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The Bridges
The Characteristics of Medieval Bridges
(1) They have projecting piers, triangular in shape, known as cutwaters. These
are found on the upper side with the point towards the stream their purpose
being to protect the pier from the force of the current and from the impact of
trees and other objects borne along by the water. The upper part of these piers
at roadway level have refuges for pedestrians.
(2) The widths of medieval bridges are commonly from
10ft to enabled the bridge to be kept open during the reconstruction. If the
arches are inspected from the underside, by boat if necessary it is easy to see
by the straight joints where the widening has occurred. Often the building
material and technique is different.
(3) The spans varied from 5 feet in the case of
small bridges to 20 feet or more in a few cases. The first were semicircular
with a barrel vault. In the 13th century pointed arches replaced these arches
and groined vaults replaced barrel vaults. Here the main weight was taken on
ribs of stone. Some bridges have had the ribs cut away to improve navigation. In
others, the ribs have been filled with brick.
(4) Many medieval bridges are humped, especially
where the roadway rose over pointed Gothic arches. This characteristic rise is
seen at Balgownie. The gradually flattening of the Gothic arch had the effect of
reducing the hump and a somewhat flatter roadway appears in the 15th century.
(5) Often a medieval bridge is extremely long and
included a long stone causeway which leads up to it across a flood plain. This
is pierced by subsidiary arches which do not regularly have channels of water
flowing through them. They are used, however, at times of flood to allow the
swollen waters to escape away, instead of ponding up behind the bridge.
Folly
Bridge, Oxford, had a causeway with no less than 42 arches in the 16th century.
(6) Further structures connected with medieval
bridges included chapels for bridge Hermits. Gateways and drawbridges were
also found
THE BRIDGE OF DEE
Before the Bridge of Dee was built the main road to
the south crossed the Dee by a ford at the end of the Hardgate, about
Ruthrieston Terrace, and followed the bank of the Dee to the burn at Hildontree
and then turned south. On the top of the hill there was a peat moss, through
which the road passed. It was sometimes hardly possible to get through the moss,
so the Town Council of Aberdeen got an Act of Parliament authorising them' to
improve the road and build a gate or port on the road, where all who used the
road should pay toll for maintaining it. The improved part was called the Calsay
of the Cowie Month, but probably all that had been done to improve the road had
been to give it a coat of loose gravel, for the road is frequently mentioned as
being in a bad way. The Ford of the Dee must have been dangerous in winter, and
a bridge across the river was much needed. It seems to have been several times
proposed. In 1384 John Crab, burgess of Aberdeen, gave to his son Paul by letter
the lands of Kincorth, pledged to him for a sum of money lent to the Abbot of
Arbroath. The letter said that if the Abbot repaid the loan and reclaimed the
land his son should have part of the money for his own use and hold other £50
sterling on deposit for a bridge over the Dee. It said further that he gave his
son an annual payment falling to him from the barony of Findon among the
Grampian mountains for the use, work, and maintenance of the Causay of the
Mounth and the Bridge of Dee. It is not clear from the letter whether the bridge
was already constructed or only to be constructed. Moreover, if the Abbot did
not repay the money there was no obligation laid upon the son to give £50 for
the bridge; and in 1392 Paul Crab disposed of the 40s. annuity to William
Chalmers, Provost of Aberdeen, apparently without reference to the Causay of the
Mounth or the Bridge over the Dee (" Registrum Episcopatus Aberdonensis," II.
286-287).
 In 1459 the Town Council appointed Master John of Levingston, vicar of Inverugie, to be master of the work of a, bridge proposed
to be built over the Dee. There is, however, no evidence that any bridge had
ever been erected over the Dee near Aberdeen before 1520. It is generally
believed that Bishop William Elphinstone, who died in 1514, began the building
of the Bridge of Dee. In his edition of Hector Boece's " Lives of the Bishops of
Mortlach and Aberdon " Dr James Moir says in the Index : -" Dee, Bishop Elphinstone begins bridge over, 98." When reference is made to p. 98 we find
that the text does not warrant this statement. It says that the last enterprise
which the Bishop took up was building the Bridge of Dee ; and that in a short
time he got ready very many [dressed] stones and pieces of wood, and as much
rubble as seemed sufficient for completing a great part of the work.
