Despite the Wolf of Badenoch association, Elgin is a grand town full of rich history. Both Oswald Mosely and London born writer Daniel Defoe visited, though at different times. Defoe thought highly of Elgin. In the journal of his 1724 tour of Great Britain, he writes: “In this rich country is the city, or town rather, of Elgin; I say city, because in antient time the monks claim'd it for a city; and the cathedral shews, by its ruins, that it was a place of great magnificence!” As for Mosley, he was heckled by a crowd of anti-fascists and run out of town.

In more recent years The Beatles (billed as the Love Me Do Boys) began their 1963 Scottish tour in the town. They shared a bill with The Alex Sutherland Sextet at the Two Red Shoes Ballroom on 3 January during a blizzard. They were not well known and admission was six shillings in old money. Takings were disappointing – perhaps as low as £42, according to Elgin music historian David Dills. In fact, one local tale has a skint Paul McCartney playing for his supper at a local wedding before the night’s gig to raise petrol money for the journey to Dingwall next day.

Nowadays of course McCartney could probably buy the whole of Elgin from his pocket change alone although some locals might just dredge up the small matter of an unpaid hotel bill. According to local lore, the Love Me Do Boys skipped breakfast the next day and headed north without saying goodbye. Of course, I for one doubt if this is true.
Location: Scotland, UK

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