The Famous Places of Clan Baird

We will begin this list of all the amazing locations with links to Baird but starting with their main castle. The fortress built upon the Baird lands was constructed in the year 1539, after the Earl of Buchan transferred the lands of Auchmedden in Aberdeenshire into the hands of Andrew Baird, for a small sum of money of course. These lands became the seat of Clan Baird for over 200 years, and a castle was built on the grounds known as Auchmedden Castle. Unfortunately, this is not one you can really visit as the castle was demolished centuries ago and the last of the remains were destroyed in the early 20th Century. Thankfully we still have photographic evidence of this historic house teetering on the edge of the ravine as seen above.

The next location is for the avid birdwatchers as we go to the cliffs of Pennan. This is the location of the famous Baird Prophecy, where Thomas the Rhymer stated that "There would be an eagle in the crags while there was a Baird in Auchmedden". So, when the Auchmedden estate was sold the eagles that had nested in the rocks of Pennan for centuries, suddenly disappeared. In 1858 Auchmedden returned to the Bairds when the youngest daughter of William Baird of Newbyth married Lord Haddow, eldest son of the Earl of Aberdeen. Although the Baird family did not officially own Auchmedden, a Baird was living on the grounds. At this time, the eagles returned to the estate, and so the prophecy was fulfilled once again. If you are ever near the village of Pennan please let us know if you spot the famous pair of eagles!

Unlike the Bairds of Auchmedden, the Bairds of Newbyth still stand to this day. This fantastic estate was founded as the Auchmedden Baird line was declining with James Baird (1588-1655). James was a member of Scottish parliament and with this status he bought the lands of Byth in Aberdeenshire. When James Baird died his son decided he wasn’t fond of the long commute to Edinburgh so sold the land of Byth and bought lands in Edinburgh and subsequently named it Newbyth. He could have been a bit more creative with the name! This land of Newbyth stayed within the family for generations until this family line died out. It was later picked up by the war hero David Baird and was further created the 1^st baronet of Newbyth in 1809. This estate still stands today within the Newbyth family and is an amazing sight to see for all Baird clan members.

The Hastings Museum is perfect for all the John Logie Baird enthusiasts as they have accumulated tonnes of items relating to him, not to mention the fantastic building they are housed in! Baird’s experiments in Hastings, nearly one hundred years ago, led to the transmission of the first true television image and the development of the first television system, and as a result John Logie is a science Hall of Fame inductee for his invention. A true Scottish hero, and I can’t thank him enough for his innovation! A fun fact about Mr Baird is that The Australian Television Industry presents the Logie Award in honour of him every year, and the soap 'Neighbours' has won it 22 times. This must be Margot Robbie’s greatest achievement by far as an actress. So, if you want to learn more about Baird, please head to our clan page or make your way to this fantastic collection at the Hastings Museum!