Strichen Primary


Strichen School is a wee friendly school with about 120 pupils
The school badge shows the white horse that can be seen on nearby Mormond Hill.
The pupils are very familiar with Doric as they take part in prose and poem writing competitions for the Buchan Heritage Festival at Strichen - some of the pupils enter the Doric Poetry competition too!
P1-4 New Rhymes - Created by the whole class and Pauline
Pauline visited the P3/4 class and told them all about Annie. She said she'd like to work with them to create a rhyme that Annie would like - one about something local to Strichen. Almost immediately she heard all about the famous white horse on Mormond Hill which can be seen for miles around.
There are many stories about why it is there, but this is the one we liked best: When fighting in a battle, Captain Fraser's horse was shot and killed. His faithful Sergeant James Hutcheon offered the Captain his own horse but was soon killed himself. The horse was created by locals when the Captain returned to Strichen as a memorial.


We aa bide in Strichen
We aa ken Mormond Hill
Captain Fraser wis on his sheltie
Fan a bullet the horsie killt
A sergeant gaed up his ain horse
So the battle wid be won
An the Captain focht on bravely
Til the settin o the sun
Back hame the tale it quickly spread
"They're heroes" the fowk did say
So the locals built a horse o stane
Which ye still can see the day


We'll have some illustrations of this rhyme from the P3/4s here


The P3/4s heard some of Annie’s original rhymes and illustrated them!
Note: drawings below to be replaced with Strichen illustrations
Hop hop hop were gaun tae the shop
Wi siller fur oor new toys
An Jock his come an bocht a drum
Yon laddie lo’es tae mak a noise!




A Riddle!
Reddichie, Roodichie, that runs on the dyke,
Haud awa’ yer clockin’ hen, and I carena for your tyke?
(A Worm)


I’ve a sair back, and I’ve sair beens,
Ca’in’ Mill o’ Waulkie’s auld hoose stanes.




P6/7 New Rhymes - Created by the whole class and Pauline
Pauline told the P6/7 class all about Annie - her education, her job, how she was the main carer for her Uncle and Cousin - and how she used to head off on her bicycle collecting rhymes for the Rymour Club and songs for Gavin Greig.
They then looked at the seasonal rhyme about being back at school after Christmas - the pupils voted for a similar theme as they were recently back at school after a long hot summer holiday!
The rhyme Annie collected:
Yule has come, and yule has gone,
And we’ve a’ fared weel;
Jockie’s at his flail again,
And Jennie’s at her wheel,
And a’ the loons and lassiekies,
Are back at the skweel.
Those in the class that live on farms told us they did a lot of farm work during the summer holidays - so we thought that deserved another new rhyme:
Bi Strichen there's a heap o fairms
An even though we're bairns,
Ther'es sa'ain, plooin, spreadin muck
I hae nae time, it's jist bad luck
But fan it comes tae hairstin time
I get a hurlie in the muckle combine!
Back tae skweel
Oor simmer time's been gweed an het
Bit six wiks isnae lang
Nae mair loupin aff the pier
Fur back tae skweel we'll gang
We'll miss lang oors doon by the Woodies
For the skweel bell's aariddy rang!
P5-7 New Rhymes - Created by the pupils in groups
The class then split up in to groups to work with Annie’s original rhymes, creating their own versions using the Doric and Scots words they already knew and some words from vocabulary sheets.
See "Resources for Schools" tab to find the vocabulary sheets and sheets used for creating new rhymes in the workshops.
Annie's Collected Rhymes
New Kininmonth Rhymes
If ye canna ate ye canna work,
If ye canna work ye canna wear,
If ye canna wear ye canna shear,
So shear, wear, work and ate,
And that’s the wye tae’ mak ye great.
If ye brak yer beens ye canna waak
If ye canna waak, ye canna gan tae skweel
If ye canna gan tae skweel, ye canna get a degree
So waak, skweel, degree
And that’s the wye tae be free
(by Ella-Rose, Connor and Ruby)


Gi’es my breeks and my jacket, my westcoat and my hose;
And that mak’s a mannie fit for his brose.
Gies my kilt and my bag pipes, my westcoat and my sheen
And that maks a piper fit for Chairlie and his Queen
(by Ella-Rose, Connor and Ruby)


Me and my Grannie, and a great lot mair,
Kicket up a row gaun hame fae the fair;
By cam the watchman and cried, Wha’s there?
Me and my Grannie, and a great lot mair.
Me and my Grannie went to the zoo
And then we saw a right auld coo
Then we wunnered fit next to do
So we went awa hame to fill oor mou
We went outside and saw a puddock wi a big shoe


I widna hae a baker ava, ‘va, ‘va,
I widna hae a baker ava, ‘va, ‘va
For he sits and he cracks
And he burns a his babs
And I widna hae a baker ava, ‘va, ‘va.
I widna hae a fisherman ava va va
I widna hae a fisherman ava va va
For he’s a bowfin moustache
Has a yokey rash
He guffs o fash
He’s got nae cash
And I widnae hae a fisherman ava va va




Charlie Chat, he milk’d the cat, and Dorothy made the cheese;
And feathery breeks sat at the door, and ca’ed awa the flees.
Sheltie Shoo picked a feather aff a coo
And selt it to Beltie Boo
Who has a coo named Sue
Hunky Chunky did a moo
And then he bought a shoe
The shoe said boo
So Sheltie Shoo is tired noo




Guid faith! I’m sure your pans will sell,
For brose at ilka toon;
Jist swing them on yer back my lad,
And hawk them roon’ and roon’.
Good luck, to all people who go an hawk
You’ll be the best o’ them aa!
Just ging an get ur matirials
Ging an hurl, roon the toon




Come chise me oot, come chise me in,
Come chise me for a rabbit skin;
Come chise me east, come chise me west,
And give me the very one I love best.
You can chase me here syne chase me ere
Come chase me for a teddy bear
Come chase me roon an roond
For o them aa you are the best loon
(by Hamish, Lia and Jessica)


Here’s John Henderson dwells in the moss of Savock,
He’s nae breid in his hoose, nor meal in his pock;
His bairns are a’ barfit, and his wife wints sheen,
An gin ye fin him, gentlemen, ye’ll never be forgien.
(This rhyme has a story behind it! It was written in 1830 by a man called John Henderson who had broken the law. In the poem he gives reasons why he shouldn’t be put in jail.)
Micky Buchan pinched a car
To gang to jile he must gang far
His mither and faither are gye sad
He mibye shoodna hiv bin so bad
(by Angelica, Alivia and Sienna)


Up to the knees amon’ dubs and clay,
Up to the knees amin water,
Altho’ I’m only a darger chiel,
I’ll mairry my maister’s daughter.
A Riddle
Wee curlie tailie, snochterin snoot
Flappin luggies
Rowin in the dubs
Humshin meal oot the tubs
(a pig) (by Madison, Skye and Koen)




A Riddle
Foure redrootrees, foure upstanders,
Twa lookie-oots, twa crookit boots
Twa leatherin’ cloots, and a waggie?
(a cow)
Up to the knees in cald fite snaa
Up to the knees in ice
Altho I’m only shovilin snaa
I wid like to bide somewye nice
(by Angelica, Alivia and Sienna)


Hopefully some illustrations of both these rhymes from the P6/7s
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Celebrating Annie Shirer's Work Collecting Doric Rhymes In Buchan.