Arbroath

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Arbroath
Gaelic: Obair Bhrothaig
Scots: Aiberbrothock
Location
OS grid reference: NO645415
Statistics
Population: 22,785 (2001 Census)
Administration
Council area: Angus
Constituent country: Scotland
Sovereign state: United Kingdom
Other
Police force: Tayside Police
Lieutenancy area: Angus
Former county: Angus
Post office and telephone
Post town: ARBROATH
Postal district: DD11
Dialling code: 01241
Politics
Scottish Parliament: Angus
UK Parliament: Angus
European Parliament: Scotland
Scotland
The ruined Arbroath Abbey, built from local red sandstone.
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The ruined Arbroath Abbey, built from local red sandstone.

The Royal Burgh of Arbroath or Aberbrothock (archaic, Scottish Gaelic: Obair Bhrothaig) is the largest burgh in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of approximately 23,000 people (2001 census). It is the home of 45 Commando of the Royal Marines. It lies on the North Sea coast, around 17 miles north-east of Dundee and 51 miles south of Aberdeen.

The town is internationally famous as the home of the Declaration of Arbroath, the statement of Scottish independence signed by the nobility in the 14th century. The town's ancient ruined abbey is central to the story of the declaration and remains a key Scottish tourist attraction today.

A traditional fishing town, it has also achieved fame for its local delicacy the Arbroath Smokie, a kind of smoked haddock.

Contents

[edit] History of Arbroath

[edit] Early history

The modern name Arbroath became prevalent in the mid-nineteenth century as a colloquialism of the original name Aberbrothock. This Pictish title is a reference to the Brothock Burn upon which the town is built.

Arbroath Abbey was founded by King William the Lion in 1178 for monks of the Tironensian order from Kelso Abbey. It received consecration in 1197 with a dedication to Saint Thomas Becket. It was the King's only personal foundation, and he was buried within its precincts in 1214.

View of Arbroath Harbour.
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View of Arbroath Harbour.

On 6 April 1320 the parliament met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the Pope the Declaration of Arbroath, drafted by the Abbot of the time Bernard de Linton. This document detailed the services which their "lord and sovereign" Robert the Bruce had rendered to Scotland, and affirmed in eloquent terms the independence of the Scots.

[edit] The harbour

The original harbour was constructed and maintained by the abbots within the terms of an agreement between the burgesses and John Gedy, the abbot in 1394. This gave way to a more commodious port in 1725, which in turn was enlarged and improved in 1839.

In 1807 Arbroath became the base of operations for the building of the Bell Rock Lighthouse. The shore station for the lighthouse - the Bell Rock Signal Tower - was completed in 1813 and acted as a lifeline for the keepers offshore. Today this building houses the Signal Tower Museum, a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse.

[edit] Arbroath culture and tradition

[edit] Arbroath Smokies

The local specialty, genuine Arbroath Smokies are made from haddock using traditional methods dating back to the late 1800s.

The fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, before being left tied in pairs to drouth (Scots for dry). Next, the dried fish are hung in a special barrel containing a hardwood fire and covered with a lid. After around an hour of smoking, the fish are golden brown and ready to eat.

The preparation of Smokies remains a cottage industry in Arbroath, centred exclusively at the harbour area, known in Scots as the fit o the toun (the lower end of the town).

In 2004 the Arbroath Smokie was awarded Protected Geographical Indication, acknowledging its unique status. It is exported worldwide.

[edit] Seafront Spectacular

A transport themed event which started in 2004 and takes place in July of each year, at the Victoria Park. The event features a wide range of military and transport releated displays, with aerial displays in 2004 and 2005 from the RAF's Red Arrows and in 2006 from a Hawker Hunter and an aerial aerobatic performer. Other events include:

  • Russ Swift has featured in past years with his car stunt show
  • RNLI and RAF Air Sea Rescue demonstrations
  • helicopter trips along the Arbroath coastline
  • horse drawn stagecoach trips
  • RNLI fundraising bunjee jumps

[edit] Seafest

This event has been held in August every year since 1997 to celebrate Arbroath's close ties to the North Sea. Events include:

  • rescue displays by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
  • performances by Scottish pipe bands, local brass bands and other artists
  • a raft race around the inner harbour
  • a yacht race which takes the participants past the cliffs north of Arbroath
  • the Gourmet Galley, where chefs prepare locally caught seafood dishes

A highlight of recent Seafront Spectaculars and Sea Fests has been the various Blues Festivals, with around numerous acts performing in pubs and halls around the town around the weekends of the Seafront Spectacular and the Seafest.

[edit] Abbey pageant

Since 1947, a pageant commemorating the signing of the Declaration has been held within the roofless remains of the abbey. This is run by the local Arbroath Abbey Pageant Society, and dramatically re-enacts the story of the signing.

[edit] Arbroath in literature

The author Sir Walter Scott is famous for the Waverley series of novels, including Rob Roy and Ivanhoe. Scott is known to have visited Arbroath three times, and his personal favourite in the series, The Antiquary (1816) features affectionately fictionalised versions of both Arbroath ("Fairport") and Auchmithie ("Musselcrag").

