Arbroath
Encyclopedia
Arbroath or Aberbrothock ɑrˈbroʊθ ( opəɾˈvɾo.ɪkʲ) is a former royal burgh
and the largest town in the council area
of Angus
in Scotland
, and has a population of 22,785. It lies on the North Sea
coast, around 16 miles (25.7 km) ENE of Dundee and 45 miles (72.4 km) SSW of Aberdeen.
While there is evidence for settlement of the area now occupied by the town that dates back to the Iron Age
, Arbroath's history as a town begins in the High Middle Ages
with the founding of Arbroath Abbey
in 1178. Arbroath grew considerably during the Industrial Revolution
owing to the expansion of firstly the flax and secondly the jute
industries and the engineering sector. A new harbour was built in 1839 and by the 20th century, Arbroath had become one of the larger fishing ports in Scotland.
The town is notable as the home of the Declaration of Arbroath
, as well as the Arbroath Smokie
.
which runs through the town, the prefix 'Aber' coming either from the Gaelic 'Obair', or the earlier term 'Aber' which could be either Goidelic or Brythonic for 'river mouth'. The name 'Aberbrothock' can be found in numerous spelling variations. In the earliest manuscripts available, it is seen as 'Abirbrothoke' (in the letter to Edward I confirming the Treaty of Salisbury, which agreed that the Queen regnant
, Margaret, Maid of Norway
would marry Edward I
) and 'Aberbrothok' (in the subsequent letter giving consent for the marriage). In the Declaration of Arbroath
, it is seen as 'Abirbrothoc'. Early maps show a number of variants including Aberbrothock, Aberbrothik, Aberbrothick, and Aberbrothwick.
The modern name 'Arbroath' became more common in the mid-19th century, with the older name being largely dispensed with by the time of the first edition of the Ordnance Survey Maps. However, variants of 'Arbroath' had been used since the 17th century, including 'Arbroth' and Aberbreth.
The area around Arbroath has been occupied since at least the Neolithic period. Material taken from posthole
s from an enclosure at Douglasmuir, near Friockheim
, about five miles north of Arbroath have been radiocarbon dated to around 3500 BC The function of the enclosure is unknown, but may have been for agriculture or for ceremonial purposes.
Bronze age
archaeology is to be found in abundance in the surrounding area. Examples include the short-cist burials found near West Newbigging, about a mile to the North of the town. These burials included pottery urns, a pair of silver discs and a gold armlet. Iron Age
archaeology is also well represented, for example in the souterrain
nearby Warddykes cemetery and at West Grange of Conan, as well as the better known examples at Carlungie and Ardestie.
The area appears to have been of some importance in the early Christian period, as evidenced by the Pictish
stone carvings found during the restoration of St Vigeans
church, and now housed in the small museum there. The stones had been used in the building of the old church and, unfortunately, many been badly damaged. One of the stones, the 9th century Drosten Stone
, has the distinction of being one of the few Pictish artefacts to have an inscription in Latin text: 'DROSTEN: IREUORET [E]TTFOR CUS', which has been interpreted in various ways, but it is thought that the second line refers to the Pictish King Uurad
, who reigned between 839 and 842 AD.
The first modern development in Arbroath was the Abbey
, 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. The Abbey was not finally completed until 1233.
Arbroath was the location of the Battle of Arbroath in 1446. A series of disagreements between the Chief Justiciary of Arbroath, Alexander Lindsay, third Earl of Crawford, and Bishop James Kennedy of St Andrews resulted in Lindsay sacking the bishop's lands and burning his properties. Lindsay was excommunicated
for his troubles and it was felt that this was incompatible with his role as Chief Justiciary. The monks of Arbroath Abbey selected Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity as his replacement and the insult led to pitched battle in the town, leaving 500 dead, including Lindsay and Ogilvy. Large parts of the town were destroyed in the aftermath by the Lindsay family.
The Abbey relatively quickly fell into disuse and eventual disrepair after its dissolution at the Reformation
, the lead from the roof rumoured to have been used in the 16th century civil wars and the stonework plundered for housebuilding throughout the town. The ruins were a popular site for travellers during the 17th and 18th centuries, and finally in 1815 the remains were taken into the care of the State for preservation. The remains are now administered by Historic Scotland
.
On 6 April 1320 the Scottish Parliament
met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the Pope
the Declaration of Arbroath
, drafted by the Abbot of the time, Bernard
. 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.
, Arbroath's economy expanded and the population of the town expanded, with new housing having to be constructed to house the influx of workers. Arbroath became moderately well known for jute
and sailcloth
production, with 34 mills employing 1400 loom
s and producing over one million yards of osnaburg
cloth and 450,000 yards of sailcloth in 1875. Arbroath is believed to be the source of the sails used on the Cutty Sark
. In 1867, the mills in Arbroath employed 4620 people. Arbroath was also prominent in the manufacture of shoes and lawnmowers; local firm Alexander Shanks supplied mowers to the Old Course at St Andrews
and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
.
Arbroath today is mostly known for its connection with the Scottish fishing industry. After the original harbours, dating from the 14th and 18th centuries, were replaced in 1839 with a larger harbour, the local council tried to find fishermen who would be interested in migrating to Arbroath in order to take advantage of the new facilities offered. The town council contacted fishermen in nearby Auchmithie
and further afield, including Shetland. The fishing industry grew and at its peak years between 1900 and 1980, around 40 whitefish
and pelagic vessels worked from Arbroath, with hundreds of men employed directly as fishermen, hundreds more employed ashore to service the fishing vessels and to process the fish. Quota cuts and decommissioning took its toll on the fishing industry throughout Scotland from the 1980s to present. Today, Arbroath remains a designated whitefish landing port, and although no fish auction takes place, the fishmarket remains open and is used for landing shellfish. There is now only one large fishing vessel operating regularly from Arbroath, and a further three Arbroath owned vessels operating from Aberdeen and ports further north. The fish processing sector remains one of the largest employers in the town however, but fish for processing now comes from Aberdeen, Peterhead and occasionally from Iceland, Norway and Ireland.
Arbroath was made a royal burgh
in 1178 by King William the Lion
at the same time as the Abbey was established. The burgh of regality permitted the monks to hold a weekly market, dispense basic justice and to establish a harbour. In 1559, the town's burgh of regality was reconfirmed in 1559 by King James VI of Scotland
. A provost and a town council were appointed and it was at this point Aberbrothock became a fully fledged royal burgh.
Arbroath was controlled by Arbroath Town Council from the time of King James VI through to 1975, when Arbroath (and the county of Angus) were amalgamated with the counties of Perthshire and Dundee City into Tayside, under the control of Tayside Regional Council
. Angus, together with Dundee City and Perth & Kinross were re-established following reorganisation under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
.
system. The 3 May 2007 elections were the first in which the new voting system was used to elect councillors for the new wards. The Scottish National Party
lost four councillors and the remaining parties formed a coalition
called the "Angus Alliance" in order to take over as the ruling party of Angus Council.
* Because of the changes in boundaries and amalgamation of wards across Angus, it is not possible to accurately tell which seats were won or lost by the respective parties, or to accurately calculate percentage differences in voting and turnout.
Arbroath is represented by three Scottish National Party
councillors, two Independent
councillors, two Conservative
councillors and one Liberal Democrat
councillor, one Independent councillor, both Conservative councillors and the one Liberal Democrat councillor are members of the ruling Angus Alliance, whilst the one remaining Independent councillor has no political affiliation. The three SNP councillors and the remaining Independent councillor have no official function within the council, other than to represent their constituents' interests.
, Arbroath forms part of the Angus
constituency and since 2001 has been represented by Michael Weir (SNP
) who held the seat again, with an increased majority of 3800 votes at the 2010 General Election. In the Scottish Parliament
, Arbroath forms part of the Angus
Scottish Parliamentary constituency, represented by Andrew Welsh
(SNP). Arbroath is also part of the Angus South constituency
of the Scottish Parliament
, which has significantly different boundaries to the Westminster constituency. The constituency returns a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) to Holyrood
directly, and is part of the North East Scotland electoral region
with regards to additional Members of the Scottish Parliament. The constituency's MSP is currently Graeme Dey
of the Scottish National Party
.
coast in eastern Scotland 17 miles (27.4 km) northeast of Dundee
, within the Angus
region. Geologically, Arbroath sits predominantly on Old Red Sandstone
. Lower-lying parts of the town were below sea level during and immediately after the last ice age.
Arbroath is located 98 miles (157.7 km) northeast of Glasgow
, 50 miles (80.5 km) southwest of Aberdeen
and 77 miles (123.9 km) from Edinburgh
. The neighbouring villages of St Vigeans
, Carmyllie
, Friockheim
, Colliston
and Inverkeilor
are considered part of Arbroath for the purposes of council representation, and together with Carnoustie
, share the 01241 telephone area code with Arbroath.