Bishop Elphinstone died in 1514 and was succeeded by Alexander Gordon, who held
office till 1518. Boece goes on to relate that in (Gordon's time mention was
frequently made of Bishop William's legacies for building the bridge, and that
both his trustees and those who had come into possession of his property were
called to account, but that nothing could be done at the time, seeing that
Bishop Elphinstone had not selected a site for the bridge and that the public
would not take any interest in the matter. It is therefore manifest that the
building of the bridge
had not begun before 1518, when Gavin Dunbar became Bishop.
 Boece relates that on Bishop Dunbar's entry into Aberdeen he was met by a
procession of Ecclesiastics and University men, one of whom addressed him in a
long speech and urged him to complete the undertakings of Bishop Elphinstone,
which had been lying in abeyance since his death, special mention being made of
the Bridge of Dee. Boece says that the new bishop examined the preparations
which had been made for the bridge and was seized with a strong desire to build
it. He says, further that without long delay the bridge had been begun, the
bishop contributing liberally to the work, and that at the time when he was
writing (1522) a great part of the work had been done, with a good hope that the
whole would be accomplished. The bridge was completed in 1527. It was therefore
a scheme of Bishop
 Elphinstone, who made some preparations for the work but was
not able to make a commencement and died without selecting a site. He left in
the hands of trustees a large sum of money to be devoted to building the bridge.
Nothing, however, was done daring the time of his successor, Bishop Alexander
Gordon, and the whole work of constructing the bridge fell to be done by Bishop
Gavin Dunbar. As first constructed the bridge was 432 feet long and
16 feet
wide. It consisted of seven semicircular arches with five ribs. The ribs may be
regarded as an indication that the bridge is not altogether solid masonry, but
that, with the design of lightening the load on the piers and the haunches of
the arches, internal longitudinal walls had been built, one at each rib, which
necessitated the making the rib arches of longer and better stones than those
where there are voids. The stones had all been dressed to their proper size and
shape at the quarry in Moray from which they were taken, probably Covesea for
the yellow sandstone and Lossiemouth for the whiter and harder. The stones had
been conveyed to Aberdeen by sea in large boats, and up the river in smaller
boats. Many carved stones bearing coats-of-arms and inscriptions with dates are
built into the sides of the cut-waters between the arches. The oldest date,
1520, is on the north side of the southmost arch, and the most recent, 1527, is
on the south side of the northmost arch, both on the west side of the bridge.
The position of these dates shows that the bridge was begun at the south end and
completed at the north.
 INSCRIPTIONS AND CARVINGS
At the south end of the bridge there is on the west
front of the retaining wall a sun dial with some letters, of which A.W. Mr 0.
... W.B. 1719. can be made out, indicating that the dial was put up in 1719 by a
man whose initials were A. W., and who held the office of Master of Kirk and
Bridge Works in the city of Aberdeen. On the west side of the round pillar at
the south end of the bridge, west side, is carved Bishop Elphinstone's
coat-of-arms, surmounted by a mitre and the letters W. E. At the bottom is the
motto "Non Confundar," I shall not be confounded, referring to the day of
judgment. On the west side of the bridge there are at the south end of the first
arch, reckoning from the south, the Royal Arms of Scotland, a lion rampant or
standing on his hind legs, and at the north end there is: — [CONTSRUXIT 1520
(Bishop's Mitre) (Dunbar Arms) SUB SPES (With hope.) which tells that the first
arch was completed by Bishop Gavin Dunbar in 1520. The Bishop's arms are
3
lozenges, sometimes called pillows, two above and one below. The bridge might
have been begun in 1520, as the first could easily have been built in one year.
On the west side, at the north end of the second arch, there is : —
ANNO DOM[INI]
1521 G (Mitre) D (Dunbar Arms.) This tells us that the second arch was built by
Bishop Gavin Dunbar in 1521. At the north end of the third arch, west side,
there is : - GAUIN[U]s . DUNBAR . ABERD0NEN[S1S] EPlSC0PUlS . IMPERII (for
IMPERIo) . lACOBI . q[uIn]tI . SCOTORUM . REGIS . ANNOS . DUO . ME . LAPSUM.
