Sandy's childhood

Sandy (Alexander) Laing, spent his childhood here. Unfortunately, his parents did not own this house but they did live nearby and might have worked here or visited. Sandy mentions it and its owners in his memoir. This is Duff House at Banff on the north east coast of Scotland.

Built in the 1700s by the very rich Duff family who became the Earls of Fife it has been their home or one of their homes, until 1906 when they gave it to the town. Since then it has been a hotel, a santitrium and WWII POW camp. Then it was empty and falling apart until major restoration began in 1995. Now many of its rooms are furnished again and its walls hung with numerous art works from Scotland's national collection.

I like to think that maybe Sandy's musical talent was recognised here and perhaps he or his father even, might have played the fiddle beside the piano while the gentry danced in the grand salon.

Sandy's family could have known the 2nd, 3rd and fourth earls, all of whom were around during his childhood. This is James, the rather handsome 4th earl who was a major-general, a great military man who may have helped Sandy to progress to the rank of sergeant in less than a year and kept him in the recuitment unit so that he never went on active service.

This is Banff today, a  small town on the mouth of the Deveron River, that was once an important trading centre with Europe.

Some of the buildings date back to the 1600s.

The seven arched bridge was built by the 2nd earl in 1779 and still carries the main road traffic. 

When Sandy lived near Banff it would have looked something like this picture.

When Sandy was 12 years old he was sent south to the Castle of Skene. We don't know why Sandy was here, or if his parents were here too, but he writes in his memoir that he was here in 1804. The 3rd earl from Duff House was married to Mary Skene at the time and inherited the house which was then passed onto James the 4th earl.

In Sandy's time the house was smaller consisting of a tower castle with a side wing. The fancy round towers and other extensions were added in the later 1800s but it was the centre of a large estate during Sandy's time. The house is not open to the public but we shown around it by local historian, Jim Fiddes - a retired librarian!

There has been a castle or house here since the 1200s. This arch way was the entrance from before Sandy's time. It was taken apart during the later extensions and reassembled a bit further along.

Then Sandy joined the army in 1810, went drinking in Kirriemuir in 1813 and got himself transported to Tassie, but that is another story.