At the 2001 census
, the population of Arbroath was 22,785. Approximately 88.9% were born in Scotland, while 97.7% were born in the United Kingdom
as a whole. Most Arbroath residents are between 16 and 65, with 19.8% under 16, 59.5% between 16 and 65 with those over 65 making up 20.7% of the population. There are 47.1% males to 52.9% females.
Arbroath has a moderate rate of unemployment
- around 2.7% of the population are claiming unemployment-related social welfare benefits.
(21.8%) the largest employer of Arbroath residents closely followed by the manufacturing
(16%) and retail
sector (15.4%). The fishing industry accounts for 0.4% (fewer than 50 people) although the processing sector is considered separately under manufacturing and the figure of 50 people relates directly to the catching and support sectors.
within the terms of an agreement between the burgesses and John Gedy, the abbot in 1394 AD. This gave way to a more commodious port in 1725, which in turn was enlarged and improved in 1839, when the sea wall, quay walls and breakwater were added to the old inner harbour, at a cost of £58,000. Arbroath became a major port for the coastal shipping trade and in 1846, there were 89 Arbroath registered vessels, totalling 9100 gross tons. In the same year, 599 vessels docked at Arbroath, 56 from foreign ports (mainly Baltic
ports) with the remaining 543 employed on the coastal trade. Bark, flax, hemp, hides, oak, and fir timber, and guano for manure, groceries from London, and numerous articles of Baltic produce were imported via Arbroath, with manufactured goods (mainly sailcloth) exported via Arbroath.
Driven by the needs of the fishing and commercial sailing industry, in 1795 Arbroath-based sail maker Francis Webster Ltd had perfected the art of adding Linseed oil
to flax
sails, creating an oiled flax. This developed in the late-19th century into waxed cotton
, which drove Arbroath as a manufacturing centre, until the early 1970s manufacturing began to decline. A major employer, Keith & Blackman, closed in 1985 and Giddings and Lewis-Fraser wound down its operations at about the same time, with the entire plant eventually demolished to make way for a Safeway
(now Morrisons
) supermarket. Alps Electric Co.
was a large employer in Arbroath from 1990 to 2001, employing 180 staff. Following the closure of the plant, all 180 staff were made redundant
of the Royal Marines
, who have been based at RM Condor
since 1971. The barracks were originally built in 1940 and commissioned as RNAS Arbroath / HMS Condor, a Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) until 1971. The Royal Marines moved to Arbroath in 1971 and remain a major contributor to the local economy, in addition to the Marines stationed at Arbroath, around 600 residents employed by the Ministry of Defence
. The Royal Marines from 45 Commando were recently engaged on operations in Afghanistan
and have deployed in support of operations in Iraq
and the Falklands War
. In 2004, there was speculation that RM CONDOR would be transferred to the Army
as a replacement for Fort George
and that the barracks would become a permanent base for a battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland
. These plans never went beyond the planning stage and in 2005 it was confirmed the Royal Marines would remain based at the site.
attracting over 14,000 visitors each year. Attractions during the summer months include the Seafront Spectacular, which includes an airshow, and the Seafest which is themed around Arbroath's maritime heritage. There is also a re-enactment of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath
(the declaration of Scottish independence) and in past years there has been a mock Viking
invasion culminating in the burning of a longship
.
Arbroath is home to Kerr's Miniature Railway
, the oldest miniature railway in Scotland, which has been operating since 1935 and which at its height, in 1955, saw 60,000 visitors. Today, the railway is operated as a hobby by a group of volunteers and remains popular with locals, tourists and railway enthusiasts.
Arbroath is served by the A92 road
which connects the city to Dundee
and Fife
to the south west, and Stonehaven
in the north east. The A92 joins the A90
north of Stonehaven and leads to Aberdeen
further north. The A92 is dual carriageway from the southern outskirts of Arbroath to the northern outskirts of Dundee, the A92 proceeds through Dundee before crossing the Tay estuary into Fife via the Tay Road Bridge
. The A90 can also be reached at Dundee heading both north (to Aberdeen) and south (to Perth and Edinburgh).
Arbroath has a modest public bus transport system, with the Arbroath Bus Station serving as the town's main terminus. Stagecoach Strathtay and Travel Wishart (part of National Express
) operate most of the local services, with most rural services operated by Stagecoach Strathtay. Arbroath has one railway station
, a short walk from the bus station, with regional train services to the east coast of Scotland, Edinburgh, Perth and Glasgow whilst intercity services operate to destinations in England such as Newcastle
, Birmingham
, York
and London
. Passenger services at Arbroath are provided by First ScotRail
, CrossCountry Trains
and National Express East Coast
. Dundee has a regional airport
which offers commercial flights to London City Airport
five times a week. The airport has a 1,400-metre runway capable of serving small aircraft and is located 3 kilometres west of the city centre, adjacent to the Tay river. The nearest major international airports are in Edinburgh
and Aberdeen
. Arbroath has a sizeable airfield at the Royal Marines
military base on the western outskirts of the town, but this remains a dedicated military airfield.
which is based in the former Arbroath High School
buildings. There are two secondary schools and 11 primary schools. One primary school is Roman Catholic, the remaining schools are non-denominational. There are 2260 pupils in primary school education in Arbroath with a further 1,720 pupils in secondary education.
and Arbroath Academy. The High School (the older of the two), was originally a grammar school
and the Academy a comprehensive
. The Academy is located near the Mayfield area and the High School near Keptie Pond. Both schools are well regarded with exam results along reading and writing performance indicators above the national average. Arbroath High is the larger of the two with around 1,200 pupils, and the Academy being smaller with around 600 pupils.
Noted former pupils of Arbroath High School include Michael Forsyth
, former Scottish Secretary and Andrew Webster
, a professional footballer
who plays for Heart of Midlothian
.
college, has around 8,500 students, with 80% passing the course for which they enrol. There are around 1,700 full-time students with part-time students making up the majority of the student population. Arbroath is not a student town and there are no student residences in the town. The student population is made up solely of local students living within commuting distance of the college. Angus College offers courses up to Higher National Diploma
(HND) level in a variety of trade related and academic disciplines from construction to Social Sciences, as well as a sizeable number of programs relating to computing, information technology and office administration. A large number of the student body are mature students taking evening classes related to computing, digital photography and various software packages.
School leavers going onto study at university have the choice of several local institutions - the University of Dundee
, the University of Abertay Dundee
, the University of St Andrews
and the University of Aberdeen
all within around one hour's travel from Arbroath.
The Church of Scotland
has a number of congregations that meet in Arbroath. The Old and Abbey Church is located in the centre of town at West Abbey Street, and the minister is Rev. Valerie Allen. St Andrews Church, Arbroath
is located in Hamilton Green, and the minister is Rev. Martin Fair. Knox's Church is located in Howard Street and the minister is Rev Dr Nelu Balaj. The West Kirk is located in Keptie Street and the minister is Rev. Alasdair Graham.
There are also a number of Church of Scotland kirks in the surrounding villages. St Vigeans Church
, St Vigeans
is linked with Knox's Church in Arbroath and services are led by Rev Dr Nelu Balaj. Arbirlot Church is linked with Carmyllie Church, both being ministered to by Rev. Ian Coltart. Colliston Church is linked with Friockheim and Kinnell Church and Inverkeilor and Lunan Church. The minister of these three churches is Rev. Peter Phillips.
There is an Episcopalian
congregation based at St Mary the Virgin Church in Springfield Terrace. The Minister is Rev. Dr. John Cuthbert. The Scottish Episcopal Church also have a church in Auchmithie, King David of Scotland Church. However, this is currently a vacant charge. The Scottish Episcopal Church in Arbroath is part of the Diocese of Brechin
.
The Roman Catholic Church meets at St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Dishlandtown Street. The church is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld
.
The United Free Church of Scotland meet in Good Templar Hall, High Street, a former Masonic Temple. The minister is Rev. A Begg.
The Methodist Church have one of their earliest established churches in Arbroath, St John's in Ponderlaw, which was opened in 1772. Services are led by David Nicoll.
Other groups that worship in Arbroath include: The Arbroath Corps. of the Salvation Army, who meet in Marketgate; The Elim Pentecostal Church, led by Alan Herd, who meet in Ogilvy Place; The Baptists who meet at the New Life Church in James Street; The Jehovah's Witnesses, who meet at the Kingdom Hall in Lindsay Street; The Springfield Christian Assembly, who meet in the Gospel Hall in Ponderlaw Lane; and the Arbroath Town Mission, an interdenominational group led by Dr Robert Clapham, who meet in Grant Road.
