Tomintoul
Encyclopedia
Tomintoul is a village in the Moray
council area
of Scotland
; until 1975
it was located in the county of Banffshire
.
It is said to be the highest village in the Scottish Highlands, but at 345 m (1,131.9 ft) is still significantly lower than the highest village in Scotland (Wanlockhead
, in Dumfries and Galloway
).
The village was laid out on a grid pattern by the 4th Duke of Gordon
in 1775. It followed the construction, twenty years previously, of a military road by William Caulfeild – now the A939
. By 1841
the parish reached a population of 1,722. In 1951 this had fallen to just 531. The 2001 census reveals a village population of 322 with the total parish population now unavailable.
The 2004 film One Last Chance starring Kevin McKidd
and Dougray Scott
was filmed in the village and the areas around it.
Despite its small size, it is on the famed Whisky Trail, which also includes Dufftown
, Keith
, Tomnavoulin, and Marypark
. The surrounding countryside forms the Glenlivet Estate
died there in 2001 after living there for some time.
The Gordon Arms Hotel saw significant improvement in the 1990s when it was lavished with funds from the media styled Lord Tony Williams. It is a myth that villagers referred to Tony Williams as 'Lord'. This was a media invention. 'Lord' Williams spent at least £1 million on improving the hotel, and invested yet more money in other projects within the village. The money proved illusory: rather than a wealthy peer of the realm
Williams was a former Deputy Director of Finance in the Metropolitan Police
and had used his talents to defraud them of £4.5 million. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. After his arrest a 10 metre fibreglass Zulu was discovered in the hotel beer cellar - its purpose was never determined.
Percy Toplis - The "Monocled Mutineer"
Percy Toplis
took refuge in the area in 1920 before being discovered by a local farmer. He made his escape, shooting and wounding the farmer and a police constable while doing so. Within a week he was shot dead by police in England.
James Stuart
Chiefly of interest to genealogists, James Stuart (1791–1874), a local farmer at Lynchork appears in a number of birth, baptism, death and Kirk Session records in this and surrounding parishes as the admitted or reputed father of children of his female servants.
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
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 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...
; until 1975
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
it was located in the county of Banffshire
Banffshire
The County of Banff is a registration county for property, and Banffshire is a Lieutenancy area of Scotland.The County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, was a local government county of Scotland with its own county council between 1890 and 1975. The county town was Banff although the largest...
.
It is said to be the highest village in the Scottish Highlands, but at 345 m (1,131.9 ft) is still significantly lower than the highest village in Scotland (Wanlockhead
Wanlockhead
Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland nestling in the Lowther Hills one mile south of Leadhills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands...
, in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
).
The village was laid out on a grid pattern by the 4th Duke of Gordon
Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon
Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon KT , styled Marquess of Huntly until 1752, was a Scottish nobleman, described by Kaimes as the "greatest subject in Britain", and was also known as the Cock o' the North, the traditional epithet attached to the chief of the Gordon clan.-Early life:Alexander...
in 1775. It followed the construction, twenty years previously, of a military road by William Caulfeild – now the A939
A939 road
The A939 'Lecht Road' connects the A96 at Nairn on the Moray Coast with the A95 Grantown on Spey, then it continues to the A93 at Ballater by way of the Grampian Mountains, passing Tomintoul and the Lecht Ski Centre.This road passes over four summits:...
. By 1841
United Kingdom Census 1841
The United Kingdom Census of 1841 recorded the occupants of every UK household on the night of 6 June, 1841. It was described as the "first modern census" in that it was the first to record information about every member of the household and because it was administered as a single event, under...
the parish reached a population of 1,722. In 1951 this had fallen to just 531. The 2001 census reveals a village population of 322 with the total parish population now unavailable.
The 2004 film One Last Chance starring Kevin McKidd
Kevin McKidd
Kevin McKidd is a Scottish television and film actor and director. Before playing the role of Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy, McKidd starred as Lucius Vorenus in the historical drama series Rome, and provided the voice of Captain John "Soap" Mactavish in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the sequel...
and Dougray Scott
Dougray Scott
-Early life:The son of Elma, a nurse, and Alan Scott, an actor and salesperson, Stephen Dougray Scott was born in Glenrothes, Fife and attended Auchmuty High School...
was filmed in the village and the areas around it.
Despite its small size, it is on the famed Whisky Trail, which also includes Dufftown
Dufftown
Dufftown is a burgh in Banffshire, Scotland.The town was originally named Mortlach in the Middle Ages, until the 19th century when the Earl of Fife built the town as a housing for soldiers returning home from war...
, Keith
Keith, Moray
Keith is a small town in the Moray council area in north east Scotland. It has a population of around 4,500....
, Tomnavoulin, and Marypark
Marypark
Marypark is a hamlet in Moray, Scotland. It is south-west of Charlestown of Aberlour on the A95 road in Strathspey. The Glenfarclas distillery is located to the east of the hamlet....
. The surrounding countryside forms the Glenlivet Estate
Glenlivet Estate
The Glenlivet Estate is located in Glenlivet, Scotland in the Cairngorms National Park. It measures and is part of The Crown Estate. The estate also boasts won of the most famous Scottish whisky Glenlivet. The visitor centre is open from April through to November.-External links:** **...
Local personalities
The artist and writer Mary BarnesMary Barnes
Mary Edith Barnes was an English artist and writer who suffered from schizophrenia but recovered to become a successful painter. She is particularly known for her documentation of her experience at R.D...
died there in 2001 after living there for some time.
Infamous personalities
"Lord" Tony WilliamsThe Gordon Arms Hotel saw significant improvement in the 1990s when it was lavished with funds from the media styled Lord Tony Williams. It is a myth that villagers referred to Tony Williams as 'Lord'. This was a media invention. 'Lord' Williams spent at least £1 million on improving the hotel, and invested yet more money in other projects within the village. The money proved illusory: rather than a wealthy peer of the realm
Peer of the Realm
Peer of the Realm is a term for a member of the highest social order in a kingdom, notably:...
Williams was a former Deputy Director of Finance in the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
and had used his talents to defraud them of £4.5 million. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. After his arrest a 10 metre fibreglass Zulu was discovered in the hotel beer cellar - its purpose was never determined.
Percy Toplis - The "Monocled Mutineer"
Percy Toplis
Percy Toplis
Francis Percy Toplis was a British criminal and imposter active during the First World War. He is sometimes claimed to have taken a major part in the Étaples Mutiny, as "The Monocled Mutineer", during the war, although there is some dispute as to whether he was actually present.Toplis was born in...
took refuge in the area in 1920 before being discovered by a local farmer. He made his escape, shooting and wounding the farmer and a police constable while doing so. Within a week he was shot dead by police in England.
James Stuart
Chiefly of interest to genealogists, James Stuart (1791–1874), a local farmer at Lynchork appears in a number of birth, baptism, death and Kirk Session records in this and surrounding parishes as the admitted or reputed father of children of his female servants.