The Green Trail - Aberdeen City Council

8 Market BuildingsThis was designed by Archibald Simpsonworking with his long time rival JohnSmith. Aberdeen Market came near theend of Simpson’s life: he died at the ageof 57 just five years after its completion in1842. Markets had been held in the Greenfor some time and this effectivelybrought them under cover in a bowendedhall over 100 metres long, with anarcaded upper level containing shops. Itwas seriously damaged by fire in 1882and then rebuilt with a wrought iron roof.Not only did it sell a wide range of goodsbut it also continued the Green markettradition of being a meeting place forfarmers. Simpson’s buildings weredemolished in the early 1970s andreplaced with the current marketbuildings.iMusick Scoolek Correction HouseWynd or Lanel Correction Housem Towns Hospitalln Aidies Wyndo Bow Bridgep The Greene orBow BridgeStreeteq The Crofts orTradsmensHospitallNew Market after the fire, 1882.Key to Parson Gordon’s mapr The Tarnty Millt Midd mill in theGreenv Neither Kirk gatePortex Streete call’d theNeither kirk gate11 Shippraw Porte12 Saint KatherinsHillRight The Green,reproduced fromParson Gordon’smap of 1661.9 Redfriars or TrinitariansThe Redfriars were one of four orders offriars in medieval Aberdeen, two of whichwere based in the Green (the others werethe Whitefriars, see no 2). Friars aremembers of a religious order who live bystrict rules in large urban populations inorder to minister to the needs of the poor.The Redfriars’ primary duty was to raisemoney to pay ransoms demanded onChristians taken hostage either onpilgrimage, trade or crusade to the HolyLand. It has been said that their friary wasfounded in 1211 by King William the Lion,who gifted to them his ‘palace’ in the Green.Whilst there is no evidence to back this up itis quite likely that the Redfriars had been inthe Green since the 13th century.Although friars and friaries were notsupposed to own land or be wealthy, theydid establish very close relations withsome of the prominent and importantfamilies in the town, including thepowerful Menzies of Pitfodels family whodominated burgh politics from the 15thcentury onwards. By these means theTrinitarians did become a rich institutionwith considerable interest in lands in andaround Aberdeen, in particular in theFerryhill area.The friary came to an end at theReformation, which reached Aberdeen inJanuary 1560. The City Council’s recordsreveal that mobs came into the town fromAngus and Mearns and attacked the friary.It is said that the friary was burned to theground and that one friar died during theattack. A portrait of the alleged martyr, withthe inscription ‘Saint Francis of Aberdeen.Martyred, 4th December, 1559’ survives in achurch in Majorca. There is no evidence toback this story up and it seems that theReformation in Aberdeen was a largelypeaceful affair. There is no record of anydeaths as a direct result. The friary buildingswere still standing in 1661, when the firstmap of thetown wasdrawn and nolaterdocumentsshow that thefriary had beenburned. Thefate of theindividual friarsis less clear:many of themwere simplypensioned offby thegovernment,someconverted toProtestantismand someremainedCatholic butleft for theContinent.1415