Followers of other faiths and denominations travel further afield to worship.
, Jimmy Tarbuck
, Charlie Landsborough, The Illegal Eagles, and the Drifters, and was the first venue the Alexander Brothers
, a Scottish easy listening act, performed in as a professional duo. The Webster Theatre recently went through a multi-million pounds refurbishment and opened in February 2008.
There are several amateur theatre and musical companies based in and around Arbroath, the best known being the Angus Minstrels group, the last group in Britain to regularly perform blackface
. In 2005, following pressure from Angus Council, who feared legal action, the show began performing with normal stage makeup, and the group changed its name from 'The Angus Black and White Minstrels' to simply 'The Angus Minstrels'. The decision to stop performing the show in blackface received widespread press coverage in the UK.
Beginning in 1947, a pageant
commemorating the signing of the Declaration has been held within the roofless remains of the abbey (last full-scale event 2005). This was run by the local Arbroath Abbey Pageant Society, now Arbroath Abbey Timethemes, a registered charity, and re-enacts the story and history of the signing. The group also spearhead Scotland's Tartan Day celebrations on April 6 in association with Angus Council as well as educational visits to local schools.
The Arbroath Male Voice Choir was established in 1934 and is now one of only a few male voice choirs left in Scotland. At 2010 the Choir has over 40 members drawn not just from Arbroath but also Angus and Dundee. The Choir's Musical Director is Helen M Addison. They sing a mix of songs from classical, through Scottish, showtunes to pop. The ensemble perform two main concerts each year (one at Christmas and another in April) and several smaller events for good causes. The Choir are notable for attracting well known, often international singers to their annual April concert as guests. In recent years these have included, Jamie McDougall, Karen Cargill, Gordon Cree and Colette Ruddy.
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").
Arbroath has one museum, the former Bell Rock Lighthouse Signal Tower. 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. The Signal Tower Museum
was opened in 1974 as a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse and the town of Arbroath.
using traditional methods dating back to the late 19th century where the fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, before being left tied in pairs to 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 almost exclusively at the harbour area, though one larger processor, RR Spink, supplies Arbroath smokies to several UK supermarket chains, and to HM Queen Elizabeth II for which the company holds a Royal Warrant
.
, who play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League
after promotion from the Third Division in the 2010/11 season. Arbroath play their home matches at Gayfield Park
, which holds the record for being the closest stadium to the sea in European football (around five metres from the high tide line). Arbroath F.C. 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 12 September 1885. Further goals were disallowed either for offside, or because it was not clear whether the ball had gone into the goal. For this reason the AFC supporters' club is called the 36-0 club in memory of this event. Arbroath F.C. are nicknamed The Red Lichties, owing to the red light that used to guide fishing boats back from the North Sea to the harbour (Lichtie being a Scots word for light). Arbroath and the surrounding areas are home to several amateur senior and junior
teams competing in the various amateur leagues, such as Arbroath Victoria F.C.
and Arbroath SC
.
Arbroath also has a cricket
club, rugby union
club and several bowls
clubs, with former World and British singles champion Darren Burnett a native of Arbroath. Arbroath is also a popular location for Angling.
. Along with Dundee and parts of Perthshire, Angus is supplied from Lintrathen and Backwater
reservoirs in Glen Isla
. Electricity distribution is by Scottish Hydro Electric plc
, part of the Scottish and Southern Energy group.
Waste management is handled by Angus Council
. There is a kerbside recycling
scheme that has been in operation since May 2004. Cans, glass, paper and plastic bottles are collected on a weekly basis. Compostable material and non-recyclable material are collected on alternate weeks. Roughly two thirds of non-recyclable material is sent to landfill
at Angus Council's site at Lochhead, Forfar and the remainder sent for incineration
(with energy recovery) outside the council area.
A recycling centre is located at Cairnie Loan. Items accepted include, steel and aluminium cans, cardboard, paper, electrical equipment, engine oil, fridges and freezers, garden waste, gas bottles, glass, liquid food and drinks cartons, plastic bottles, plastic carrier bags, rubble, scrap metal, shoes and handbags, spectacles, textiles, tin foil, wood and yellow pages. Angus council publishes details of where and how each product is processed. There are also glass banks at Timmergreens Shopping Centre, the Abbeygate Car Park, Morrisons Car Park and East Muirlands Road. The Angus Council area had a recycling rate of 34.7% in 2007/08.
Healthcare
is supplied in the area by NHS Tayside
. Arbroath Infirmary
can be found at Rosemount Road, at the top of the hill and Ninewells Hospital
, Dundee. Primary Health Care in Arbroath is supplied by Abbey Health Centre in East Abbey Street and Springfield Medical Centre in Ponderlaw Street. Arbroath, along with the rest of Scotland is served by the Scottish Ambulance Service
.
Law enforcement is provided by Tayside Police
, with the police station located in Gravesend, and Arbroath is served by Tayside Fire and Rescue Service
.
Arbroath has had its own Lifeboat since 1803 and is currently the last remaining slipway launched Lifeboat in Scotland.
Located at the harbour the lifeboat station houses two RNLI Lifeboats, an inshore D-Class IB1 lifeboat the "Duncan Ferguson" and an All Weather Mersey Class Lifeboat the "Inchcape" named after the infamous rock that the Bell Rock lighthouse sits on. Photos and information on the Arbroath Lifeboats along with their history and callout statistics can be found at the stations website. www.arbroath-lifeboat.org.uk
. The first exchange taking place in 1987, on the 750th Anniversary of the foundation of Berlin
. As part of this celebration, the mayor of Berlin paid for the schools trip.
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
and the largest town in the council area
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"...
of Angus
Angus
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...
in Scotland
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...
, and has a population of 22,785. It lies on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast, around 16 miles (25.7 km) ENE of Dundee and 45 miles (72.4 km) SSW of Aberdeen.
While there is evidence for settlement of the area now occupied by the town that dates back to the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, Arbroath's history as a town begins in the High Middle Ages
Scotland in the High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages of Scotland encompass Scotland in the era between the death of Domnall II in 900 AD and the death of king Alexander III in 1286...
with the founding of Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath 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...
in 1178. Arbroath grew considerably during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
owing to the expansion of firstly the flax and secondly the jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
industries and the engineering sector. A new harbour was built in 1839 and by the 20th century, Arbroath had become one of the larger fishing ports in Scotland.
The town is notable as the home of the Declaration of Arbroath
Declaration of Arbroath
The 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...
, as well as the Arbroath Smokie
Arbroath Smokie
Arbroath Smokies are a type of smoked haddock – a speciality of the town of Arbroath in Angus, Scotland.-History:The Arbroath Smokie originated in the small fishing village of Auchmithie, three miles northeast of Arbroath. Local legend has it a store caught fire one night, destroying barrels...
.
Toponymy
The earliest recorded name for the town was 'Aberbrothock', a reference to the Brothock BurnStream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
which runs through the town, the prefix 'Aber' coming either from the Gaelic 'Obair', or the earlier term 'Aber' which could be either Goidelic or Brythonic for 'river mouth'. The name 'Aberbrothock' can be found in numerous spelling variations. In the earliest manuscripts available, it is seen as 'Abirbrothoke' (in the letter to Edward I confirming the Treaty of Salisbury, which agreed that the Queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
, Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret , usually known as the Maid of Norway , sometimes known as Margaret of Scotland , was a Norwegian princess who was Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death...
would marry Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
) and 'Aberbrothok' (in the subsequent letter giving consent for the marriage). In the Declaration of Arbroath
Declaration of Arbroath
The 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...
, it is seen as 'Abirbrothoc'. Early maps show a number of variants including Aberbrothock, Aberbrothik, Aberbrothick, and Aberbrothwick.
The modern name 'Arbroath' became more common in the mid-19th century, with the older name being largely dispensed with by the time of the first edition of the Ordnance Survey Maps. However, variants of 'Arbroath' had been used since the 17th century, including 'Arbroth' and Aberbreth.
Early history
Posthole
In archaeology a posthole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide although truncation may not make this apparent....
s from an enclosure at Douglasmuir, near Friockheim
Friockheim
Friockheim is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Brechin, Montrose, Arbroath and Forfar.-History:...
, about five miles north of Arbroath have been radiocarbon dated to around 3500 BC The function of the enclosure is unknown, but may have been for agriculture or for ceremonial purposes.
Bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
archaeology is to be found in abundance in the surrounding area. Examples include the short-cist burials found near West Newbigging, about a mile to the North of the town. These burials included pottery urns, a pair of silver discs and a gold armlet. Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
archaeology is also well represented, for example in the souterrain
Souterrain
Souterrain is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the Atlantic Iron Age. These structures appear to have been brought northwards from Gaul during the late Iron Age. Regional names include earth houses, fogous and Pictish houses...
nearby Warddykes cemetery and at West Grange of Conan, as well as the better known examples at Carlungie and Ardestie.
The area appears to have been of some importance in the early Christian period, as evidenced by the Pictish
Picts
The 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...
stone carvings found during the restoration of St Vigeans
St Vigeans
St 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...
church, and now housed in the small museum there. The stones had been used in the building of the old church and, unfortunately, many been badly damaged. One of the stones, the 9th century Drosten Stone
Drosten Stone
The Drosten Stone is a carved Pictish stone of the 9th century at St Vigeans, near Arbroath, Scotland. In academic contexts it is sometimes called St Vigeans 1....
, has the distinction of being one of the few Pictish artefacts to have an inscription in Latin text: 'DROSTEN: IREUORET [E]TTFOR CUS', which has been interpreted in various ways, but it is thought that the second line refers to the Pictish King Uurad
Uurad of the Picts
Uurad or Ferat son of Bargoit was king of the Picts, perhaps from 839 onwards.No two versions of the king-lists known as the Pictish Chronicle give exactly the same version of his name...
, who reigned between 839 and 842 AD.
Medieval history
Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath 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...
, founded by King William the Lion in 1178 for monks of the Tironensian
Tironensian
The Tironensian Order or the Order of Tiron was a Roman Catholic monastic order named after the location of the mother abbey in the woods of Tiron in Perche, some 35 miles west of Chartres in France)...
order from Kelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey is what remains of a Scottish abbey founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot waters, the site of what was once the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
. It received consecration in 1197 with a dedication to Saint Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
. It was the King's only personal foundation, and he was buried within its precincts in 1214. The Abbey was not finally completed until 1233.
Arbroath was the location of the Battle of Arbroath in 1446. A series of disagreements between the Chief Justiciary of Arbroath, Alexander Lindsay, third Earl of Crawford, and Bishop James Kennedy of St Andrews resulted in Lindsay sacking the bishop's lands and burning his properties. Lindsay was excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
for his troubles and it was felt that this was incompatible with his role as Chief Justiciary. The monks of Arbroath Abbey selected Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity as his replacement and the insult led to pitched battle in the town, leaving 500 dead, including Lindsay and Ogilvy. Large parts of the town were destroyed in the aftermath by the Lindsay family.
The Abbey relatively quickly fell into disuse and eventual disrepair after its dissolution at the Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
, the lead from the roof rumoured to have been used in the 16th century civil wars and the stonework plundered for housebuilding throughout the town. The ruins were a popular site for travellers during the 17th and 18th centuries, and finally in 1815 the remains were taken into the care of the State for preservation. The remains are now administered by Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
.
On 6 April 1320 the Scottish Parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the Pope
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
the Declaration of Arbroath
Declaration of Arbroath
The 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...
, drafted by the Abbot of the time, Bernard
Bernard of Kilwinning
Bernard was a Tironensian abbot, administrator and bishop active in late 13th- and early 14th-century Scotland, during the First War of Scottish Independence...
. This document detailed the services which their "lord and sovereign" Robert the Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
had rendered to Scotland, and affirmed in eloquent terms the independence of the Scots.
Modern history
During the industrial revolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, Arbroath's economy expanded and the population of the town expanded, with new housing having to be constructed to house the influx of workers. Arbroath became moderately well known for jute
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
and sailcloth
Sailcloth
Sails have been made from cloth for all of recorded history. Typically sails were made from flax , hemp or cotton in various forms including canvas. However, modern sails are rarely made from natural fibers. Most sails are made from synthetic fibers ranging from low-cost nylon or polyester to...
production, with 34 mills employing 1400 loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
s and producing over one million yards of osnaburg
Osnaburg
Osnaburg was a coarse type of plain textile fabric, named for the city of Osnabrück . Originally made from flax yarns, it has been made from either flax, tow or jute yarns, sometimes flax or tow warp with mixed or jute weft, and often entirely of jute...
cloth and 450,000 yards of sailcloth in 1875. Arbroath is believed to be the source of the sails used on the Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark
The Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954...
. In 1867, the mills in Arbroath employed 4620 people. Arbroath was also prominent in the manufacture of shoes and lawnmowers; local firm Alexander Shanks supplied mowers to the Old Course at St Andrews
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...
.
Arbroath today is mostly known for its connection with the Scottish fishing industry. After the original harbours, dating from the 14th and 18th centuries, were replaced in 1839 with a larger harbour, the local council tried to find fishermen who would be interested in migrating to Arbroath in order to take advantage of the new facilities offered. The town council contacted fishermen in nearby Auchmithie
Auchmithie
Auchmithie 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...
and further afield, including Shetland. The fishing industry grew and at its peak years between 1900 and 1980, around 40 whitefish
Freshwater whitefish
The freshwater whitefish are fish of the subfamily Coregoninae in the salmon family Salmonidae. Along with the freshwater whitefish, the Salmonidae includes the freshwater and anadromous trout and salmon species as well as graylings...
and pelagic vessels worked from Arbroath, with hundreds of men employed directly as fishermen, hundreds more employed ashore to service the fishing vessels and to process the fish. Quota cuts and decommissioning took its toll on the fishing industry throughout Scotland from the 1980s to present. Today, Arbroath remains a designated whitefish landing port, and although no fish auction takes place, the fishmarket remains open and is used for landing shellfish. There is now only one large fishing vessel operating regularly from Arbroath, and a further three Arbroath owned vessels operating from Aberdeen and ports further north. The fish processing sector remains one of the largest employers in the town however, but fish for processing now comes from Aberdeen, Peterhead and occasionally from Iceland, Norway and Ireland.
Governance
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
in 1178 by King William the Lion
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
at the same time as the Abbey was established. The burgh of regality permitted the monks to hold a weekly market, dispense basic justice and to establish a harbour. In 1559, the town's burgh of regality was reconfirmed in 1559 by King James VI of Scotland
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. A provost and a town council were appointed and it was at this point Aberbrothock became a fully fledged royal burgh.
Arbroath was controlled by Arbroath Town Council from the time of King James VI through to 1975, when Arbroath (and the county of Angus) were amalgamated with the counties of Perthshire and Dundee City into Tayside, under the control of Tayside Regional Council
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...
. Angus, together with Dundee City and Perth & Kinross were re-established following reorganisation under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....
.
Local government
Arbroath is a constituent town of Angus, one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Prior to the 2006 boundary changes, Arbroath was represented by seven councillors, each in turn representing one individual ward. Councillors were elected using a first past the post system. Following the boundary changes in 2006, the seven wards were amalgamated into two large wards (Arbroath West & Letham and Arbroath East & Lunan) with each ward now returning four councillors, voting takes place using the Single Transferable VoteSingle transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system. The 3 May 2007 elections were the first in which the new voting system was used to elect councillors for the new wards. The 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....
lost four councillors and the remaining parties formed a coalition
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
called the "Angus Alliance" in order to take over as the ruling party of Angus Council.
* Because of the changes in boundaries and amalgamation of wards across Angus, it is not possible to accurately tell which seats were won or lost by the respective parties, or to accurately calculate percentage differences in voting and turnout.
Arbroath is represented by three 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....
councillors, two 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...
councillors, two Conservative
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...
councillors and one 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...
councillor, one Independent councillor, both Conservative councillors and the one Liberal Democrat councillor are members of the ruling Angus Alliance, whilst the one remaining Independent councillor has no political affiliation. The three SNP councillors and the remaining Independent councillor have no official function within the council, other than to represent their constituents' interests.
Parliamentary representation
For elections to the House of CommonsBritish House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, Arbroath forms part of the Angus
Angus (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....
constituency and since 2001 has been represented by Michael Weir (SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
) who held the seat again, with an increased majority of 3800 votes at the 2010 General Election. In the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, Arbroath forms part of 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...
Scottish Parliamentary constituency, represented by Andrew Welsh
Andrew Welsh (politician)
Andrew Paton Welsh is a Scottish politician. He was educated at Govan High School and Glasgow University.Andrew Welsh was the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for the House of Commons constituencies of South Angus from 1974 to 1979, East Angus from 1987 to 1997 and Angus from 1997 to...
