The William Lawtie Mortification

A single storey, three-bay cottage located on the corner of South Deskford Street and Queen's Drive. It is part of a row built by William Robertson in 1824-25. There is a carved and inscribed stone plaque set in the wall to the right of the door. The cottage is constructed of squared and snecked rubble with rendered margins, and with a later harl render. The windows are timber sash and case with a four-pane glazing pattern. There are two coped end chimney stacks. The roofs are grey slate. A descriptive metal plaque is attached to the north gable wall.

Statement of Special Interest
Lawtie s Mortification was established by John Lawtie, Burgess of Cullen, in 1650. In old Scots, a mortification is land, property or money bequeathed for charitable purposes, after death. Lawtie bequeathed his whole property house, garden and a croft of land for the poor of Cullen . This charity was augmented by William Lawtie in 1657. Cottages with garden plots were moved from the old town and re-established in South Deskford Street in 1824.

The stone plaque reads as follows: John Lawtie Burgess of Cullen mortified this house and croft to the poor of the Parish and appointed Geo [George] Lawtie of Tochieneil, and his heirs whatsomever pairsons [persons?] there of Mr Jas [James] Lawtie, Minister of the Gospel was heir and representative to the said Geo Lawtie. Mrs Sara Lawtie Dingwall in Banff empowered Alex Lobban Merchant Cullen and Jas Lawtie of Towie to excambe [exchange] the houses and land situated in the old town which they did for the present houses and land as pledged of […] March 1824 this […] (The last lines are too worn to transcribe).

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2019. Previously listed as 26 South Deskford Street, Lawtie s Mortification . The house numbering at South Deskford Street changed in 1993 when the cottages were renovated and three new cottages were built on ground to the rear of South Deskford Street.