REKDIFICARE (for REEDIFICARl) . FECIT . ORATE . p[ro] . EO.
 The mistakes had arisen from the carver at the quarry not being able to read the
inscription supplied to him; or else the inscription had been recut when the
bridge was repaired, 1719-23, and some letters had then been illegible. The
final letter of annos has disappeared, but it has left its mark. The letters N
and M have been indicated in the inscription by the mark — above the letter
preceding their place. This tells us that the third arch had been built
but had
fallen and had lain in ruins two years, and had been rebuilt by Bishop Gavin
Dunbar by order (and at the expense) of King James V. In English the inscription
reads : - Gavin Dunbar, Bishop of Aberdeen, by order of James V. King of Scots,
caused me lying fallen down for two years to be Rebuilt. Pray for him. The arch
had probably been built in 1522, and it had been demolished by a spate which
carried away the centres or wooden framework on which the unfinished arch
rested.
This caused damage to the extent of more than a hundred pounds. It seems to have
stopped the work till the King came to the help of the Bishop, who was clerk of
the Council and of the Register. Below the inscription there is a whitish stone
with the Bishop's coat-of-arms, surmounted by a mitre, with the initials G.D.
at the sides. At the south end of the fourth or middle arch, west side, there is
the inscription :
SENATUS ABERDONENSIS QUI . PER IXTEGRUJ[ ADMIXI8TRATI0NIS CURRICULUM . NE QUID
INCURIA SUA RESPUBLICA DETRIMENTI CAPERET SUMMA OPE NITEBATUR . OMXES ARCUS
HUIUSCE PONTIS . lAM CQL LABASCENTES . EX MUE AD PONTEM SARTUM TECTUMQUB
CONSERVANDUM DEDICATO INSTAURANDOS CURABAT ANNIS DOMINI 1719, 1720, 1721,
1722, et 1723.
In English this is : - The Town Council of Aberdeen, who, throughout the whole
course of their administration, did their utmost to prevent the public welfare
from suffering loss by their neglect, caused all the arches of this bridge,
which had already begun to fall into decay, to be restored at the expense of the
fund bequeathed for keeping the bridge in good repair, in the years of our Lord
1719, 1720, 1721, 1722, and 1723. On the north side of the same arch another
inscription reads : —
GAUIN[U]s . DUNBAR . ABERD0NEN[S1S]. PONTIFEX . ME TRANS . DEE . FLUUIUM . FIERI.
lUSSIT . ANNO . d[0Mi]nI . QUINTO ET . UIGESIMO sup[r]a . mille[simu]m . ET .
quingen[tesimu]im . ORATE . p[ro] . FO
ANNO DO]m[iNi] . 1525.
In English : —
Gavin Dunbar, Bishop of Aberdon, ordered me to be made over the River Dee, in
the year of our Lord five and twenty beyond one thousand five hundred. Pray for
him. In the year of our Lord 1525,
Beneath the inscription are the Bishop's Mitre and coat-of-arms. At the north
end of the fifth arch are the arms of Thomas Blaikie, surmounted by his initials
T.B. The shield bears two wolves' heads above and three crescents below. The
motto is : — " A'irtute et Pidelitate," by- manliness and fidelity. This shield
had been registered by the Lyon King of Arms for a gentleman named Blackie, and
Sir Thomas Blaikie had adopted it. At the south end of the sixth arch,
west side, are the Aberdeen arms : — Two leopards supporting a shield bearing
three towers, two and one, each triple-towered, surmounted by a scroll with the
motto " Bon Accord." Beneath there is a blackish blue marble slab with this
inscription : —
ANNVENTE SVMMO NVMINE. HICCE PONS EX BENE ADMINISTRATA PECVNIA, AD EVM
CONSERVANDVM LEGATA, TRECENTIS AMPLIVS ANNIS POSTQUAM PRIMVM EST EXSTRVCTVS
MVLTVM DILATVS PENITVSQVE REFECTVS EST ANNO M.D.CCC.XXXXI. ET M.D.CCC.XXXXII.
