Cullen

History

Cullen has a long history, well-documented thanks to the survival of a number of sources. These are summarised in two key books: the Annals of Cullen by W Crammond (1904) and the Church Annals of Cullen by W Robertson (1938). The first deals primarily with the civil governance and the latter with church governance up to the disruption. Cullen received royal burgh status between 1153 and 1214 AD during the reigns of Malcolm IV and William I. It is also known to have received a charter in 1455 AD from James II. The burgh was abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Around 139–161, Ptolemy mentions in his Geography the River Celnius in the North East of Scotland. Both William Forbes Skene and George Chalmers identified the Celnius with Cullen Burn. The first mention of Cullen in Scottish history was in 962, when King Indulf was killed by the Norwegians (and/or Danes) at the mouth of the River Cullen and referred to as the Battle of the Bauds. "Atween Coedlich and the sea, There lies Kings' sons three." Legend has it that within the vicinity, a Scots, a Danish and a Norwegian King are buried, marked by the three isolated rocks within Cullen Bay and named the "Three Kings". However, it is possible that these rocks derive their name from the similarity of the name Cullen with Culane (Cologne) as in the medieval mystery play "The Three Kings of Culane". The church was founded as a chapel by King Robert the Bruce. The organs of Robert's wife are said to have been buried in its old kirk after her death at Cullen Castle; the King then made an annual payment to the village in gratitude for the treatment of his wife's body and its return south for burial. The old town of Cullen was demolished in 1822 and its remains are next to Cullen House. It was under…