(SNP). Arbroath is also part of the Angus South constituency
Angus South (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Angus South is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, which has significantly different boundaries to the Westminster constituency. The constituency returns a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) to Holyrood
Holyrood, Edinburgh
Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Lying east of the city centre, at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood was once in the separate burgh of Canongate before the expansion of Edinburgh in 1856...
directly, and is part of the North East Scotland electoral region
North East Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
North East Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
with regards to additional Members of the Scottish Parliament. The constituency's MSP is currently Graeme Dey
Graeme Dey
Graeme Dey is a Scottish politician. He is the current Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Scottish Parliament constituency of Angus South, elected at the 2011 election. Dey received 16,164 votes, representing 58.5% of the vote, a 38.3% majority....
of the 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....
.
Geography
At 56°33′31"N 02°34′58"W, Arbroath is located on the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast in eastern Scotland 17 miles (27.4 km) northeast 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...
, within the Angus
Angus
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...
region. Geologically, Arbroath sits predominantly on Old Red Sandstone
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
. Lower-lying parts of the town were below sea level during and immediately after the last ice age.
Arbroath is located 98 miles (157.7 km) northeast of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, 50 miles (80.5 km) southwest of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and 77 miles (123.9 km) from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The neighbouring villages of St Vigeans
St Vigeans
St 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...
, Carmyllie
Carmyllie
Carmyllie 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...
, Friockheim
Friockheim
Friockheim is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Brechin, Montrose, Arbroath and Forfar.-History:...
, Colliston
Colliston
Colliston is a roadside hamlet in Angus, Scotland that is four miles north of Arbroath on the A933 Arbroath to Brechin road, in the parish of St Vigeans.-Sources:* in the Gazetteer for Scotland....
and Inverkeilor
Inverkeilor
Inverkeilor 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....
are considered part of Arbroath for the purposes of council representation, and together with Carnoustie
Carnoustie
Carnoustie 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...
, share the 01241 telephone area code with Arbroath.
Demography
Residents of Arbroath are called Arbroathians but often refer to themselves as Red Lichties after the flame that burned to aid shipping, from the still remaining, Roond O tower of Arbroath Abbey.At the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the population of Arbroath was 22,785. Approximately 88.9% were born in Scotland, while 97.7% were born in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as a whole. Most Arbroath residents are between 16 and 65, with 19.8% under 16, 59.5% between 16 and 65 with those over 65 making up 20.7% of the population. There are 47.1% males to 52.9% females.
Arbroath has a moderate rate of unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
- around 2.7% of the population are claiming unemployment-related social welfare benefits.
Economy
Arbroath has no sizeable employers outside of the public sector, with most workers commuting to Dundee. Arbroath itself has an economically active population of 9,192 people, with the public sectorPublic sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
(21.8%) the largest employer of Arbroath residents closely followed by the manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
(16%) and retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
sector (15.4%). The fishing industry accounts for 0.4% (fewer than 50 people) although the processing sector is considered separately under manufacturing and the figure of 50 people relates directly to the catching and support sectors.
History
Arbroath's prospects originally revolved around the harbour. The original harbour was constructed and maintained by the abbotAbbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
within the terms of an agreement between the burgesses and John Gedy, the abbot in 1394 AD. This gave way to a more commodious port in 1725, which in turn was enlarged and improved in 1839, when the sea wall, quay walls and breakwater were added to the old inner harbour, at a cost of £58,000. Arbroath became a major port for the coastal shipping trade and in 1846, there were 89 Arbroath registered vessels, totalling 9100 gross tons. In the same year, 599 vessels docked at Arbroath, 56 from foreign ports (mainly Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
ports) with the remaining 543 employed on the coastal trade. Bark, flax, hemp, hides, oak, and fir timber, and guano for manure, groceries from London, and numerous articles of Baltic produce were imported via Arbroath, with manufactured goods (mainly sailcloth) exported via Arbroath.
Linseed oil
Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil, is a clear to yellowish oil obtained from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant . The oil is obtained by cold pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction...
to flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
sails, creating an oiled flax. This developed in the late-19th century into waxed cotton
Waxed cotton
Waxed cotton is as the name suggests, is cotton impregnated with a paraffin based wax, woven into a cloth. Widely used from the mid-19th century to the mid-1950s, the product which originated in the sailing industry in Scotland, became widely used by many to make themselves waterproof...
, which drove Arbroath as a manufacturing centre, until the early 1970s manufacturing began to decline. A major employer, Keith & Blackman, closed in 1985 and Giddings and Lewis-Fraser wound down its operations at about the same time, with the entire plant eventually demolished to make way for a Safeway
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
(now Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
) supermarket. Alps Electric Co.
Alps Electric Co.
produces electronic devices, including potentiometers and touchpads. Alps is a multinational corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1948. As of August of 2010, the CEO is Masataka Kataoka...
was a large employer in Arbroath from 1990 to 2001, employing 180 staff. Following the closure of the plant, all 180 staff were made redundant
Layoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...
Military
Arbroath is home to 45 Commando45 Commando
45 Commando Royal Marines is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet....
of the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, who have been based at RM Condor
RM Condor
RM Condor is a large Royal Marines base located near Arbroath in East Angus, Scotland. The base has been home to 45 Commando, which is part of 3 Commando Brigade, since 1971, although it was first constructed as a Fleet Air Arm base in 1938, when it was known as HMS Condor...
since 1971. The barracks were originally built in 1940 and commissioned as RNAS Arbroath / HMS Condor, a Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) until 1971. The Royal Marines moved to Arbroath in 1971 and remain a major contributor to the local economy, in addition to the Marines stationed at Arbroath, around 600 residents employed by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. The Royal Marines from 45 Commando were recently engaged on operations in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and have deployed in support of operations in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. In 2004, there was speculation that RM CONDOR would be transferred to the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
as a replacement for Fort George
Fort George, Highland
Fort George , is a large 18th century fortress near Ardersier, to the north-east of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland. It was built to pacify the Scottish Highlands in the aftermath of the Jacobite rising of 1745, replacing an earlier Fort George built with the same aim after the...
and that the barracks would become a permanent base for a battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, each formerly an individual regiment...
. These plans never went beyond the planning stage and in 2005 it was confirmed the Royal Marines would remain based at the site.
Housing
House Prices in Arbroath are very close to the national average and in April–June 2006 were £99 below the national average, local prices averaging £113,646 compared to the national average of £113,745. The average house price across Angus has risen by 14.9% in the past year (to November 2006) and now stands at £124,451. Angus Council suggests the recent upgrading of the A92 between Arbroath and Dundee to dual carriageway has lured Dundonians to Arbroath and this may be driving up house prices.Tourism
Tourism plays some part in the Arbroath economy, with Arbroath AbbeyArbroath Abbey
Arbroath 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...
attracting over 14,000 visitors each year. Attractions during the summer months include the Seafront Spectacular, which includes an airshow, and the Seafest which is themed around Arbroath's maritime heritage. There is also a re-enactment of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath
Declaration of Arbroath
The 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...
(the declaration of Scottish independence) and in past years there has been a mock Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
invasion culminating in the burning of a longship
Longship
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...
.
Arbroath is home to Kerr's Miniature Railway
Kerr's Miniature Railway
thumb|alt=Station|StationKerr's Miniature Railway is a gauge railway situated adjacent to the east coast mainline railway to Aberdeen, in West Links Park Arbroath. It is the oldest miniature railway in Scotland, having first opened for business in 1935...
, the oldest miniature railway in Scotland, which has been operating since 1935 and which at its height, in 1955, saw 60,000 visitors. Today, the railway is operated as a hobby by a group of volunteers and remains popular with locals, tourists and railway enthusiasts.
Transport
A92 road
The A92 is a major road in Fife and Angus, Scotland. It runs from Dunfermline to Stonehaven.Starting at its junction with the M90 motorway near Dunfermline, it runs north east past Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, Ladybank and Newport-on-Tay...
which connects the city to 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...
and 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...
to the south west, and Stonehaven
Stonehaven
Stonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.Stonehaven, county town of Kincardineshire, grew around an Iron Age fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" , and expanded inland from the seaside...
in the north east. The A92 joins the A90
A90 road
The A90 road is a major north to south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.From Edinburgh, it travels west and over the Forth Road Bridge, before turning into the M90 motorway. At Perth, the M90 again becomes the A90, now running north east to Dundee...
north of Stonehaven and leads to Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
further north. The A92 is dual carriageway from the southern outskirts of Arbroath to the northern outskirts of Dundee, the A92 proceeds through Dundee before crossing the Tay estuary into Fife via the Tay Road Bridge
Tay Road Bridge
The Tay Road Bridge is a bridge across the Firth of Tay from Newport-on-Tay in Fife to Dundee in Scotland. At around , it is one of the longest road bridges in Europe, and slopes gradually downward towards Dundee...
. The A90 can also be reached at Dundee heading both north (to Aberdeen) and south (to Perth and Edinburgh).