THOMA BLAIKIE CIVITATIS ABERDONENSIS PRAEFECTO GEORGIO HENRY OPERVM PVBLICORVM
GVLIELMO ERASER / DEINCEPS CVRATORIBVS JOANNE SMITH ARCHITECTO, ALEXANDRO
MACDONALD \ REDE.MPTORIBVS. GVLIELMO LESLIE
In English : —
By the blessing of God this bridge, by means of well-managed funds bequeathed
for its preservation, more than three hundred years after its first erection was
greatly widened and wholly repaired in the years 1841 and 1842, Thomas Blaikie
being Provost of Aberdeen ; George Henry and William Fraser, successive Masters
of Kirk and Bridge Works ; John Smith, architect; Alexander Macdonald and
William Leslie, contractors. In the years 1841 and 1842 the bridge was widened
12 feet, making the total width 28 feet, at a cost of £7250.
On the south side of the seventh arch there are the
initials G. D, for Gavin Dunbar above his mitre and coat-of-arms. Beneath is : —
ANNO d[omi]ni, 1527. and a bonneted crown above the royal arms of Scotland. At
the cut-water there is a column of numbers intended to show the depth of water
in the river. On the south side of the 7th arch, east side of the bridge,
there is a shield, surmounted by a decaying bonneted crown, bearing the arms of
John, Duke of Albany, who was Regent of Scotland when the bridge was built, and
who had contributed liberally from the national revenue to the undertaking. He
was the son of Alexander Stewart, second son of James II., who created him Earl
of March, Lord of Annandale and of the Isle of Man. The shield is divided into
four quarters, of which the first shows the lion rampant of Scotland, indicating
relationship to the Sovereign ; the second, a lion rampant surrounded by eight
roses, for March ; the third, three legs of a man with armour, joined at the
thighs and bent at the knees, arranged triangularly and furnished with spurs,
for the Isle of Man ; the fourth, a broad band at the top, and a saltire or
cross with diagonal arms, for the lordship of Annandale. Beneath the Regent's
arms are those of Bishop William Elphinstone, the originator of the scheme of
constructing a bridge over the Dee. His shield bears three boars' heads, two
above and one within a chevron below. At the top are the initials of the
Bishop's name : -W.E.
 On a buttress supporting the east side of the
approach to the north end of the bridge there is a shield supported by two
unicorns, and bearing the lion rampant of Scotland. Below there is a scroll,
probably once bearing the motto : — " In Defens," though it cannot be made out
now. Beneath the royal arms are the letters G.D. for Gavin Dunbar, a
Bishop's
Mitre, the Dunbar Arms, and the motto : — " Sub Spe." Briefly stated, the
history of the building of the bridge as told by itself is that the first arch
was built in 1520, the second in 1521, the third in 1522, but having been
carried away by a spate it lay in ruins 2 years. It was rebuilt in 1524, and
the fourth arch was built in the same year, the fifth in 1525, the sixth in
1526, and the seventh in 1527. On the east face of the bridge, above the centre
of the middle arch, a stone bears a.d. 1722 ; above the next arch to the north
there is a.d. 1721 ; above the next a.d. 1721; and above the last arch "Instauratus,"
(restored) a.d. 1720, These dates refer to a thorough repair of the bridge
executed between 1718 and 1722. Standing under the northrnost arch nine ribs are
seen, five old and four new, the new having been added when the bridge was
widened in 1841-42. On the east side of the approach to the bridge at the north
end there is carved flood mark, 6th August, 1829. The inscription,
however, is not readily accessible now since the formation of the skating pond.
When the bridge was newly built there was also erected a chapel, where
travellers setting out on a journey might say prayers for a safe return. It
seems to have been at the north end of the bridge, and so near the river that it
obstructed salmon fishers engaged at their work, preventing them from passing
under the northmost arch of the bridge. This led to a quarrel between the Laird
of Abergeldie, who bad the fishings, and the Town Council, who were the guardians
of the bridge.
