At least since the time of the Reformation in 1560, it was the duty of every parish to provide accommodation for the minister.  This burden usually fell on the heritor of the parish as, more often than not, the church building also belonged to him. 

A new manse had been built in Kemnay, and the Bishop of Aberdeen (the Kirk in Scotland was at that time under Episcopalian rule) and his assessors had passed it as sufficient for the needs of the parish.  The minister of the time, Dr Willox was so displeased with it that he immediately set about building a house for himself which was completed in 1680, a fact signified by the date above the door alongside the initials of Dr Willox and his wife.  The building was of a high quality for the time and was known as Castle Folly for many years.  The house which had been built by the laird was converted to a barn, and lasted until 1786, when the steading was renewed.

A new manse was built in 1796 and served the needs of the parish until the late 1830s when the north wing was added; around the time that Rev George Peter came to the parish. Following his death in 1897, the next minister, Rev A. Hood Smith refused to go into the manse.  After much discussion, it was decided to build the west wing.  The laird, A G Burnett, had to borrow heavily to fund the building and the story goes that the minister was unable to pay for the furnishing of it.

A change in Kirk laws in the 1920s decreed that all religious building should be held by the Trustees of the Church of Scotland.  At this time the Kirk and the manse were transferred, along with a sum of money which absolved the estate of any future maintenance costs.  With this endowment received, renovations were carried out to both the manse and the church building in 1928 -29. 

The resulting building served the needs of the parish for a number of years, but, as with any old building, maintenance costs increased.  The building was treated for woodworm in the mid 1950s and in 1971 an outbreak of dry rot necessitated the renewal of a large area of the ground floor along with plasterwork in the walls.  A decision by the Fabric Committee in 1976 saw the manse disposed of and it was converted into 'The Bennachie Lodge Hotel'.