Angus
Encyclopedia
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland
, a registration county
and a lieutenancy area
. The council area borders Aberdeenshire
, Perth and Kinross
and Dundee City. Main industries include agriculture
and fishing
.
(known officially as Forfarshire from the eighteenth century until 1928, when it reverted to its ancient name) until 1975 when it became a district of the Tayside
Region. In 1996, two-tier local government was abolished and Angus was established as one of the replacement single-tier Council Areas
. The former county had borders with Kincardineshire
to the north-east, county of Aberdeenshire
to the north and Perthshire
to the west. Southwards, it faced Fife
across the Firth of Tay
. The boundaries of the present council area are exactly the same as those of the old county minus the City of Dundee
.
and the area is also represented at the Scottish Parliament by both the Angus
and North Tayside Holyrood constituencies.
is mountainous; this is the area of the five Angus Glens, is sparsely populated and the main industry is hill-farming. To the south and east the topography consists of rolling hills bordering the sea. This area is well populated, with the larger towns and the city of Dundee on the coast. In between lies Strathmore
, a derivation of the Gaelic for the Great Valley, which is a fertile agricultural area noted for the growing of potatoes, soft fruit and the raising of Angus cattle
.
The council is currently controlled by the Angus Alliance which comprises a coalition of Independent
/Conservative/Liberal Democrat
& Labour
councillors
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, a registration county
Registration county
A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purposes....
and a lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland
The lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial lord-lieutenants, the monarch's representatives, in Scotland. They are different from the local government council areas, the committee areas, the sheriffdoms, the registration counties, the former regions and districts, the...
. The council area borders Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
and Dundee City. Main industries include agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
History
Angus was historically a countyCounties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
(known officially as Forfarshire from the eighteenth century until 1928, when it reverted to its ancient name) until 1975 when it became a district of the Tayside
Tayside
Tayside Region was a local government region of Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. It was created by the 1973 Act following recommendations made by the 1969 Wheatley Report which attempted to replace the mishmash of counties, cities, burghs and districts, with a uniform two-tier system...
Region. In 1996, two-tier local government was abolished and Angus was established as one of the replacement single-tier Council Areas
Subdivisions of Scotland
For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as "councils"...
. The former county had borders with Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...
to the north-east, county of Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire (historic)
Aberdeenshire or the County of Aberdeen is a registration county of Scotland. This area is also a lieutenancy area.Until 1975 Aberdeenshire was one of the counties of Scotland, governed by a county council from 1890...
to the north and Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
to the west. Southwards, it faced Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
across the Firth of Tay
Firth of Tay
The Firth of Tay is a firth in Scotland between the council areas of Fife, Perth and Kinross, the City of Dundee and Angus, into which Scotland's largest river in terms of flow, the River Tay, empties....
. The boundaries of the present council area are exactly the same as those of the old county minus the City of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
.
Parliamentary representation
Areas similar to that of the council area are covered by the Angus Westminster constituency for the UK ParliamentAngus (UK Parliament constituency)
Angus is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
and the area is also represented at the Scottish Parliament by both the Angus
Angus (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Angus is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
and North Tayside Holyrood constituencies.
Geography
Angus can be split into three geographic areas. To the north and west, the topographyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
is mountainous; this is the area of the five Angus Glens, is sparsely populated and the main industry is hill-farming. To the south and east the topography consists of rolling hills bordering the sea. This area is well populated, with the larger towns and the city of Dundee on the coast. In between lies Strathmore
Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross
Strathmore is a strath in east central Scotland running from northeast to southwest between the Grampian mountains and the Sidlaws....
, a derivation of the Gaelic for the Great Valley, which is a fertile agricultural area noted for the growing of potatoes, soft fruit and the raising of Angus cattle
Angus cattle
Angus cattle are a breed of cattle much used in beef production. They were developed from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland, and are known as Aberdeen Angus in most parts of the world....
.
Towns
- ArbroathArbroathArbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
, the largest town - BrechinBrechinBrechin is a former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese , but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era...
- CarnoustieCarnoustieCarnoustie is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast...
- ForfarForfarForfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
, the county town and administrative centre - KirriemuirKirriemuirKirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland.-History:The history of Kirriemuir extends to the early historical period and it appears to have been a centre of some ecclesiastical importance...
- MonifiethMonifiethMonifieth is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated on the North bank of the Firth of Tay on the East Coast...
- MontroseMontrose, AngusMontrose is a coastal resort town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. It is situated 38 miles north of Dundee between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers...
Villages
- AberlemnoAberlemnoAberlemno is a parish and small village in the Scottish council area of Angus. It is noted for three large carved Pictish stones dating from the 7th and 8th centuries AD ; the stones can be viewed at any time in spring-autumn, but are covered by wooden boxes in the winter to prevent frost damage...
- ArbirlotArbirlotArbirlot is a village in a rural parish of the same name in Angus, Scotland. The current name is a contraction of Aberelliot - mouth of the Elliot. It is situated west of Arbroath. The main village settlement is on the Elliot Water, 2.5 miles from Arbroath. There is a Church of Scotland church and...