When the bridge was completed. Bishop Gavin Dunbar
wished to divest himself of the responsibility of maintaining it and requested
the Town Council of Aberdeen to take possession of the bridge, offering at the
same time to make over to them the estate of Ardlair, in the parish of
Kennethmont, which belonged to the Cathedral. The Town Council did not refuse to
accept Ardlair with the burden of maintaining the bridge in all time coming,
but they suggested to the bishop and the Chapter of the Cathedral that they
should give them instead of Ardlair, which was far away, some other property
such as Ruthrieston, more conveniently situated for being managed by them.
However, they accepted Ardlair with the responsibility of maintaining the
Bridge
of Dee, and it remained in the possession of the Town Council till 1610, when it
was sold and another property was purchased with the price.
 Bishop
Elphinstone was the founder of a bridge over the Dee between Aberdeen and
Banchory-Devenick, the successor of which now spans the river. At its
north-east end stood a chapel dedicated to the Virgin, and at its south end
was a porch surmounted by a watch-tower, which used to be guarded by the
citizens in time of war or pestilence to prevent unwelcome strangers from
entering the burgh. There belonged to the chapel, according to Kennedy, " a
silver crucifix, chalice of silver, an image of the Virgin, over gilt, three
embroidered napkins, and other sacred utensils, some of which were preserved at
the Reformation, when the chapel was probably demolished." Jervise remarks : "
Some writers say that the chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Pity ; and it is
also asserted that her image, which belonged to this chapel, is still shown in
the church of Finisterre, Brussels, under the name of Notre Dame de bon Succes."
Craiglug Bridge
The Medieval Bridge
of Dee
Although the original Bridge of Dee dates to the 16th
century, a charter dated 1384 shows that there was a much earlier
bridge across the River Dee. Although the exact spot of this has never been
definitely established it is possible that it spanned the river at Craiglug.
The bridge had fallen into disuse by the mid 15th century when a charter
was issued to erect a new bridge which never seems to have been built
 James Abernethy was born in 1809, one of the three sons and five children of James Abernethy,
iron-founder and his wife Anne
Harvey. The elder Abernethy had established an iron founding and sawmilling
business in partnership with George and Robert Tower of Ferryhill and
Alexander Gibbon, an advocate in Aberdeen. Abernethy senior may have been
assisted in the business by his brother George James junior was educated at
Aberdeen Grammar School and Marischal College, Aberdeen and served his
articles with his father. He also gained experience as a journeyman in
Manchester, Birmingham and London. He returned to the family firm at Ferryhill
and subsequently, assisted by his brothers, gradually took over running the
business, James Abernethy & Co. The business of the firm was quite
varied at the beginning and included machinery for mills and processing
machinery for colonial tea and sugar plantations and for guano
extraction. Although the firm tried to dispense with the mill-wrighting side of
the business, it still made mill machinery throughout the 19th century. However
after 1850 the main business was Bridges, generally to the designs of
others, like Alexander Gibb and James Willet. Abernethy & Co provided the
expertise as fabricators of cast and wrought iron structures. The bridges were
generally for the Great North of Scotland Railway. By 1882 the GNSR had
more than 300 under-bridges with cast-iron beams as well as many arch and
lattice-girder bridges. In 1841 Abernethy married Isabella Bathia
Wyllie, the daughter of an Aberdeen bookseller. The couple had two sons.
Abernethy was elected an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers in
1866.
He died in 1879, his practice being continued by his sons, James
Washington Abernethy, born 1845, and David Wyllie Abernethy, born 1848.
The business continued until the mid-20th century.
Inscription James Slight engineer
 
Bridge
of Don
In 1825, an act was obtained to construct a new bridge
over the Don. Increased traffic and the laying out of
King Street needed a more accessible bridge
than the Brig o’ Balgownie. The design of
City Architect, John Smith, was approved by Thomas Telford.
Provost Alexander Brown laid the foundation stone on 3 May 1827 and it
was completed in November 1830, at a cost of about £26,000, wholly
defrayed from the Bridge of Don endowment fund. By the 1930s, the
bridge was struggling to cope with motor traffic. Plans drawn up by City
Engineer, T F Henderson, to widen it were postponed due to the Second
World War. In 1957, City Engineer, A G Booth, modified the plans.
The end result was to be a second bridge built up against the existing bridge.
The work was completed in 1959
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