Glamis

For other uses, see Glamis (disambiguation).
Glamis
Glamis
 Glamis shown within Angus
OS grid referenceNO385467
Council areaAngus
Lieutenancy areaAngus
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town FORFAR
Postcode district DD8
Dialling code 01307
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK ParliamentAngus
Scottish ParliamentAngus
List of places
UK
Scotland

Coordinates: 56°36′29″N 3°00′13″W / 56.608128°N 3.003473°W

Glamis /ˈɡlɑːmz/ is a small village in Angus, Scotland, located four miles south of Kirriemuir and five miles southwest of Forfar. It is the location of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

History

Glamis, with the Grampians beyond

The vicinity of Glamis has prehistoric traces - within the village there stands an intricately carved Pictish stone known as the Glamis Manse Stone. There are various other Pictish stones nearby the village, such as the Hunter Hill Stone, and the Eassie Stone, which stands in the nearby village of Eassie.[1] In 1034 AD Máel Coluim II was murdered at Glamis.[2]

Important buildings

Glamis village church.

Glamis houses the Angus Folk Museum run by the National Trust for Scotland. This is a museum of days past, recreating scenes of rural life such as a minister's parlour; a schoolroom; a laundry; and an agricultural area, along with displays of tools, everyday artifacts, and old crafts. It is housed in an adapted row of single storey stone cottages.

Glamis is a well preserved conservation village. The parish church, dedicated to Saint Fergus, was founded in the early medieval period (probably 8th century AD). The present building is 18th-century with restoration in the 1930s but retains a vaulted 15th-century aisle from the medieval church which preceded it.

The castle hosts various events throughout the year, notably the Proms evening when thousands of people traditionally turn out with picnics ranging from the small to the elaborate.

Glamis in Shakespeare

In the tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis and later the Thane of Cawdor.

At the start of the play, the main protagonist, Macbeth, is the thane of Glamis. It was only short-lived though, as he is soon to become Thane of Cawdor, and third in line to the throne, and later commits regicide to fulfill the witches' prophecy:

"All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!" "All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!" "All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!"

Claim to fame

The humorous poet Agnes Lyon lived here.[3]

See also

References

  1. C.Michael Hogan, Eassie Stone, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham, Oct. 7, 2007
  2. Black's Picturesque Tourist of Scotland, Adam and Charles Black, Published 1861, Scotland, 635 pages
  3. J. C. Hadden, ‘Lyon , Agnes (1762–1840)’, rev. Sarah Couper, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 31 Jan 2015
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Glamis.