- AuchmithieAuchmithieAuchmithie is a former fishing village in Angus, Scotland, three miles north east of the town of Arbroath. It sits atop a cliff of red sandstone conglomerate of Devonian date, approximately 120 feet above a shingle beach...
- AuchterhouseAuchterhouseAuchterhouse is a village, community, and civil parish in the Scottish council area of Angus, located north west of Dundee, south east of Alyth and south west of Forfar. It lies on the southern edge of the Sidlaw Hills, below Auchterhouse Hill, high...
- Birkhill
- Bridge of CraigislaBridge of CraigislaBridge of Craigisla is a hamlet in Angus, Scotland. The bridge crosses the River Isla. This settlement lies along the B954 road....
- CarmyllieCarmyllieCarmyllie is a rural parish in Angus, Scotland. It is situated on high ground between Arbroath, on the coast, and the inland county town of Forfar. The main settlements in the parish are Redford, Greystone and Milton of Carmyllie. There is a Church of Scotland church and a primary school...
- DunnichenDunnichenDunnichen is a small village in Angus, Scotland, situated between Letham and Forfar. It is close to Dunnichen Hill, at which the Battle of Dun Nechtain is popularly believed to have been fought.-History:...
- East Haven
- EdzellEdzellEdzell is a village in Angus, Scotland. It is located 5 miles north of Brechin, by the River North Esk. Edzell is a Georgian-era planned town, with a broad main street and a grid system of side streets. Originally called Slateford, Edzell was renamed in 1818 after an earlier hamlet, located 1.5...
- FarnellFarnell, AngusFarnell is a village in Angus, Scotland. It lies 2 miles south of the River South Esk, between Brechin and Montrose, near Kinnaird Castle....
- FriockheimFriockheimFriockheim is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Brechin, Montrose, Arbroath and Forfar.-History:...
- Finavon
- GlamisGlamisGlamis 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:...
- GuthrieGuthrie, AngusGuthrie is a village in Angus, Scotland, roughly at the centre point of the towns of Arbroath, Forfar and Brechin. The principal building in the village is Guthrie Castle, which has its own public golf course and is a popular venue for events such as markets, parties and weddings....
- InverkeilorInverkeilorInverkeilor is a village and parish in Angus, Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast, midway between Arbroath and Montrose. The A92 road now bypasses the village....
- Hodgeton
- HillsideHillside-Places:Australia*Hillside, New South Wales*Hillside, Victoria, a suburb of MelbourneCanada*Hillside, Nova ScotiaUnited Kingdom*Hillside, Merseyside, a suburb of Southport*Hillside, Angus, Scotland*Hillside Animal SanctuaryUnited States...
- KingsmuirKingsmuirKingsmuir is a small village in Angus, one mile south-east of Forfar on the B9128 Carnoustie to Forfar road....
- LethamLetham, AngusLetham is a village in Angus, Scotland.Letham is the largest village in Angus, with a population of nearly 2,000. Situated from Dundee, from Forfar, from Arbroath and from Carnoustie....
- NewbiggingNewbigging, AngusNewbigging is a village in Angus, Scotland, two miles north-east of Dundee. The name "Newbigging" originally referred to a "new bigging" or "new cottar town" . The village is roughly two miles north of Monifieth and east of Dundee, Scotland's fourth City...
- NewtyleNewtyleNewtyle is a village in the west of Angus, Scotland.It lies 11 miles to the north of Dundee in the south west of Strathmore, between Hatton Hill and Newtyle in the Sidlaws. The village sits on gently sloping ground with a northwest aspect. The main communication link is the B954 road...
- Noranside
- Memus
- MenmuirMenmuirMenmuir is a parish in Angus in Scotland.Kirkton of Menmuir consists of only three houses but around 250 people live in the area and the community hall is well used.-History:...
- MonikieMonikieMonikie is a village in Angus, Scotland, north-east of Dundee, and which takes its name from the civil parish of Monikie.-History:The village grew from small beginnings as just one of many hamlets. The other large village in the parish is Newbigging...
- Muirhead
- MurroesMurroesMurroes is a village and parish in Angus, Scotland. The village lies 3 miles north of Dundee city centre. The parish church was built in 1848. Ballumbie House, and Powrie, and Wedderburn castles are within the parish. In the reign of Charles II the minister was Robert Edward, author of an account...
- St VigeansSt VigeansSt Vigeans is a small village and parish in Angus, Scotland, immediately to the north of Arbroath. Originally rural, it is now more or less a suburb of the town of Arbroath. The name St Vigeans is derived from Vigeanus, a Latinised form of the Old Irish name Féichín. Saint Feichin flourished in...
- TannadiceTannadice, AngusTannadice is a village in Angus, Scotland that lies on the River South Esk and is 4 miles north of Forfar.-Sources:* in the Gazetteer for Scotland....
- TarfsideTarfsideTarfside is a small hamlet in Angus, Scotland. It is situated in the upper course of the Glen Esk valley of the River North Esk around 14 kilometres north of Edzell, and has a footpath to nearby Loch Lee.Tarfside is a very beautiful place for walkers....
