If you visit Newburgh today, it is easy to imagine that grey seals have always been one of the defining features. But this is a relatively recent story. As part of my PhD research, I have been trying to piece together how the relationship between people and seals at Newburgh has changed over time. I recently had the opportunity to share some of this research with the Ellon and District Historical Society. Looking through old photographs, local records and personal recollections made one thing particularly clear: the Newburgh we know today would have looked very different just a few decades ago. A working river Before Newburgh became known for its seals, the Ythan was a busy working river. Historically, Newburgh was an important coastal port and a point of transfer for goods travelling along the Ythan. Commercial activity reached its peak between the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries, before gradually declining as road and rail transport became increasingly impor...