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| French papermakers Nicolas de Champ and Nicolas Dupin brought the skills of the French papermaking industry to Scotland and are said to be responsible for the growth of papermaking in Scotland during the early 18th century. The first peper mill was apparently opened in Aberdeen around 1694. Culter Mill was opened near Aberdeen in 1750 by Bartholomew Smith, a papermaker from England . 'He has now erected and set going on the Burn of Culter, a Paper-Mill, where he can serve the country in paper, fine and coarse, brown paper, pasteboards, pressing-cards for dysters, etc.' Aberdeen Journal 8 January 1751. Bartholomew Smith died in 1758 and the business was then run by Richard Smith. It is not known whether there was any family relationship with the Smiths of Culter Mill and the Smiths who subsequently ran Stoneywood Mill, but the surname Smith would appear to be a common name for papermakers in the 18th century throughout England and Scotland, from as far afield as Exeter to Aberdeen. | 
| 1710
James Moir, fourth Laird of Stoneywood, and the inspiration for Stoneywood Mill was born. His grandfather James Moir ( 2nd Laird of Stoneywood, wife Marjorie Skene), father James Moir (3rd Laird of Stoneywood, wife Jean Sandiands) and William Moir, Laird of Scotstown and Spital, were staunch supporters of the Jacobite rebellion in 1715. James Moir the 4th Laird subsequently raised a regiment called "Stoneywoods" for the Jacobite cause 1712
 A stamp duty was imposed making newspapers and books only affordable to people with high incomes. It was gradually increased, in particular during the period of the french revolution to control the spread of revolution to Britain and the formation of trade unions. The Act was not repealed until 1855 | 1738
A rag pulling mill at Chartham in Kent was converted to a handmade papermill that housed two beaters and two vats and tracing paper is now made by ArjoWiggins on the site. 1744
James Moir, 4th Laird of Stoneywood, married Margaret Mackenzie, daughter of John MacKenzie of Ardross, for a discharge of 4000 merks. John Mackenzie was the third Laird of Dundonnel, who had married Helen, daughter of Thomas Erskine of Pittoderie. His son Murdoch Mackenzie had previously married Bathia Paton in 1743, daughter of John Paton of Grandholm. His daughter married George Paton, of Grandholm. Grandhome House is on the opposite bank of the River Don immediately across from Stoneywood Mill, and is still owned by the same family. James and Margaret had eight children, but all seven sons died. James Moir was anxious to marry his surviving daughter Maria to her cousin who was also called James Moir. However, she married Colonel John Ramsay of Invernellie. 1745
James Moir had taken an active role in the rebellion having ferried the Jackobite army across the Dornoch Firth in small fishing boats, and accompanied the Pretender to the battlefeld at Culloden following his landing. The Stoneywood's Regiment fought at Culloden under the command of Lord Lewis Gordon, and letters from Lord Lewis Gordon to James More (Moir) of Stonywood (Stoneywood), and Gordon's requisition for 600 arms, one hundred weight of powder and 6000 musket balls can be read on-line After the Battle of Inverurie in 1745 and the Jacobite defeat at Culloden in 1746, Lieutenant-Colonel James Moir went to ground near the Muchals before fleeing to Norway and Sweden together with his brother (?) Charles Moir. It is possible that they were assisted by Swedish nobleman who were of Stuart descent. It is said that he escaped by disguising himself as a miller and swimming across the river Don from Stoneywood to Grandholm, because the Laird of Grandholm who was of opposite politics had removed the ferry boat. Apparently, Moir was seen, but was not denounced. 1748
Scotland's oldest newspaper, The Aberdeen Journal, was first published in 1748. The Press & Journal is still published by Aberdeen Journals 1757
Baskerville, a Birmingham stationer, invented wove paper to overcome printing difficulties with the rough texture of laid papers. The paper was formed on a fabric mesh rather than being laid onto straight wires.
