Rhynie, Aberdeenshire

The village green and war memorial, Rhynie Kirk behind the green, with Tap o' Noth in the distance

Rhynie (/ˈraɪni/) (Scottish Gaelic: Roinnidh) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland which the A97 road runs through, situated 14 miles northwest of Alford.

The Rhynie Chert is named after the village as well as the extinct plant genus Rhynia. The Rhynie Chert is a sediment deposited in the Devonian period which contains the oldest fossil insect in the world (Rhyniognatha hirsti).^[1]

The missionary, teacher and engineer Alexander Murdoch Mackay was born in Rhynie on 13 October 1849.

The Station Hotel at Rhynie is mentioned in the sketch "The Will" by Scotland the What, the joke being that there is no railway station at Rhynie, "..but they were aye hopin' for one."

History

The "Craw Stane", a Pictish symbol stone depicting a salmon and an unknown animal

Eight Pictish symbol stones have been found at Rhynie, including the "Rhynie Man", a 6 foot tall boulder carved with a bearded man carrying an axe, possibly a representation of the Celtic god Esus, that was discovered in 1978. The "Rhynie Man" now stands inside Woodhill House (the headquarters of Aberdeenshire Council ) in Aberdeen.^[2]

In 2011 archaeological excavations at Rhynie, near the site of the "Rhynie Man", by archaeologists from Aberdeen University and Chester University uncovered a substantial fortified settlement dating to the early medieval period. Among the finds at the site were fragments of a late 5th or 6th century Roman amphora that must have been imported from the Mediterranean region. This is significant as it is the only known example of a Roman amphora from Eastern Britain dating to the post-Roman period, and indicates that the inhabitants of the settlement must have been of high status. Archaeologists working at the excavation have speculated that the settlement may have been a royal site occupied by Pictish kings.^[2]

References

↑ "The oldest fossil insect in the world". nhm.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
1 2 Urquhart, Frank (16 November 2011). "Archaeologists find village fit for Pictish kings". The Scotsman. Retrieved 29 June 2015.

Sources

Rhynie in the Gazetteer for Scotland.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhynie.

Settlements and places of interest in Marr, Aberdeenshire

Primary settlements	Aboyne Alford Ballater Banchory Braemar Huntly Lumphanan Tarland Torphins

Other settlements	Backburn Bellabeg Birse Birsemore Bogniebrae Brathens Brideswell Cairnie Corgarff Crathie Dinnet Finzean Forgue Gartly Inverey Keig Kildrummy Kincardine O'Neil Kirkton of Tough Logie Coldstone Lumsden Monymusk Potarch Rhynie Ruthven Strachan Strathdon Tornaveen Towie Tullich Ythanwells

Places of interest	Alford Valley Railway Badenyon Balmoral Castle Blelack Braemar Castle Burn O'Vat Cairn O' Mounth Cairngorms National Park Castle Forbes Corgarff Castle Craigievar Castle Crathes Castle Crathie Kirk Forest of Birse Grampian Transport Museum Huntly Castle Kildrummy Castle Lochnagar Lost Royal Deeside Royal Deeside Railway Yonder Bognie Ythan Wells (Glenmailen) Roman Camp

Areas and primary settlements in Aberdeenshire (see also: Aberdeen City)

in Banff and Buchan	Aberchirder Banff Fraserburgh Gardenstown Inverallochy and Cairnbulg Macduff Portsoy Rosehearty Sandhaven Whitehills

in Buchan	Boddam Crimond Cruden Bay Fetterangus Hatton Longside Maud Mintlaw New Deer New Pitsligo Peterhead St Combs St Fergus Strichen Stuartfield

in Formartine	Balmedie Cuminestown Ellon Fyvie Newburgh Oldmeldrum Pitmedden Potterton Rothienorman Tarves Turriff

in Garioch	Blackburn Insch Inverurie Kemnay Kintore Newmachar Westhill

in Kincardine and Mearns	Drumoak Fettercairn Gourdon Inverbervie Johnshaven Laurencekirk Newtonhill Portlethen St Cyrus Stonehaven

in Marr	Aboyne Alford Ballater Banchory Braemar Huntly Lumphanan Tarland Torphins

Coordinates: 57°19′N 2°50′W / 57.317°N 2.833°W / 57.317; -2.833

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