Brechin
Encyclopedia
Brechin is a former royal burgh
in Angus
, Scotland
. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation
Roman Catholic diocese
(which continues today as an episcopal
seat of the Scottish Episcopal Church
), but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era. Nevertheless the designation is widely used, with examples being the City of Brechin and District Community Council, City of Brechin and Area Partnership, City of Brechin Civic Trust and Brechin City Football Club
.
On the outskirts of Brechin, beside the A90 dual carriageway, is the Pictavia Visitors Centre (covering Pictish culture and displaying several carved stones
), a small museum
in the former town house, and an Award Winning Tourist attraction the Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
. Along with the cathedral and round tower
, part of the chapel
of Brechin's Maison Dieu or hospital survives from the Middle Ages
(Historic Scotland).
(Historic Scotland
), one of only two of these Irish
-style monuments surviving in Scotland (the other is at Abernethy, Perthshire
). The tower was originally free-standing, but is now incorporated in the framework of the cathedral.
The cathedral
has been much altered, but still contains medieval work of the 13th and 14th centuries, notable a handsome western tower and processional door.
in the area; Brechin High School
and six feeder primary schools; Andover Primary school, Edzell Primary School, Lethnot Primary School, Maisondieu Primary School, Stracathro Primary School and Tarfside Primary School.
plays Scottish League football and are currently placed in the second division. Their ground is called Glebe Park and is situated off Trinity Road. Brechin is also home to the junior
football
club Brechin Victoria F.C.
who play at Victoria Park.
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 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...
, 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...
. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-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...
Roman Catholic diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
(which continues today as an episcopal
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
seat of the Scottish Episcopal Church
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....
), but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era. Nevertheless the designation is widely used, with examples being the City of Brechin and District Community Council, City of Brechin and Area Partnership, City of Brechin Civic Trust and Brechin City Football Club
Brechin City F.C.
Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football team based in Brechin, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Football League and play in the Second Division in the 2010–11 season...
.
On the outskirts of Brechin, beside the A90 dual carriageway, is the Pictavia Visitors Centre (covering Pictish culture and displaying several carved stones
Stone carving
Stone carving is an ancient activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, evidence can be found that even the earliest societies indulged in some form of stone work....
), a small museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in the former town house, and an Award Winning Tourist attraction the Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
The Caledonian Steam Railway Ltd is a private limited company formed by a group of steam railway enthusiasts, the Brechin Railway Preservation Society, with the object of operating a railway service on the former Caledonian Railway line between Brechin and Montrose, Angus, Scotland...
. Along with the cathedral and round tower
Irish round tower
Irish round towers , Cloigthithe – literally "bell house") are early medieval stone towers of a type found mainly in Ireland, with three in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man...
, part of the chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
of Brechin's Maison Dieu or hospital survives from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
(Historic Scotland).
Brechin Cathedral
The town is well known for its cathedral, with eleventh century round towerIrish round tower
Irish round towers , Cloigthithe – literally "bell house") are early medieval stone towers of a type found mainly in Ireland, with three in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man...
(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:...
), one of only two of these Irish
Architecture of Ireland
The architecture of Ireland is one of the most visible features in the Irish countryside – with remains from all eras since the Stone Age abounding. Ireland is famous for its ruined and intact Norman and Anglo-Irish castles, small whitewashed thatched cottages and Georgian urban buildings...
-style monuments surviving in Scotland (the other is at Abernethy, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
). The tower was originally free-standing, but is now incorporated in the framework of the cathedral.
The cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
has been much altered, but still contains medieval work of the 13th and 14th centuries, notable a handsome western tower and processional door.
Education
Education in Brechin is managed by the Education Department of Angus Council. There is one secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in the area; Brechin High School
Brechin High School
Brechin High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Brechin, Angus, Scotland.-Admissions:It has approximately 660 students, and a staff of 50...
and six feeder primary schools; Andover Primary school, Edzell Primary School, Lethnot Primary School, Maisondieu Primary School, Stracathro Primary School and Tarfside Primary School.
Football
Brechin City Football ClubBrechin City F.C.
Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football team based in Brechin, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Football League and play in the Second Division in the 2010–11 season...
plays Scottish League football and are currently placed in the second division. Their ground is called Glebe Park and is situated off Trinity Road. Brechin is also home to the 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...
football
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...
club Brechin Victoria F.C.
Brechin Victoria F.C.
Brechin Victoria F.C. are a Scottish Junior football club based in Brechin, Angus. Their home ground is Victoria Park.Up until the end of the 2005–06 season, they played in Tayside Division One of the Scottish Junior Football Association's Eastern Region.The SJFA restructured prior to the...
who play at Victoria Park.
Notable people
- Robert Watson-WattRobert Watson-WattSir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, KCB, FRS, FRAeS is considered by many to be the "inventor of radar". Development of radar, initially nameless, was first started elsewhere but greatly expanded on 1 September 1936 when Watson-Watt became...
, radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
pioneer, born in Brechin - Joseph Fairweather LambJoseph Fairweather LambJoseph Fairweather Lamb MB ChB BSc PhD FRSE is a retired senior Scottish academic, emeritus professor and former Chandos Chair of Physiology at the University of St Andrews....
, academic and former Chandos Chair of PhysiologyChandos Chair of Medicine and AnatomyThe Chandos Chair of Medicine and Anatomy is a Chair in Medicine and Anatomy of the University of St Andrews, Scotland. It was established in 1721, by a bequest of £1000 from James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos - then the Chancellor of the University...
at the University of St AndrewsUniversity of St AndrewsThe 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... - Dame Anne BeggAnne BeggDame Anne Begg, DBE is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South since 1997...
, Member of Parliament for Aberdeen SouthAberdeen South (UK Parliament constituency)Aberdeen South is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. - Brian KeanyBrian KeanyBrian Keany, RSW, DA was a Scottish painter and teacher, who was elected as a member of The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour.Keany was born in Forfar in 1945, and grew up in Brechin...
, artist
External links
- Brechin Online Local Community Website for Brechin.
- Caledonian Steam Railway Steam railway in the heart of Brechin.
- Brechin - entry in Undiscovered Scotland
- Brechin Advertiser - local newspaper
- Brechin Darts
- Brechin Arts Festival
- Brechin Town House Museum
- Brechin Environment
- Brechin Pool
- Maisondieu Primary's page on Scottish Schools Online