A RARE map from the 17th century which could have been hidden because of its owner’s Jacobite sympathies has been returned to its former Aberdeenshire home.
The intricate engraving was discovered in the 1980s in very poor condition at Drumnahoy House, which was at the time part of the Castle Fraser estate owned by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).
The “chimney map” is thought to be only one of three created by Dutch engraver Gerald Valk and was found stuffed under floorboards near a chimney for many years.
After the map was discovered, it was taken to the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh where it underwent intricate conservation work and then went on display.
It has now been installed back in its former home of Castle Fraser, a baronial tower house dating back to the 15th century and the ancestral home of the Fraser family.
Paula Swan, NTS property manager at Castle Fraser, said the map was a fascinating piece of historical significance, although how it came to be in Aberdeenshire was unclear.
She said: “One theory is that it was owned by Andrew Fraser, the 4th Laird, who was known to have Jacobite sympathies. The map shows William and Mary, so would have been controversial at the time and may have been hidden away.
“We do not know how he would have paid for such an expensive item, though, as the estate was in dire financial straits at that time.”
Drumnahoy House owner Robert Paterson and his daughter, who slept in the room where the map was discovered, welcomed the map back when it was piped into the castle.
It will be on display throughout the summer as part of a tourism initiative, On the Trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites, which explores the real story of this dramatic period of Scottish history.
The team will be working with local schools and the community to uncover more of the map’s story over the coming months.
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