For the defence of the Saint Catherine.

St Catherine's Dub, a dark, cliff-lined, bay at Collieston to the North of Newburgh-on-Ythan, is traditionally the site of the sinking of a Spanish Armada ship, the Santa Caterina.

That a galleon was indeed wrecked in St. Catherine's Dub was confirmed in 1855 when a number of 8 foot long iron cannons were raised from the sea-bed.

In reality, however, the Santa Caterina was not part of the Spanish Armada but was outward bound from the Spanish Netherlands and involved in gun-running for Francis, eighth Earl of Erroll's Catholic uprising in 1594.

This is one of the cannons from Collieston, now mounted outside the chapel of Haddo House some 15 km inland. Today was an in-service day at the local schools and so my grandson and I put in a spot of gunnery practice. You never know when it might come in handy!