Records of the County Club of Aberdeen

This deposit provides a detailed record of the Club's activities from its establishment in 1718 to dissolution in 1873. At the core of the collection are the Club's journals, containing minutes, membership lists, accounts and annuitants lists for the period 1718 - 1791 (indexed) and 1814 - 1873. A separate series of members' lists and contributions was also kept, and survives for the period 1782 - 1854 (draft and fair copies). Other records in the deposit, contributing to a detailed picture of the ethos and traditions of the Club, include the Club guest book, 1831 - 1858, wine book, 1834 - 1837, and New Instructions from the Stewards and the Secretary of the Honourable The Club to the Butler of the Public Rooms, [1922?]

The Honourable The County Club of Aberdeen was instituted on 31 Dec 1718 by a group of 35 gentlemen belonging to the city and county of Aberdeen. Monthly meetings were initially held in members' homes, but as the group grew in the early nineteenth century a permanent venue was established in the Public Rooms in the City. By 1873, membership had fallen sharply and the decision was taken to dissolve the Club. On previous occasions falling numbers and declining interest in the Club's activities had led to gaps of several years between meetings - the most notable of these being the period from 1744 to 1763, which is thought to have been precipitated by the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 - but by 1873 its old-fashioned traditions seemed to have lost their relevance in the rapidly industrialising city, and the decision to wind up the Club was unanimous.

The Club was essentially a social forum for its members, although from 1755 some provision was made from annual contributions for charitable annuities, and in 1765 it was resolved to spend one hour after dinner communicating what might be useful to the County from what occurred in the reading or the respective situations of the several members (The Journals of the County Club of Aberdeen, 1718 - 1876 (Edinburgh: Neill and Company, 1878), p. xii). This resolution led to the instigation of several useful projects, with the Club reccommending the proper repair of the high road as far as Tyrebagger which was being destroyed by carters driving stones in 1767, and appointing a committee to consider the best means of obtaining a proper map of the Counties of Aberdeen and Banff, and a survey of the roads in 1791 (The Journals of the County Club of Aberdeen, p. xiii).

The Club's Journals were printed in full in 1878, prefaced by a short history. See publication note for further details.

This collection has not been fully listed, but is available for consultation

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

Source not recorded

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

No copies known

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 ( 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.

This deposit provides a detailed record of the Club's activities from its establishment in 1718 to dissolution in 1873. At the core of the collection are the Club's journals, containing minutes, membership lists, accounts and annuitants lists for the period 1718 - 1791 (indexed) and 1814 - 1873. A separate series of members' lists and contributions was also kept, and survives for the period 1782 - 1854 (draft and fair copies). Other records in the deposit, contributing to a detailed picture of the ethos and traditions of the Club, include the Club guest book, 1831 - 1858, wine book, 1834 - 1837, and New Instructions from the Stewards and the Secretary of the Honourable The Club to the Butler of the Public Rooms, [1922?]

No accruals expected

No related material identified in this repository

The Journals of the County Club of Aberdeen, 1718 - 1876 (Edinburgh: Neill and Company, 1878).

This material is original