Papers of Riddoch of Rothiemay Ltd., timber merchants, Elgin

Riddoch of Rothiemay Ltd. Business records of Riddoch of Rothiemay comprise directors' minutes, 1967 - 1969; directors' report and statement of accounts, 1964 - 1974; share certificates, 1955 - 1972; day books, 1884 - 1893; cash book, 1924 - 1928; order book, 1939 - 1940; sales ledgers, 1869 - 1955 (gaps); sales and production analysis, 1956 - 1971; general purchase ledgers, 1927 - 1955 (gaps); sale agreements for purchases of wood made after the 1914 - 1918 war, mainly at Mayen, Rothiemay and Seafield, 1919 - 1934; timber purchase ledgers, 1927 - 1972 (gaps); general accounts ledger, 1907 - 1921; invoice book, 1884 - 1891; wages ledgers, 1929 - 1954 (gaps); employees rates of pay book, c 1945; correspondence, 1942 - 1973; files containing annual stocktaking of machinery and timber, 1952 - 1966; record of horses, 1942 - 1958; valuation certificate and inventory, 1934; and Great Glen Sawmill Feasibility Study, 1969 - 1971.

William Fiddes and Son Ltd. The records of William Fiddes and Son Ltd., Torry Sawmills, Aberdeen (fl 1950 - 1967) comprise directors' minutes, 1950 - 1967.

South Midlands Timber Ltd. The records of South Midlands Timber Ltd (fl 1942 - 1971) comprise directors' minutes, 1942 - 1971; statement of accounts, 1954 - 1963; annual return, 1958; and annual stocktaking files, 1953 - 1963.

A. G. and W. J. Riddoch Ltd., wood merchants of Rothiemay, was established in 1841. The company owned many plantations and sawmills throughout the Northeast of Scotland, and in May 1943 took over the Morayshire sawmills of A.R. Watson and Co. (est. 1853), Elgin. Death duties incurred after the death of A.G. Riddoch in 1957 prompted the sale of part of Watsons to Aberdeen-based John Fleming and Co. Ltd., who had begun a northward expansion of their operating base at this time. Ironically, their continued, successful expansion placed them in direct competition with Riddoch's during much of the 1960s and 1970s. Riddoch's was still operating in 1987, when their business papers were deposited in the University, though their headquarters were moved from Rothiemay to Elgin in the1970s.

Also represented in this collection are the associated firms of William Fiddes and Son Ltd., Torry Sawmills, Aberdeen (fl 1950 - 1967), of which Mr Riddoch was chairman, and South Midlands Timber Ltd (fl 1942 - 1971).

For further details on the relationship between Riddoch's and John Fleming and Co. Ltd. see Richard Perren, John Fleming and Company Limited, Aberdeen, 1877 - 1977 (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1977)

For each business, the records are arranged by record type and chronologically therein

Open, subject to signature accepting conditions of use at reader registration sheet

Transferred from the Scottish Record Office in 1986.

Descriptive list available in the Reading Room, Special Libraries and Archives (e-mail: speclib@abdn.ac.uk ). A copy of the list is also available in the National Register of Archives (Scotland), in Edinburgh (NRA(S) 2092).

Very brief collection level description available on Aberdeen University Library Catalogue, accessible online http://www.abdn.ac.uk/diss/library/

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Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation.

Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Head of Special Libraries and Archives (e-mail: speclib@abdn.ac.uk ) and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

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