Excerpt from "The Life of Robert Burns"
by Rev. George Gilfillan, August 1886

Burns, returned, began again to think of Dumfriesshire as a place to set up the staff of his rest; but ere he took any definite step he settled down in Edinburgh for some mouths; lived in the house of William CRUICKSHANK, one of the High School teachers; and got his daughter Janet, a girl of twelve, to learn his songs by heart and play them on the piano, and rewarded her for doing so by writing some beautiful verses in her praise. Jenny CRUICKSHANK, who became a fine girl, married a Mr. Henderson, a lawyer in Jedburgh; and a lady, her daughter-in-law, showed Chambers a china punch bowl which Burns, according to tradition, had broken in one of his bouts in her father’s house in St. James’ Square.

Excerpt from "The Scottish Tradition in Canada"
Edited by W. Stanford Reid

In the arts also, Canadians of Scottish descent have played an important role, although a number have migrated to the United States. Dr. Tait MacKenzie, mentioned above, has been one of Canada's outstanding sculptors, William CRUICKSHANK, a Scot who taught art in Toronto for twenty-five years, had among his students some of the Group of Seven, of which J.E. MacDonald was a member.

Excerpt from "Historic Earls and Earldoms of Scotland"
by John Mackintosh, LL.D.

In 1358 the King granted a charter confirming to John Gordon the grant which Robert I. gave to his grandfather, Sir Adam, of the lands of Strathbogie. During the rest of his life he usually resided at Strathbogie, putting his estates in order, which had been much impaired by hostile raids. He died about the year 1374, and was succeeded by his son, Sir John.

Robert II., in 1376, granted to Sir John Gordon, a charter confirming the grant made by Robert I. to his great-grandfather of the lands of Strathbogie. Sir John was a man of great activity. In 1388 he was present and fought in the battle of Otterburn, in which he distinguished himself. In 1391 he was appointed Justiciary for settling disputed marches.

Sir John died in 1394, unmarried, but left two natural sons, by Elizabeth, a daughter of CRUICKSHANK of Aswanley, in the parish of Glass. His two sons, John and Thomas, were usually called, in the traditions of Strathbogie and the Valley of the Deveron, "Jock and Tam," The lands of Aswanley lay on the south side of the beautiful valley of Deveron; and the old house stood on the south bank, a few paces from the river, in a well sheltered and fertile spot, with a small brook on the east side rippling to the Deveron. It is about half a mile east from the Church of Glass.

Excerpt from "The New Statistical Account of Scotland" (1845)
Volume XII - Aberdeen

City of Aberdeen

Miss CRUICKSHANK's Fund.— Miss Elizabeth CRUICKSHANK, who died in 1818, bequeathed the bulk of her property to trustees, for the purpose of accumulation until it should be sufficient to found and support an asylum for the blind in Aberdeen. These trustees were three in number, but two of them having died, the survivor, by virtue of a power contained in the deed, assumed, in the year 1832, several gentlemen to act along with him in the discharge of the trust.

Various difficulties occurred in regard to the disposal of some parts of the property, and it was not until very lately that any further steps were taken towards carrying Miss CRUICKSHANK's benevolent intentions into effect, than taking a census of the number of blind persons in the city of Aberdeen and its neighbourhood, with their ages and circumstances. Within the last few weeks, however, a plan of the intended building has been approved of, and its erection will be proceeded in forthwith.

Inns and Alehouses — There are in Aberdeen no less than 193 inn-keepers and vintners, including six principal inns, viz. the Royal Hotel, the Union Hotel, and the Aberdeen Hotel in Union Street, the Lemon Tree, in the Huxter Row, CRUICKSHANKs' Inn, in the School-hill, and Macdonald's Temperance Hotel in Queen Street.Parish of Peterhead

Land-owners — The present heritors of the parish are, the Governors of the Merchant Maiden Hospital of Edinburgh; Mrs Gordon of Boddam and Sandford; George Skelton of Invernettie Lodge; George Arbuthnot of Invernettie; William Arbuth-not of Dens and Downie-hills; Dr CRUICKSHANK of Little Cock-law; George Mudie of Meethill; Thomas Arbuthnot of part of Meethill; James Sangster, part of Invernettie; Kenneth M'In-tosh, part of Invernettie; Charles Brand, part of Invernettie; William Donaldson of Cowhills; William Gamack, part of Invernettie; Robert Arbuthnot of Mount Pleasant and Blackhouse; George Walker of Balmoor; Mrs Walker's Trustees, part of Balmoor; Robert Walker, Senior, Grange; Robert Walker, Junior, Richmond; Alexander Stuart, Coplandshill; the Heirs of James Hutchison of Richmond; the Trust-Disponees of Mrs Hay Mudie of Meikle Cocklaw; the Trustees of the late Peter Hay of Hayfield; James Shirras of Berryhill; Robert Mayor of Windy-hills; the Heirs of James Reid of Ellishill; and Roderick Gray, part of Blackhill.

Account of the University and King's College of Aberdeen

CRUICKSHANK's Bursary.— Founded in 1815 by Mr James CRUICKSHANK of Touxhill, who ordered L. 400, deducting the legacy-duty of L. 40, to be lent on personal security, and the interest to be paid to one bursar of the name of CRUICKSHANK or Jopp. For some time it yielded L. 18 per annum, but in consequence of the bankruptcy of the parties to whom the trustees had lent the capital, it has been much reduced, so that in future it cannot yield more than from L.10 to L.12, according to the rate of interest. Patron, the minister of Monquhitter.

Parish of Ellon

Land-owners — There are eight proprietors of land in the parish, each of whom draws an annual income from it of upwards of L.50. These are, the Right Honourable the Earl of Aberdeen; the Honourable William Gordon of Ellon; Charles Napier Gordon of Hallhead; John Turner of Turnerhall; Lieutenant-Colonel Udny of Udny; John Leith Ross of Arnage; William Chambers Hunter of Tillery; and John CRUICKSHANK of Peltachie. The measurements of their respective estates in the parish, according to the best, though, in several instances, imperfect, data with which the compiler has been furnished, are as follows:

Parish of Turriff

Writen by Presbytery of Turriff, Synod of Aberdeen.
The Rev. James CRUICKSHANK, Minister