Historical Figures

No history of Keith, however, would be complete without mention of James Ferguson, James Gordon Bennet, and John Ogilvie.

Ferguson, born in 1710, early exhibited an interest in the stars coupled with an aptitude for mathematics and mechanics. With the help of various patrons, notably the butler at Auchoynanie, his still in designint! and building complex astronomical machines like Orreries, brought him nation-wide recognition, an annuity from King George III and a Fellowship of the Royal Society. One Orrery remains in Keith Grammar School.

James Gordon Bennet, born in Enzie, but educated in Keith, emigrated to America in 1819, eventually reaching Boston without a penny in his pocket. Here he found work in a printing office, and moving to New York, succeeded after two failures in launching the New York Herald, a paper dedicated to 'facts in a brief and agreeable form'. This enterprise made him two million pounds. His son, of the same name, earned undying fame by sending a reporter, Henry Morton Stanley, to Africa, with the terse command, 'Find Livingstone.' He did.

John Ogilvie, son of Walter Ogilvie of Drum, was born in 1579 of a Calvinist Family. He was sent to Europe for his education, and in 1596 entered the Scots College of Douai, and later the Jesuit College at Olmutz in Bavaria. Here he became a Catholic and, in 1610, a priest. He returned to Scotland to work in Glasgow. He was betrayed, and for six months subjected to unremitting torture for refusing to admit the King's Authority in matters of religion, a crime termed 'Constructive Treason'. He was finally hanged in 1615, beatified in 1929 and canonised in 1976. Present in Rome was a large party from Keith, and the Ogilvies were represented by Mr Angus Ogilvie and his wife, Princess Alexandra.