1761
Hatherway & Edwards paper merchants who had operated at "The Sign of the Nag's Head" in Northumberland Avenue, London, purchased offices at 10/11 Aldgate under the name of Edwards and Jones. This is generally accepted as the founding year of Wiggins Teape. Subsequent partners included Richard Jones, Thomas Leventhorpe and Jeremiah James. | |  | 1770
James Moir had been granted permision to return to Scotland due to ill health, and persuaded two local businessmen to lease a part of his land to build a papermill. John Boyle, bookseller and Burgess of Aberdeen had previously run a printers and stationers at the Broadgate in Aberdeen in partnership with John Bruce, a dyer. This partnership was dissolved in 1769, but they once again formed a partnership to lease the Insch (island) of Stoneywood from James Moir for 115 years to build the papermill. 1771
Rags collected by "Rag and Bone men" were the main fibrous source for papermaking in the 18th century. Rag and Bone men could be heard shouting "Rag & Bone" as recently as the 1960's, and were portrayed in the TV series Steptoe & Sons An advert in The Aberdeen Journal dated 18th February 1771 stated 'John Boyle and Richard Hyde shall give 9d. for every 20lb. of old ropes or unbleached rags and 1/6 for linen or check rags.' The rags were sorted and processed at the Woodside Rag Mill. | 1773
Alexander Smith, an Aberdeen wigmaker and barber surgeon, became the sole owner of Stoneywood Mill. An Act of Parliament was passed decreeing the death penalty for copying or imitating the security watermarks used in English bank notes. 1778
Patrick Pirie, son-in-law of Alexander Smith joined Stoneywood Mill as a sleeping partner. Patrick Pirie's house was demolished in 1936 and was subsequently rebuilt, and is known as Provost Skene's House, who lived at the house in the 16th Century. It is one of the main tourist attractions in the centre of Aberdeen 1779
A distant relative of Jame Moir, Marjorie Fidler, who was the great, great, great grand-daughter of William Moir, Laird of the Spital, opened a papermill at Penycuik. She had fled Scotland with her family to France following the Jackobite defeat on account of her father having raided the scottish treasury to finance the rebellion. She returned to Edinburgh in the 1750's and married a grocer from Leith called George Cowan. They purchased a papermill at Pennycuik in 1779 to make bible paper. The mill closed in 1975, and the paper merchant Spicer-Cowan was acquired by Wiggins Teape in 1985. 1786
Alexander Smith opened a second mill at Stoneywood 1787
William Dunsterville opened Stowford Paper Mill at Ivybridge in Devon, where ArjoWiggins now manufacture fine and security papers.
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| 1790
Stoneywood Mill had two vat machines and employed 16 'hands'
1793
Chartham Mill in Kent was rebuilt and an advertisement in the London General Evening Post advertised the Chartham Mills for sale, as 'New-built by Peter Arder, lately deceased' The mill was acquired by Wiggins Teape in 1930 and ArjoWiggins now make tracing papers at Chartham Mill. 1794
In 1794 Stoneywood Mill was put up for sale, but there were no interested buyers 1796
Alexander Smith opened a third mill at Stoneywood, but upon his death, the mill was bequeathed to Alexander Smith's son, who was aged only nine. The mill was run by trustees with John Gray as the mill manager, trading under the name of Charles Smith & Co. Charles Smith also manufactured snuff in partnership with Charles Davidson who subsequently set up on his own in 1796 to make paper at Mugiemoss, a short distance downstream from Stoneywood Mill.
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1796
An Act of Parliament was passed in 1796 to build a canal from Aberdeen to Invururie. The canal was used to ship paper from Stoneywood Mill until the opening of the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1845. Construction of the Aberdeenshire Canal commenced in 1798 and opened in 1805. The canal basin at Invururie was named Port Elphinstone, after Sir James Dalrymple Horn Elphinstone, a local landowner and shareholder in the Invururie Canal. The path of the canal can still be found, and the 5½ milestone can be spotted when approaching The Papeterie, between numbers 5 and 7 Stoneywood Terrace. There were 17 locks along the canal between the Waterloo Quay in Aberdeen and Stoneywood Mill at Buxburn. The canal basin that was once used to load and ship paper from Stoneywood Mill was located in the fields opposite Stoneywood Terrace, and it is now planned to develop this area as a technology park. Part of the canal at Port Elphinstone now forms a leat to supply water to the Invururie paper mill which started papermaking in 1858. 
| 1799
A french patent was obtained by a french printer and stationer called Saint-Léger Didot for a continuous paper machine, the beginning of large scale paper manufacture. | more.... |
The Papeterie, Arjowiggins Stoneywood Mill Aberdeen 01224 802337 | |
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