- TealingTealingTealing is a village in Angus in eastern Scotland, nestled at the foot of the Sidlaw Hills. It is just north of the city of Dundee and south of Forfar. With a population of just over 500, scattered across of fertile farming land, it has several large working farms mixed in with lots of...
- UnthankUnthank, AngusUnthank is a hamlet in Angus, Scotland. It lies approximately half a mile north-west of Brechin on the B966 Brechin to Edzell road. It was formerly a possession of the Barony of Spynie...
Places of interest
- Aberlemno Sculptured StonesAberlemnoAberlemno is a parish and small village in the Scottish council area of Angus. It is noted for three large carved Pictish stones dating from the 7th and 8th centuries AD ; the stones can be viewed at any time in spring-autumn, but are covered by wooden boxes in the winter to prevent frost damage...
(PictishPictsThe Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
symbols) - Angus Folk MuseumAngus Folk MuseumAngus Folk Museum is a centre for agricultural history and rural life located near Forfar, Angus. It is located in the village of Glamis off the A94. The museum was founded by Jean, Lady Maitland who gifted her collections to the nation in the 1950s. Since 1976 it has been administered by the...
, GlamisGlamisGlamis 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:... - Arbroath AbbeyArbroath AbbeyArbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom the king had met at the English court...
, place of signing of the Declaration of ArbroathDeclaration of ArbroathThe Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish independence, made in 1320. It is in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, intended to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland's right to use military action when... - Barry MillBarry MillBarry Mill is a working Category A listed watermill in Barry, Angus in eastern Scotland. It is owned and operated by the National Trust for Scotland as an educational tourist attraction. Situated in a secluded area beside the Barry Burn , the mill lies about half a mile north of the village of...
- Brechin CathedralBrechin CathedralThe cathedral church of the Holy Trinity in Brechin, Angus, Scotland, belongs to the 13th century. It is in the Pointed style, but suffered maltreatment in 1806 at the hands of restorers, whose work was subsequently removed during the restoration completed in 1902...
- Brechin CastleBrechin CastleBrechin Castle is a castle located in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. The castle is the seat of the Earl of Dalhousie, who is the clan chieftain of Clan Maule of Panmure in Angus, and Clan Ramsay of Dalhousie in Midlothian. The original castle was constructed in stone during the 13th century...
- Brechin Round Tower
- Caledonian Railway (Brechin)Caledonian Railway (Brechin)The Caledonian Steam Railway Ltd is a private limited company formed by a group of steam railway enthusiasts, the Brechin Railway Preservation Society, with the object of operating a railway service on the former Caledonian Railway line between Brechin and Montrose, Angus, Scotland...
- Cairngorms National ParkCairngorms National ParkThe Cairngorms National Park is a national park in north east Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, set up in 2002. The park covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and...
- Carnlochan NNR - National Nature ReserveNational Nature ReserveFor details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
- Eassie StoneEassie StoneThe Eassie Stone is a Class II Pictish stone at the village of Eassie, Angus, Scotland. The stone was found in Eassie burn in the late 18th century and now resides in a purpose-built perspex building in the ruined Eassie church.-Location:...
- Edzell CastleEdzell CastleEdzell Castle is a ruined 16th century castle, with an early 17th century walled garden. It is located close to Edzell, and is around north of Brechin, in Angus, Scotland. Edzell Castle was begun around 1520 by David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford, and expanded by his son, Sir David Lindsay, Lord...
- Glamis CastleGlamis CastleGlamis Castle is situated beside the village of Glamis in Angus, Scotland. It is the home of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and is open to the public....
- House of DunHouse of DunHouse of Dun, together with the adjacent Montrose Basin nature reserve, is a National Trust for Scotland property in Angus, Scotland.The Dun Estate was home to the Erskine family from 1375 until 1980. John Erskine of Dun was a key figure in the Scottish Reformation. The current house was designed...
- Loch of Kinnordy Nature Reserve
- The Meffan Museum and Art Gallery (Forfar)
- Monboddo HouseMonboddo HouseMonboddo House is a historically famous mansion in The Mearns, Scotland. The structure was generally associated with the Burnett of Leys family. The property itself was owned by the Barclay family from the 13th century, at which time a tower house structure was erected...
- Montrose BasinMontrose BasinThe Montrose Basin is part of the estuary of the South Esk forming a tidal basin near to the town of Montrose, Angus, on the north-east coast of Scotland....
Nature Reserve - Montrose MuseumMontrose MuseumMontrose Museum opened in 1842 in Montrose, Angus, Scotland. The museum came into being when in 1841 the Montrose Natural History and Antiquarian Society started a fund to expand its space; in order to house its curiosities and wonders ranging from geological and ethnographical artefacts to a...
Council political composition
| Party | Councillors | |
| Scottish National Party Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.... |
12 | |
| Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
8 | |
| Conservative | 5 | |
| Liberal Democrat Scottish Liberal Democrats The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England... |
2 | |
| Labour Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland.... |
2 |
The council is currently controlled by the Angus Alliance which comprises a coalition of Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
/Conservative/Liberal Democrat
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...
& Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
councillors