Glenbuchat Heritage

161 Lonach Games opposite Lonach Hall

The following document is kindly reproduced with permission of the Margaret Fraser Archive.

It is brief summary of the history of the early days of the Lonach Highland Games and was written by one of the daughters of Sir Charles Forbes the 5th Baronet of Newe.

The picture above shows a post card of the early Lonach games in the Haugh over looked by the Colquhonnie Hotel and the Lonach Hall

LONACH HIGHLAND & FRIENDLY SOCIETY
SOME GLIMPSES OF THE EARLY YEARS

The games did not start for some years after the foundation of the Society.

An account of the year 1888 states that that year was the 63rd Gathering, but the accepted date of the first games is 1836. Of course there were years without games, notably during the two world wars. 1878 and 1884 were also game-less owing to the death of the 3rd and 4th Baronets of Newe.

The years 1860 to 1861 were red-letter years, when the Lonach men went to Braemar. Queen Victoria mentions their visits in her journal of her life "ln the Highlands" in entries dated 12th September, I850, and 22nd September, 1859. In 1850 the Lonach men marched back from Braemar through the grounds of Balmoral, and Her Majesty gives a graphic account of them waving their bonnets and cheering. Apparently, after passing the Castle, the Balmoral fishing ghillies gave the Lonach Highlanders lifts on their backs over the river Dee.

In the 1860's the games, which had hitherto been confined to Society members, were thrown open to all comers, and giants like Donald Dinnie from Aboyne, James Findlay, McCombie Smith came to Lonach. Before the coming of the motor car in the 1880's and 90's, the "Mairch" just flowed down the glens, but the usual pattern was for the Corgarff men to march to Ernan Bridge, where they were joined by those from Glenernan. Meanwhile the Nochty men had met those further down Strathdon, at Bellabeg, and they together marched to Ernan Lodge. The assembled gathering then was entertained at Inverernan House by General Sir John Forbes, K.C.B., who was honorary president of the Society for a great many years. His name appears in the original membership book in 1825 as John Forbes, Jr., of Blelack.The Highlanders then marched to Candacraig, where in 1888 they were entertained by Mr Hanbury Barclay, and in 1896 by Mr A. F. Wallace, and then on to either the old Lonach Hall or sometimes to Castle Newe, where they had their “dinner".

Some years the games were held in the park opposite the Castle, but were usually held in the Haugh opposite Colquhonnie. 1892 was a year when the games were held at Newe. There was no Braemar Gathering and the Aboyne men gathered at Lonach - Balmoral men 26, Duffs 37, Farquharsons 58, Gordons 33, and there were 80 Lonach men present = a truly great gathering.

1896 was another notable year. A bazaar was held in the new Lonach Hall, which had just been completed but not quite paid for. The bazaar, which was held concurrently with the games, was to raise funds to pay off the deficit. One of the highlights of the bazaar was the “horseless carriage" belonging to Dr Howie, who gave rides to those who dared from the Mill of Newe to the doctor's house and back for the sum of one shilling. Dr P. E. Howie was the much-respected practitioner in Strathdon, who served the glen and Lonach well till he died in 1933. Another interesting item was a demonstration of "Rontgen Rays” given by my father. This was the contemporary name for X-rays, which had been recently discovered

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