[edit] Arbroath the football team

Arbroath holds the world record for the largest winning margin in a senior football match, 36-0, in their Scottish Cup match against Bon Accord (a scratch team from Aberdeen) on September 12, 1885 [1]. Further goals were disallowed either for offside, or because it was not clear whether the ball had gone into the goal [2]. For this reason the AFC supporters' club is called the 36-0 club in memory of this event, and more than 120 years later the fans still let everyone know about it!

The team are nicknamed The Red Lichties due to the red light that used to guide fishing boats back from the North Sea to the harbour.

[edit] Places in Arbroath

[edit] Victoria Park

Victoria Park was opened in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Four concrete pillars were constructed in the 1930's at the same time as the outdoor bathing pool at the west links. The pillars are placed on either side of the road at the entrance to the park. Two are 18 feet and two are 16 feet tall.

At the end of Victoria Park is the site of St Ninian's Well.The well was a small hollow scooped out from the cliff face, with a reputation for curing various diseases.

In geographic terms Victoria Park is an example of a raised beach.

[edit] Signal Tower Museum

Main article: Signal Tower Museum

The local museum is built into the regency 'Signal Tower', built in 1813 as the shore station and family living quarters for the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse.

[edit] Secondary Schools

Arbroath has 2 Secondary Schools, Arbroath High School and Arbroath Academy. The High School was originally a grammar school and the Academy a comprehensive. Traditionaly the High School is a better school but this is changing as the Academy is improving.The High School is the older school out of the 2. The location of the Academy is near the Mayfield shops and the High Schools location is near Keptie Pond.

[edit] Seaforth Hotel

Originally built as a private house in the 1820s, this became the principal hotel of Arbroath in 1934. After falling into disrepair in the late 1990s, the hotel was going to be redeveloped [3], however a fire destroyed the building on August 9, 2006. The fire was described by police as "suspicious".[4]. The hotel has now been completely demolished.

[edit] Places around Arbroath

View of a partially frozen Keptie Pond in Arbroath. The old water tower is prominent in the background.
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View of a partially frozen Keptie Pond in Arbroath. The old water tower is prominent in the background.

[edit] Auchmithie

Auchmithie, three miles north-east of Arbroath, is a small village whose residents originally earned a precarious living by fishing for lobster and crab.

Auchmithie is almost certainly where the Smokie originated. At the beginning of the 19th century the fisherfolk there (with surnames such as Swankie, Spink and Cargill) migrated into Arbroath, where the Smokie tradition continues today under the same names.

The rugged cliffs around Auchmithie create in the promontory of Red Head a number of curiously shaped caves and archways which attract large numbers of visitors.

[edit] Arbirlot

Arbirlot lies on the Elliot Water, 2.47 miles west of Arbroath. Occupied by handloom weavers and farmers in the 18th and 19th centuries, Arbirlot once had a meal mill, slaughterhouse and two schools. Arbirlot holds host to a spectacular 23 foot waterfall, which is popular with locals for swimming in. A nature trail by the Elliot Water links Arbirlot with the former railway junction of Elliot on the Angus Coast. Kelly Castle, which overlooks the Elliot Water, comprises a four-storey tower of the 16th Century set within a 19th-century courtyard. It was a stronghold of the Mowbray family until forfeited to the Stewarts in the early 14th century and was restored by the Earl of Dalhousie Place in the 19th century. In the mid 19th century a road in Arbroath was named after Arbirlot: Arbirlot Road.

[edit] St Vigeans

This originally rural parish, 1 mile north of Arbroath town centre, takes its name from the Latin form (Vigeanus) of Féchín, a 7th century Irish saint, who founded the monastery of Fore, in Co. Westmeath. There is no evidence Féchín himself ever came to Scotland, so the church may have been founded by his followers, perhaps in the early 8th century. It is the likely site of a Pictish monastery, as attested by both the dedication and the large collection of carved stones recovered from the walls of the parish church during its restoration in the 19th century. One of the stones, the Drosten Stone, has one of the few inscriptions surviving from Pictland, implying literacy, and other stones feature representations of ecclesiastics holding books, and Biblical or Patristic scenes.

Since the 1960s the carved stones, along with some medieval fragments, have been displayed in a converted cottage in the village (Historic Scotland). Key available from Arbroath Abbey (no entrance charge).

[edit] Carmyllie

Six miles west by south are the slate quarries of Carmyllie, the terminus of a branch line (opened in 1900) from Arbroath, which functioned as the first light railway in Scotland. The quarries and the light railway have been closed since the 1950s and the railway bed now serves as a nature trail from Elliot to Carmyllie.

[edit] Bell Rock Lighthouse

From the beach and harbour side of Arbroath, at night you can clearly see the hugely impressive sweep of the famous historical Bell Rock Lighthouse, which sits 12 miles out to sea. This impressive engineering feat was built by family of the author Robert Louis Stevenson author of Kidnapped and Treasure Island.

[edit] Inverkeilor

This small rural village lies 6 miles north of Arbroath and 7 miles to the south of Montrose. Inverkeilor has a population of around 1000 people and has a small primary school.

[edit] Notable Arbroathians

[edit] References

  1. ^ "A day when Scottish football scorched the record books", The Scotsman, December 9, 2005.
  2. ^ "The 36-0 team", Arbroath F.C., 2003.
  3. ^ "Seaforth flats plan fails first hurdle", The Courier, August 8, 2006.
  4. ^ "Arbroath hotel destroyed by blaze", BBC, August 9, 2006.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Coordinates: 56°33′N 2°35′W

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