In the early Middle Ages, there were actually two settlements, Old and New Aberdeen. The first mention of a provost of Aberdeen was in 1272. Aberdeen continued to grow and by 1264 it had a castle. (A document granting the townspeople certain rights). Finally in 1179 Aberdeen was given a charter. Then in 1137 Aberdeen was given a bishop, another sign of its growing importance. Exports from Aberdeen included salted fish, hides, and wool. One sign of this came in 1136 when the burgesses (merchants and craftsmen) of Aberdeen were given the right to charge a tithe (a tax of one 10th of all goods) on ships entering or leaving the harbor and by then it was a busy little port. However, by the early 12th century Aberdeen had grown into a town.
Aberdeen was probably founded by the 8th century AD as a fishing settlement. The name Aberdeen probably comes from the word aber (meaning mouth of the river) Don. By Tim Lambert Aberdeen in the Middle Ages
