The University and King's College of Aberdon

Later Shields in the Quadrangle
(...referring to the church)

In the floor of the chapel there are four tombstones with coats-of-arms.

15. A stone to the memory of John CRUICKSHANK. It has a shield bearing three boars' heads erased. Above there is an esquire's helmet. At the sides are the letters LC. Round the stone is the inscription :

lOANNES CRVCSCHANCIVS DOMINUS TILLYMORGEN GENERIS SPLENDORE RELIGIONIS PURITATE AC FIDEI INTEGRITATE CLARUS OBIIT 21 NOVEMB. A.D. 1604 NUNC VIVO ET VIVAM DAT SEMPER VIVERE CHRISTUS MOHTE SUA TANDEM SIT MIHI VITA MORI lESOUS ANASTASIS KAI ZOE.

(translation) John CRUICKSHANK, laird of Tillymorgen, died 21st November, 1604.


Ruthrieston Burn Bridge

In 1093 it had become necessary to erect a new bridge, and it was built of stone and lime, with three arches, at the expense of tlie Bridge of Dee Fund..........

..... The bridge was completed in the Provostship of Robert CRUICKSHANK of Banchory, and though he contributed nothing to the cost he presumptuously caused a stone bearing a shield with three boars' heads cut off at the neck to be built into the east face of the bridge. These arms had been registered by some person of the name of CRUICKSHANK and, though the Provost had no more right to take his neighbour's coat-of-arms than his coat of cloth, he, passed them off as his own. This might have been allowed to pass unnoticed ; but CRUICKSHANK made himself obnoxious to his fellow Couneillors by getting himself elected Provost several years in succession, and by putting up his son-in-law as his successor in the office. In 1698 the hostile feeling of a majority of the Council was shewn by the following entry in the liegister of the Council:

The councill, finding that when the Bridge of Ruthreston was perfyted Robert CRUICKSHANK of Banchorie, being then [1693-4] provost, he did clandistenly cause put up his armes in the said bridge without any act of councill, albeit he coutrabute nothing for building thereof, and that the same was begune and near ended in Provost Cochran's time [1691-2], and was builded on the money of the Bridge of Dee, doe therefore appoint the said Robert CRUICKSHANK's armes to be taken down and to be given to him, he paying the pryce thereof, and appoints the Mr of Kirk Work to cause put up in the place where the said armes stood ane handsome cut stone with the following inscription thereon, viz :—

SENATUS ABREDONENSIS HUNC PONTEM IMPENSIS EX VERE AD PONTEM DEE SPECTANTE, EXTRUENDUiM CURAVIT, 1693;

which means :

The Town Council of Aberdeen caused this bridge to be built with money from the Bridge of Dee Fund, 1693.

The Provost refused to pay anything for the stone, and Morayshire sandstone not being abundant in Aberdeen the inscription was carved on the inner end of the old stone, which was then turned outside in. The Provost long survived the affront, and the hostility to him having died out the Town Council of 1705 ordered the stone to be turned again to show the arms, and an inscription to be carved below them stating that Robert CRUICKSHANK of Banchory was Provost when the bridge was built. This was done, and the stone now shows at the top a closed helmet with a mantling called a lambrequin thrown over it, a shield in the middle, and a place where there had once been an inscription beneath. In 1877, when by order of Miss Duthie of liuthrieston the bridge was repaired and paved to preserve it from decay, an opportunity was given of inspecting the inner end of the stone and it was found to bear the inscription ordered by the Town Council in 1698.