Portknockie is a cliff-top village overlooking the Moray Firth in NE Scotland, midway between Aberdeen and Inverness. Early settlement at this location is suggested by the remains of Iron Age and Pictish fortifications that have been found on a promontory that shelters the harbour known as the Green Castle. The village was founded in 1677 and it became a significant herring fishing port during the nineteenth century.

At the height of the herring fishing boom about 100 sailing boats crowded its harbour, many of them being of the famous Zulu design. Between 1883 and 1905 some of these boats were being built in the village. The present harbour features date from 1890 and, as late as 1929, it was still being used by up to 58 steam drifters. Today, Portknockie's fishing fleet comprises ten modern boats, which land their fish at Scotland's east and west coast ports with just five smaller boats locally landing creels and mackerel.

Ten years ago at Christmas the new Portknockie village newspaper was into its 3rd trial version appropriately headed “The Millennium” issue and the future still seemed uncertain.  So it is with considerable pride that all those associated with The K’nocker, whether writers or readers, can feel some real satisfaction in achieving a full decade of publication of this voice of Portknockie.   Back then, in the nineteen nineties, the village was experiencing a period of doubt following some criticisms in the national press about Portknockie’s community cohesion.  Questions were being asked about how welcoming the village was to incomers. 

One new resident interviewed had described Portknockie for the media as being “the village from Hell”. The K’nocker was started as part of a strategy by the Community Council to celebrate the better things about living in Portknockie.  Since then The K’nocker has focused on the many, good news stories of our community.   In fact the good news is that there has always been so much to be proud of in reporting Portknockie over the past 10 years. Consider for example, the Millennium Garden, the Festival of Fishing, the Restoration of the Coat of Arms, the 2009 Mosaic and the fight to keep the village school open.  

The K’nocker has served its purpose but is it still needed?  The present editorial team feels that it has done its utmost for the village and now it is time to re-consider whether we still need a village newspaper and how it might be managed for the future.