An Aberdeen couple are appealing for help to solve the mystery of the messages found in an inherited chest they have been renovating.
Mary and Gordon Nicoll have had the chest of drawers in their possession since around 1975 but didn’t noticed the hidden writing inside until lockdown hit.
When Mr Nicoll decided he had done enough painting to last a lifetime, he started to renovate the old oak chest and when he removed the drawers, he spotted a number of signatures and messages inside.
Mrs Nicoll said: “It was like going back in history in a way. Some of the messages date back to 1947 and these people would be quite old now.
“Unfortunately some of the writing in the drawers is quite faint but Craibstone seems to feature in quite a few of the quotes.
“I winder if anyone out there can shine some light on where it could have came from.
“It must have some connection to Craibstone so it could have been some sort of hostel or B&B that students stayed in.”
Some of the messages were simply signatures while others praised teachers and warned of ghosts.
One said “Watch out for spooks in the attic,” while another added “Hope you have as good a time as I have had at Craibstone. I know you will like Miss Ferguson because I liked her very much.”
The couple, in their sixties, have also managed to read some of the signatures and their accompanying short messages.
The names signed were Tony Moynihan – Back of Keppock, Arisaig; Helen Farquhar –Whitemoss, Weydale, By Thurso; Margaret Sutherland – Lybster – 3rd November 1947; Peggy Ross – Caithness (2 terms at Craibstone – didn’t enjoy 2nd term); Margaret Pirie – Keith; Netta Hay, Alexander Macaulay – Bayhead, North Uist December 1953; Sybil Bethune – Craibstone College, Bucksburn 6th March, 1953.
Mr and Mrs Nicoll are hoping that someone will recognise a name and place where the furniture lived in its early life.