Arbroath has a modest public bus transport system, with the Arbroath Bus Station serving as the town's main terminus. Stagecoach Strathtay and Travel Wishart (part of National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
) operate most of the local services, with most rural services operated by Stagecoach Strathtay. Arbroath has one railway station
Arbroath railway station
Arbroath railway station serves the town of Arbroath in Angus, Scotland. The station is east of Dundee on the line between Dundee and Aberdeen.- History :There have been three stations called "Arbroath", two of which closed in 1848...
, a short walk from the bus station, with regional train services to the east coast of Scotland, Edinburgh, Perth and Glasgow whilst intercity services operate to destinations in England such as Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Passenger services at Arbroath are provided by First ScotRail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
, CrossCountry Trains
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
and National Express East Coast
National Express East Coast
National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
. Dundee has a regional airport
Dundee Airport
-Road:The airport lies on the main A85 Riverside Drive, which links the city centre to the Kingsway and the A90, with the airport barely a couple of kilometers from the city centre itself. Taxis are available from outside the airport.-Bus:...
which offers commercial flights to London City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
five times a week. The airport has a 1,400-metre runway capable of serving small aircraft and is located 3 kilometres west of the city centre, adjacent to the Tay river. The nearest major international airports are in Edinburgh
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
and Aberdeen
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
. Arbroath has a sizeable airfield at the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
military base on the western outskirts of the town, but this remains a dedicated military airfield.
Education
Arbroath has one further education college, Angus CollegeAngus College
Angus College is a college in Arbroath, Scotland, which was founded in 1956. The institute currently teaches around 12,000 students and trainees.-External links:*...
which is based in the former Arbroath High School
Arbroath High School
Arbroath High School is a six-year state run school in Arbroath, north-east Scotland.-Admissions:The school has around 1000 pupils and serves the west-end of Arbroath...
buildings. There are two secondary schools and 11 primary schools. One primary school is Roman Catholic, the remaining schools are non-denominational. There are 2260 pupils in primary school education in Arbroath with a further 1,720 pupils in secondary education.
Secondary schools
Arbroath has two secondary schools, Arbroath High SchoolArbroath High School
Arbroath High School is a six-year state run school in Arbroath, north-east Scotland.-Admissions:The school has around 1000 pupils and serves the west-end of Arbroath...
and Arbroath Academy. The High School (the older of the two), was originally a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and the Academy a comprehensive
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
. The Academy is located near the Mayfield area and the High School near Keptie Pond. Both schools are well regarded with exam results along reading and writing performance indicators above the national average. Arbroath High is the larger of the two with around 1,200 pupils, and the Academy being smaller with around 600 pupils.
Noted former pupils of Arbroath High School include Michael Forsyth
Michael Forsyth, Baron Forsyth of Drumlean
Michael Bruce Forsyth, Baron Forsyth of Drumlean PC, Kt is a British financier and politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Stirling from 1983 to 1997 and served in the cabinet of John Major as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1995 to 1997...
, former Scottish Secretary and Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
Andrew Neil "Andy" Webster is a Scottish footballer who plays as a centre back for Heart of Midlothian...
, a professional footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who plays for Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
.
Further education
Angus College, a further educationFurther education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
college, has around 8,500 students, with 80% passing the course for which they enrol. There are around 1,700 full-time students with part-time students making up the majority of the student population. Arbroath is not a student town and there are no student residences in the town. The student population is made up solely of local students living within commuting distance of the college. Angus College offers courses up to Higher National Diploma
Higher National Diploma
A Higher National Diploma is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. This qualification can be used to gain entry into universities, and is considered equivalent to the first or second year of a university degree course....
(HND) level in a variety of trade related and academic disciplines from construction to Social Sciences, as well as a sizeable number of programs relating to computing, information technology and office administration. A large number of the student body are mature students taking evening classes related to computing, digital photography and various software packages.
School leavers going onto study at university have the choice of several local institutions - the University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
, the University of Abertay Dundee
University of Abertay Dundee
The University of Abertay Dundee, usually known simply as Abertay University, is a modern university in Dundee, Scotland.- History :The University of Abertay Dundee was created in 1994, under government legislation granting the title University to the Dundee Institute of Technology...
, the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
and the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
all within around one hour's travel from Arbroath.
Places of worship
The neighbouring villages of St Vigeans, Carmyllie, Friockheim, Colliston and Inverkeilor are considered part of Arbroath for the purposes of council representationThe Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
has a number of congregations that meet in Arbroath. The Old and Abbey Church is located in the centre of town at West Abbey Street, and the minister is Rev. Valerie Allen. St Andrews Church, Arbroath
St Andrews Church, Arbroath
St. Andrew's Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland located in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland.The church building was constructed in the late 1880s. In 2007 the church underwent extensive refurbishment, funded by donations from the congregation and a grant from the Church of Scotland....
is located in Hamilton Green, and the minister is Rev. Martin Fair. Knox's Church is located in Howard Street and the minister is Rev Dr Nelu Balaj. The West Kirk is located in Keptie Street and the minister is Rev. Alasdair Graham.
There are also a number of Church of Scotland kirks in the surrounding villages. St Vigeans Church
St Vigeans Church
St Vigeans Church is a Church of Scotland parish church, serving the parish of the ancient village of St Vigeans on the outskirts of Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. The church was rebuilt in the 12th century but not consecrated until 1242 by David de Bernham, Bishop of St Andrews...
, St Vigeans
St Vigeans
St 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...
is linked with Knox's Church in Arbroath and services are led by Rev Dr Nelu Balaj. Arbirlot Church is linked with Carmyllie Church, both being ministered to by Rev. Ian Coltart. Colliston Church is linked with Friockheim and Kinnell Church and Inverkeilor and Lunan Church. The minister of these three churches is Rev. Peter Phillips.
There is an Episcopalian
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
congregation based at St Mary the Virgin Church in Springfield Terrace. The Minister is Rev. Dr. John Cuthbert. The Scottish Episcopal Church also have a church in Auchmithie, King David of Scotland Church. However, this is currently a vacant charge. The Scottish Episcopal Church in Arbroath is part of the Diocese of Brechin
Diocese of Brechin (Episcopalian)
The Diocese of Brechin is in the east of Scotland, and is the smallest of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers the City of Dundee, Angus and southern Aberdeenshire. It stretches from Muchalls in the north east down to Dundee in the south, and across to Glencarse in the...
.
The Roman Catholic Church meets at St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Dishlandtown Street. The church is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Scotland, forming an episcopal hierarchy distinct from that of England and Wales....
.
The United Free Church of Scotland meet in Good Templar Hall, High Street, a former Masonic Temple. The minister is Rev. A Begg.
The Methodist Church have one of their earliest established churches in Arbroath, St John's in Ponderlaw, which was opened in 1772. Services are led by David Nicoll.
Other groups that worship in Arbroath include: The Arbroath Corps. of the Salvation Army, who meet in Marketgate; The Elim Pentecostal Church, led by Alan Herd, who meet in Ogilvy Place; The Baptists who meet at the New Life Church in James Street; The Jehovah's Witnesses, who meet at the Kingdom Hall in Lindsay Street; The Springfield Christian Assembly, who meet in the Gospel Hall in Ponderlaw Lane; and the Arbroath Town Mission, an interdenominational group led by Dr Robert Clapham, who meet in Grant Road.
Followers of other faiths and denominations travel further afield to worship.
Culture
Arbroath's Webster Theatre has featured among others Harry LauderHarry Lauder
Sir Henry Lauder , known professionally as Harry Lauder, was an international Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador!"-Early life:...
, Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck OBE or Tarby is an English comedian. Growing up he was a schoolmate of John Lennon.His first television show was It's Tarbuck 65! on ITV in 1964. He has also hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All, Full Swing, and Tarby's Frame Game...
, Charlie Landsborough, The Illegal Eagles, and the Drifters, and was the first venue the Alexander Brothers
Alexander Brothers
The Alexander Brothers are an easy-listening folk-music duo from Scotland, who have been performing since the 1950s.Tom Alexander and Jack Alexander were born in Cambusnethan, near Wishaw...
, a Scottish easy listening act, performed in as a professional duo. The Webster Theatre recently went through a multi-million pounds refurbishment and opened in February 2008.
There are several amateur theatre and musical companies based in and around Arbroath, the best known being the Angus Minstrels group, the last group in Britain to regularly perform blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
. In 2005, following pressure from Angus Council, who feared legal action, the show began performing with normal stage makeup, and the group changed its name from 'The Angus Black and White Minstrels' to simply 'The Angus Minstrels'. The decision to stop performing the show in blackface received widespread press coverage in the UK.
