The village of Cairnbulg lies a few miles south of Fraserburgh. It was once seperated from its neighbour, Inverallochy, by a small stream. This has now been enclosed within a pipe with the road into the villages runnig over it. However, in general terms, when you drive into the villages, Cairnbulg is on your left and Inverallochy is on your right.

Map

The origin of the village in unknown. It was certainly in existance by the late 1500s. In 1696 two villages are on record as existing at Cairnbulg. The ownership of the land had been split with one laird owning what is now Cairnbulg and another owning the land to the north with its own village. 

This second village is almost certainly the village of Brandesburgh mentioned in the diaries of Christian Watt. Brandesburgh is on record as having a larger population and more fishing boats than Cairnbulg. This isn't surprising since it would have the natural harbour of West Haven to beach its boats while the Cairnbulg boats would have to be pulled up on the more exposed shore. 

In 1701 the two villages came under a single ownership with the villages becoming one and the name of Brandesburgh disapearing. There is no trace of the village of Brandesburgh now but the name has been taken and associated with a more modern group of houses on the northern edge of Cairnbulg.

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