A livestock market and agricultural service centre of Buchan in Aberdeenshire, Maud lies on the South Ugie Water, 13 miles (21 km) west of Peterhead. Originally known as Bank of Behitch after a raised piece of ground where carters are said to have unhitched their horses, Maud lies at a junction of six roads and was formerly part of the Auldmaud (Old Maud) Estate. It developed as a livestock market and with the arrival of the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1861 that function was enhanced by its location at a junction for trains to Fraserburgh in the north and Peterhead in the east. At this point the settlement was rechristened Brucklay, after the nearby Brucklay Estate, but before long it was renamed New Maud, the 'New' later being dropped. The railway station closed in 1979 and the Buchan Line Walkway along the route of the former railway passes through the village. Because of its location, Maud was chosen in 1869 as the site for the Buchan Combination Poorhouse, a building that later became a hospital for the elderly. Its Gothic-style church dates from 1876. Today Maud continues to be the 'meeting place' that is said to be the origin of its name, retaining its function as a livestock market and centre for tractor and farm services.
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