Beginning in 1947, a pageant
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
commemorating the signing of the Declaration has been held within the roofless remains of the abbey (last full-scale event 2005). This was run by the local Arbroath Abbey Pageant Society, now Arbroath Abbey Timethemes, a registered charity, and re-enacts the story and history of the signing. The group also spearhead Scotland's Tartan Day celebrations on April 6 in association with Angus Council as well as educational visits to local schools.
The Arbroath Male Voice Choir was established in 1934 and is now one of only a few male voice choirs left in Scotland. At 2010 the Choir has over 40 members drawn not just from Arbroath but also Angus and Dundee. The Choir's Musical Director is Helen M Addison. They sing a mix of songs from classical, through Scottish, showtunes to pop. The ensemble perform two main concerts each year (one at Christmas and another in April) and several smaller events for good causes. The Choir are notable for attracting well known, often international singers to their annual April concert as guests. In recent years these have included, Jamie McDougall, Karen Cargill, Gordon Cree and Colette Ruddy.
The author Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
is famous for the Waverley
Waverley (novel)
Waverley is an 1814 historical novel by Sir Walter Scott. Initially published anonymously in 1814 as Scott's first venture into prose fiction, Waverley is often regarded as the first historical novel. It became so popular that Scott's later novels were advertised as being "by the author of...
series of novels, including Rob Roy
Rob Roy (novel)
Rob Roy is a historical novel by Walter Scott. It is narrated by Frank Osbaldistone, the son of an English merchant who travels first to the North of England, and subsequently to the Scottish Highlands to collect a debt stolen from his father. On the way he encounters the larger-than-life title...
and Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott in 1819, and set in 12th-century England. Ivanhoe is sometimes credited for increasing interest in Romanticism and Medievalism; John Henry Newman claimed Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the middle ages," while...
. Scott is known to have visited Arbroath three times, and his personal favourite in the series, The Antiquary
The Antiquary
The Antiquary is a novel by Sir Walter Scott about several characters including an antiquary: an amateur historian, archaeologist and collector of items of dubious antiquity. Although he is the eponymous character, he is not necessarily the hero, as many of the characters around him undergo far...
(1816) features affectionately fictionalised versions of both Arbroath ("Fairport") and Auchmithie
Auchmithie
Auchmithie 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...
("Musselcrag").
Arbroath has one museum, the former Bell Rock Lighthouse Signal Tower. In 1807 Arbroath became the base of operations for the building of the Bell Rock Lighthouse
Bell Rock Lighthouse
Bell Rock Lighthouse is the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse and was built on Bell Rock in the North Sea, off the coast of Angus, Scotland, east of the Firth of Tay...
. The shore station for the lighthouse - the Bell Rock Signal Tower - was completed in 1813 and acted as a lifeline for the keepers offshore. The Signal Tower Museum
Signal Tower Museum
-Working life:Originally built in 1813 as a base of operations for the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse, the Signal Tower housed the families of the keepers stationed on the 'rock', along with the vital shore staff who ran the tender...
was opened in 1974 as a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse and the town of Arbroath.
Arbroath smokies
Arbroath smokies, for which Arbroath is well-known nationally and internationally, are made solely in Arbroath following the award of Protected Geographical Indication in 2004, which limits Arbroath smokie production to within 4 km of Arbroath. Smokies are made from haddockHaddock
The haddock , also known as the offshore hake, is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish and is widely fished commercially....
using traditional methods dating back to the late 19th century where the fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, before being left tied in pairs to 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 almost exclusively at the harbour area, though one larger processor, RR Spink, supplies Arbroath smokies to several UK supermarket chains, and to HM Queen Elizabeth II for which the company holds a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
.
Sport
Arbroath has one professional football team, ArbroathArbroath F.C.
Arbroath F.C. are a Scottish football club currently playing in the Scottish Second Division. They were founded in 1878 and currently play their home matches at Gayfield, Arbroath, Angus. They play in maroon strips, and are nicknamed "The Red Lichties" due to the red light that used to guide...
, who play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
after promotion from the Third Division in the 2010/11 season. Arbroath play their home matches at Gayfield Park
Gayfield Park
Gayfield Park is a football stadium in Arbroath, Scotland. It is the home ground of Arbroath F.C.The stadium is situated on the sea front, to the west of Arbroath harbour, on the southern edge of the town. There is no other football stadium in Europe which is as close to the sea; it is only away...
, which holds the record for being the closest stadium to the sea in European football (around five metres from the high tide line). Arbroath F.C. holds the world record for the largest winning margin in a senior football match, 36-0, in their Scottish Cup match against Bon Accord
Bon Accord F.C.
Bon Accord were a football team from Aberdeen, Scotland who suffered the worst defeat in any British senior football match, losing 36–0 to Arbroath on 12 September 1885 in a first round match of the Scottish Cup...
(a scratch team
Scratch team
A scratch team is a team, usually in sport, brought together on a temporary basis, composed of players who normally play for different sides. A game played between two scratch teams may be called a scratch match....
from Aberdeen) on 12 September 1885. Further goals were disallowed either for offside, or because it was not clear whether the ball had gone into the goal. For this reason the AFC supporters' club is called the 36-0 club in memory of this event. Arbroath F.C. are nicknamed The Red Lichties, owing to the red light that used to guide fishing boats back from the North Sea to the harbour (Lichtie being a Scots word for light). Arbroath and the surrounding areas are home to several amateur senior and junior
Scottish Junior Football Association
The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...
teams competing in the various amateur leagues, such as Arbroath Victoria F.C.
Arbroath Victoria F.C.
Arbroath Victoria are a Scottish Junior football club based in Arbroath. They are one of the oldest Junior clubs in Scotland, having been formed in 1882. The club gained their first honour in April of that year by beating a team called Sunrise 3–0 on Arbroath Common...
and Arbroath SC
Arbroath Sporting Club
Arbroath Sporting Club were a Scottish junior football club based in Arbroath. Their home ground was Seaton Park....
.
Arbroath also has a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club and several bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
clubs, with former World and British singles champion Darren Burnett a native of Arbroath. Arbroath is also a popular location for Angling.
Public services
Arbroath and the surrounding area is supplied with water by Scottish WaterScottish Water
Scottish Water is a statutory corporation in Scotland that provides water and sewerage services. Unlike in England and Wales, water and sewerage provision in Scotland continues as a public corporation accountable to the public through the Scottish Government....
. Along with Dundee and parts of Perthshire, Angus is supplied from Lintrathen and Backwater
Backwater Reservoir
Backwater Reservoir is a reservoir in north west Angus, Scotland.The project was initiated by the Dundee Corporation Waterworks in 1964 and absorbed into the newly created East of Scotland Water Board in 1968, before final completion and the official opening by Queen Elizabeth II on October 9, 1969...
reservoirs in Glen Isla
River Isla, Perthshire
The River Isla is a tributary of the River Tay in Angus and Perthshire, Scotland. It runs for 46 miles through Glen Isla and Strathmore .-External links:*...
. Electricity distribution is by Scottish Hydro Electric plc
Scottish Hydro Electric
Scottish Hydro plc was a Public Electricity Supplier formed on 1 August 1989 after a change of name from North of Scotland Electricity plc on that date...
, part of the Scottish and Southern Energy group.
Waste management is handled by Angus Council
Angus
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...
. There is a kerbside recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
scheme that has been in operation since May 2004. Cans, glass, paper and plastic bottles are collected on a weekly basis. Compostable material and non-recyclable material are collected on alternate weeks. Roughly two thirds of non-recyclable material is sent to landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
at Angus Council's site at Lochhead, Forfar and the remainder sent for incineration
Incineration
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas, and...
(with energy recovery) outside the council area.
A recycling centre is located at Cairnie Loan. Items accepted include, steel and aluminium cans, cardboard, paper, electrical equipment, engine oil, fridges and freezers, garden waste, gas bottles, glass, liquid food and drinks cartons, plastic bottles, plastic carrier bags, rubble, scrap metal, shoes and handbags, spectacles, textiles, tin foil, wood and yellow pages. Angus council publishes details of where and how each product is processed. There are also glass banks at Timmergreens Shopping Centre, the Abbeygate Car Park, Morrisons Car Park and East Muirlands Road. The Angus Council area had a recycling rate of 34.7% in 2007/08.
Healthcare
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
is supplied in the area by NHS Tayside
NHS Tayside
NHS Tayside is one of the fourteen regions of NHS Scotland. It provides healthcare services in the Angus, City of Dundee and Perth and Kinross areas. NHS Tayside is headquartered in Clepington Road, Dundee...
