 1885, he had five sons – Ebenezer Erskine, Alexander Douglas Gilbert, Henry Martyn, and Octavious Winslow and Stuart Alexander (the two latter of whom died in infancy); and one daughter – Frances Mary. Mr Burnett married, thirdly, in 1893, Emily Julia, daughter of the late Joseph Burch of Tuddenham Hall, Suffolk, by whom he had no issue, and who predeceased him by only a few days.
Press and Journal 18 November 1935:
Mr J A Burnett of Kemnay. Death in London at age of eighty-three. Enthusiast in sport of many kinds.
One of the keenest all round sportsmen in Aberdeenshire, Mr John Alexander Burnett of Kemnay, died in a London Nursing Home on Saturday at the age of eighty three.
Kemnay has been the home of the Burnetts for over three hundred years. Mr Burnett was the son of the late Mr A. G. Burnett and he was born at Kemnay in 1852. He married in 1877, a daughter of Capt. A. F. Gordon of Rayne, and on his father's death he came to reside at Kemnay House.
All-round sportsman Mr Burnett was an enthusiast in all kinds of sports. His most popular form of recreation was curling and his skill in this sport was acknowledged far and wide. Mr Burnett often went to Switzerland to engage in his favourite game, in which he was a recognised expert.
Mr Burnett, besides being keenly interested in football and cricket, was a fine shot and an enthusiastic angler. He was also a student of arboriculture. Although he did not take a prominent part in public affairs he was deeply interested in the affairs of the people of Kemnay.
Cousin of Mr J. G. Burnett. Mr Burnett's wife predeceased him some years ago. He is survived by a family of four sons and two daughters. The sons are Mr Arthur M. Burnett, Kemnay; Air Vice Marshal Charles S. Burnett; Major Thomas L. F. Burnett; and Capt. Robert L. Burnett, R.N. The elder daughter is Mother in the Convent of the Sacred Heart, and the younger daughter is Mrs Quentin Irvine of Barra Castle.
A first cousin of the late Mr Burnett is Mr J. G. Burnett of Powis, former M.P. for North Aberdeen.
"Sunday in Chapel" could possibly be included here.