Shoemakers

Douping is the traditional method of ‘introducing’ new members to the Shoemakers Trade.

In old Scots, the doup is the bottom of anything, including the buttocks. Annually, the Shoemakers Incorporation annually ‘rode’ the marches or visited the property and land they owned. If a new member was present, he was douped on one of the march stones. The method being that he was lifted by the other members and placed three times on his doup on the stone.

The Trade uses the march or Douping Stone on Watson Lane off Rosemount Place, although others were apparently used in the past.

Of historical interest, below is a photograph of Eric Munro being douped circa 1929, having joined the Trade on 1st November 1928.

1. James Strachan, 2. To be identified, 3. Marcus Raffan,  4. To be identified,  5. John Cassie, 6. To be identified, 7. David Law, 8. Eric Munro, 9. To be identified, 10. To be identified, 11. To be identified, 12. To be identified, 13. To be identified, 14. Ken Burnett, 15. Bill Strachan, 16. John Findlater, 17. Alex Smith, 18. Samuel T. Law

On the 31st October 2013, Graeme Cursiter was admitted as a Burgess of Trades at the Aberdeen City Council Meeting, completing his admission into the Shoemakers Incorporation.

This follows his earlier submission of his Essay piece to the Trade.  Graeme now has full rights as a member of the Shoemakers Incorporation.

The Aberdeen Shoemaker’s Incorporation held their Election of Office Bearers on Tuesday 10th September 2013 at Trinity Hall.

The newly elected Officers for the following year are:
Deacon Mervyn Donald
Boxmaster Alastair Hunter
First Master Graeme Cursiter
Second Master Graeme McKenzie
Third Master Alastair Graham
Fourth Master Christopher Watson
Late Deacon Brian Scott
Clerk & Assessors Mr Malcolm Gunnyeon and Mr Craig Pike

The Election dinner was held in the Minor Hall on Saturday 14th September 2013. …

Aberdeen Shoemaker’s Incorporation 2013 Election DinnerRead More »

On Tuesday 27th August 2013 David Ross was accepted into the Aberdeen Shoemakers Incorporation. David is a school friend of Deacon Brian Scott and Member David Suttie from Aberdeen Academy days.
David like many in the Trade is Oil and Gas work related serving as a Quality Assurance Consultant.
His wife Barbara is looking forward to the Social evenings held within Trinity Hall and meeting the wives and partners of the other 20 members.
David enjoys local history and now being part of the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen. David like those before him will not doubt be intrigued as to the involvement with both the City Council and Aberdeen University.
The photograph below shows David performing the traditional essay piece of cutting out from a sheet of leather the sections to form a brogue shoe. His Essay Team is carefully watching his work prior to reporting back to the other Trade members that his work was carried out by his own hand.

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Shoemakers welcome David A Ross into their Trade.Read More »

Following our visit we went to Loanhead Terrace/Watson Lane where one of our March Stones still remain marking where our lands lay. Tradition is that new members are douped onto the stone. Today’s Health & Safety environment we carried out our dynamic risk assessment in that we covered the stone with tissue to prevent any cross contamination of materials onto our members clothes. Each member had already attended a manual handling course and this is probably the only occasion where members are physically man handled. Care was taken when placing Alastair’s behind onto the stone not to cause injury. No doubt in the past new members was not given the same care and attention as Alastair received. After the douping we returned to the Hall and celebrated with the usual first class meal served in the Hall.
Pictured from L to R Boxmaster Mervyn Donald, Chris Watson, Gordon McKay, Lewis Stuart, Deacon Brian Scott, Alastair Graham & Late Deacon Brian Donald

The tradition of riding the marches is still maintained within the Shoemaker Trade and each year during the Month of May the Trade Members visit their old feuing lands which can include a visit to a place of interest and douping of a new member before heading back to Trinity Hall for dinner.
This year the Trade visited the Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society at Foresterhill Hospital and was enthralled listening to Dr James Grieve, pictured right, a past president of the Society talking about the many medical links to North East Doctors who were all members of the Society. The Aberdeen Shoemakers Incorporation intends to make a donation from the funds raised at their recent Male Evening held at the Hall to support the Medico-Chirurgical Society. The facility at Foresterhill is not dissimilar to that of Trinity Hall in that it’s one of Aberdeen secrets. Dr Grieve intimated that the Woolmanhill Hospital site would soon be coming onto the property market for sale. This would be a magnificent site for Aberdeen to create a museum which could hold many different local interests which currently does not have a home to display materials and information about their history. Aberdeen has a great history relating to paper making; granite working and weaving to mention a few. What an opportunity to create both a tourist attraction and educational facility.