. Arbroath Infirmary
Arbroath Infirmary
Arbroath Infirmary is a hospital serving the town of Arbroath and the greater area of Angus, Scotland. Arbroath has a population of over 36,000 and the greater area served is over 60,000. The hospital is situated at the top of Rosemount Road. It is separated into two wings. The Queen Mother wing...
can be found at Rosemount Road, at the top of the hill and Ninewells Hospital
Ninewells Hospital
Ninewells Hospital is one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe, based on the western edge of Dundee, Scotland. It is internationally renowned for introducing laparoscopic surgery to the UK as well as being a leading centre in developing fields such as the management of cancer, medical...
, Dundee. Primary Health Care in Arbroath is supplied by Abbey Health Centre in East Abbey Street and Springfield Medical Centre in Ponderlaw Street. Arbroath, along with the rest of Scotland is served by the Scottish Ambulance Service
Scottish Ambulance Service
The Scottish Ambulance Service is part of NHS Scotland, and serves all of Scotland. It is a Special Health Board funded directly by the Scottish Government Health Department....
.
Law enforcement is provided by Tayside Police
Tayside Police
Tayside Police is the territorial police force covering the Scottish council areas of Angus, City of Dundee and Perth and Kinross . The total area covered by the force is with a population of 388,000....
, with the police station located in Gravesend, and Arbroath is served by Tayside Fire and Rescue Service
Tayside Fire and Rescue Service
Tayside Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the area of Tayside and covering a geographical area of 7,500 square kilometres. The FRS has a total of 50 fire appliances based at a total of 24 fire stations. The service currently recruits 721 operational Firefighters...
.
Arbroath has had its own Lifeboat since 1803 and is currently the last remaining slipway launched Lifeboat in Scotland.
Located at the harbour the lifeboat station houses two RNLI Lifeboats, an inshore D-Class IB1 lifeboat the "Duncan Ferguson" and an All Weather Mersey Class Lifeboat the "Inchcape" named after the infamous rock that the Bell Rock lighthouse sits on. Photos and information on the Arbroath Lifeboats along with their history and callout statistics can be found at the stations website. www.arbroath-lifeboat.org.uk
Twin town
Arbroath has no twin town as such. However, Arbroath Academy has twinned with Friedensburg-Oberschule, a secondary school in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The first exchange taking place in 1987, on the 750th Anniversary of the foundation of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. As part of this celebration, the mayor of Berlin paid for the schools trip.
Notable people
- Gus Alexander (1934–2010), footballer
- Dr Neil ArnottNeil ArnottNeil Arnott was a Scottish physician.Neil Arnott FRS was a distinguished graduate of Marischal College, University of Aberdeen and subsequently learned in London under Sir Everard Home , through whom he obtained, while yet in his nineteenth year, the appointment of full surgeon to an East Indiaman...
, inventor of the Waterbed and hot air stove as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society. - David Dunbar BuickDavid Dunbar BuickDavid Dunbar Buick was a Scottish-born Detroit inventor, best known for founding the Buick Motor Company...
, founder of the Buick Motor Company, and inventor of the enameledVitreous enamelVitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
bathtubBathtubA bath , bathtub , or tub is a large container for holding water in which a person may bathe . Most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass, but alternatives are available in enamel over steel or cast iron, and occasionally waterproof finished wood...
and the overhead valveOverhead valveAn overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
engine - James Chalmers, inventor of the adhesive postage stampPostage stampA postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
and promoter of the uniform postal ratePenny PostThe Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny.-London Penny Post:In England, the Post Office had a monopoly on the collection and carriage of letters between post towns but there was no delivery system until the London Penny Post was... - Bernard de LintonBernard de LintonBernard de Linton was the parson of Mordington mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where he is styled persone del Eglife de Mordington, del counte de Berewyk, "parson of the church of Mordington, in the county of Berwick". Nothing else is known of him...
(died c.1331), Abbot of Arbroath, Chancellor of Scotland and Bishop of the Isles (also known as Bernard of KilwinningBernard of KilwinningBernard was a Tironensian abbot, administrator and bishop active in late 13th- and early 14th-century Scotland, during the First War of Scottish Independence...
) widely credited, since the 18th-century, as the author 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...
. Abbot at Arbroath Abbey from 1309 and immortalised in the town in a statue with Robert the Bruce holding aloft the Declaration sited at the West (or Cricket) Common and in the neighbouring residential streets of Bernard Crescent and Linton Road. - Dominik DiamondDominik DiamondPaul Dominik Diamond is a Scottish television and radio presenter and newspaper columnist. He is best known as the original presenter of Channel 4's video gaming programme GamesMaster, as host of The Dominik Diamond Breakfast Show on Xfm Scotland and as a columnist for the Daily Star...
, TV presenter - Ned DoigNed DoigJohn Edward 'Ned' Doig was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played the peak of his career for Sunderland, in a famous period of time in the club's history where they were dubbed the 'team of all talents'. Noted for his exceptional performances in goal, he was also famously shy...
(1866–1919), Scottish footballer - John Ritchie FindlayJohn Ritchie FindlayJohn Ritchie Findlay was a Scottish newspaper owner and philanthropist.He was born at Arbroath, Angus, son of Peter Findlay and was educated at Edinburgh University...
, (1824–1898) proprietor of The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
newspaper and philanthropist, born in Arbroath - James Glen Sivewright GibsonJames Glen Sivewright GibsonJames Glen Sivewright Gibson was an architect active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.-Life and career:...
, architect - Sir Harry LauderHarry LauderSir Henry Lauder , known professionally as Harry Lauder, was an international Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador!"-Early life:...
, lived in Arbroath until the age of 14 - Durward LelyDurward LelyDurward Lely was a Scottish opera singer primarily known as the creator of five tenor roles in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operas, including Nanki-Poo in The Mikado....
, opera singer, especially Gilbert and Sullivan - James Lyle Mackay, later first Earl of InchcapeEarl of InchcapeEarl of Inchcape is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1929 for the Scottish shipping magnate and public servant James Mackay, 1st Viscount Inchcape. He was Chairman of the P and O Steam Navigation Company...
, (1852–1932), Chairman of the P&O Line and the British India Company, born and educated in Arbroath - Morris PertMorris PertMorris David Brough Pert was a Scottish composer, drummer/percussionist, and pianist who composed in the fields of both contemporary classical and jazz-rock music...
, percussionist who has recorded with many major musical artists, including Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
. - Andy StewartAndy Stewart (musician)Andrew "Andy" Stewart MBE was a Scottish singer and entertainer.-Career:The use of tartan patriotism and stereotypical Scottish humour goes back to Sir Harry Lauder and music hall songs. In the 1960s this strand was continued by the entertainer Andy Stewart.He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in...
, (1933–1993), musician and entertainer, lived in Arbroath as a boy, and retired to Arbroath - Paul ToshPaul ToshPaul Tosh is a Scottish association football player. He started his career with his local club Arbroath before a move in 1993 to Tayside neighbours Dundee who paid an Arbroath club record fee of £120,000 to take Paul to Dens Park.Following three years at Dens Park, he moved to Hibernian with Lee...
(b. 1973), footballer - Andy Webster (b.1982), footballer & Scotland international (22 caps to date) - grew up and was educated in Arbroath, prior to his departing for clubs further afield, and his parents still reside in the town. He captained Dundee United to Scottish Cup victory in May, 2010.
See also
- Aber and Inver as place-name elementsAber and Inver as place-name elementsAber and Inver are common elements in place-names of Celtic origin. Both mean "confluence of waters" or "river mouth". Their distribution reflects the geographical influence of the Brythonic and Goidelic language groups respectively.-Aber:...
- 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...
- 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...
- Arbroath SmokieArbroath SmokieArbroath Smokies are a type of smoked haddock – a speciality of the town of Arbroath in Angus, Scotland.-History:The Arbroath Smokie originated in the small fishing village of Auchmithie, three miles northeast of Arbroath. Local legend has it a store caught fire one night, destroying barrels...
- Bell Rock LighthouseBell Rock LighthouseBell Rock Lighthouse is the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse and was built on Bell Rock in the North Sea, off the coast of Angus, Scotland, east of the Firth of Tay...
- 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...
- 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...
- Kerr's Miniature RailwayKerr's Miniature Railwaythumb|alt=Station|StationKerr's Miniature Railway is a gauge railway situated adjacent to the east coast mainline railway to Aberdeen, in West Links Park Arbroath. It is the oldest miniature railway in Scotland, having first opened for business in 1935...
- List of places in Angus
- Signal Tower MuseumSignal Tower Museum-Working life:Originally built in 1813 as a base of operations for the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse, the Signal Tower housed the families of the keepers stationed on the 'rock', along with the vital shore staff who ran the tender...
- 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...