Turriff
Encyclopedia
Turriff is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire
in Scotland
. It is approximately 166 feet (50.6 m) above sea level
, and has a population of 5,708.
Turriff is known locally as Turra in the Doric dialect
of Scots
. The name appears to be Scottish Gaelic in origin, from "torr" meaning a mound or round hill, or "tur" meaning a tower.
, Fyvie
and King Edward
attend the secondary school.
Bank of Scotland
, Royal Bank of Scotland
, Alliance & Leicester
, Clydesdale Bank
and Lloyds TSB
have branches in the town. The main supermarket chains were Somerfield
and Co-op and there are numerous specialist shops including two dispensing pharmacies. The Somerfield store has been bought by Tesco
and was relaunched as a Tesco store in the autumn of 2009. The town has a library, a sports centre and a recently renovated swimming pool.
Turriff has a football team called Turriff United F.C.
who now play in the Highland League
, having been voted into membership on February 26, 2009. They are currently looking for a new ground to escape problems caused by being flooded 4 times in the last year.
An annual two-day agricultural show is held in Turriff called the "Turriff Show", which is Scotland's largest two day agricultural show.
The Knights Templar
appear to have had a base in the area, and a nearby site is still known as "Temple Brae".
Turriff was notable as the scene of the very first engagements of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
(1639–51). Early in 1639, the Marquis of Huntly
assembled his forces here, and thereafter went to Kintore in lower Aberdeenshire, eventually marching from there to Aberdeen
itself. The Marquis — being informed shortly after his arrival in Aberdeen that a meeting of Covenanters was to be held in Turriff on the fourteenth of February — resolved to disperse them, by occupying the town with 2000 men. The incident was known as the "Raid of Turriff" and was followed a few days later by a minor engagement known as the "Trot of Turriff".
More recently, the 1913 Turra Coo incident in the parish was the result of a local refusal to pay National Insurance
when this was introduced by Lloyd George
's government. A statue of the "coo" (cow) was erected in 2010 and stands in the town centre at the junction of High Street and Main Street.
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
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...
. It is approximately 166 feet (50.6 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, and has a population of 5,708.
Turriff is known locally as Turra in the Doric dialect
Doric dialect (Scotland)
Doric, the popular name for Mid Northern Scots or Northeast Scots, refers to the dialects of Scots spoken in the northeast of Scotland.-Nomenclature:...
of Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
. The name appears to be Scottish Gaelic in origin, from "torr" meaning a mound or round hill, or "tur" meaning a tower.
Services and amenities
Turriff has a primary school (Markethill Primary School) and a secondary school (Turriff Academy). People from the surrounding areas, including the villages of CuminestownCuminestown
Cuminestown is a small village in the heart of Aberdeenshire, approximately six miles east of Turriff.As of 2004, it has an estimated population of 500 and a primary school called Monquhitter Primary School which also covers the small hamlet of Garmond, about a mile north of Cuminestown.-External...
, Fyvie
Fyvie
Fyvie is a village in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.-Fyvie Castle:Fyvie Castle is reputed to have been built by King William the Lyon in the early thirteenth century...
and King Edward
King Edward, Scotland
King Edward is a small village and parish on the north coast of Scotland in Buchan midway between Turriff and Banff.The old church of King Edward with historic graveyard was founded around 1124 by St Aidan...
attend the secondary school.
Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
, Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
, Alliance & Leicester
Alliance & Leicester
Alliance & Leicester was a former UK-based bank and PLC, which in later years operated as a trading name of Santander UK before being rebranded as Santander. Alliance & Leicester was legally acquired in May 2010 by Santander UK, and was fully incorporated by 2011...
, Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank is a commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group. In Scotland, Clydesdale Bank is the third largest clearing bank, although it also retains a branch network in London and the north of England...
and Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
have branches in the town. The main supermarket chains were Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
and Co-op and there are numerous specialist shops including two dispensing pharmacies. The Somerfield store has been bought by Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
and was relaunched as a Tesco store in the autumn of 2009. The town has a library, a sports centre and a recently renovated swimming pool.
Turriff has a football team called Turriff United F.C.
Turriff United F.C.
Turriff United Football Club are a senior football club currently playing the Highland Football League in Scotland. They play their matches at The Haughs, beside the River Deveron near the centre of Turriff in Aberdeenshire. They joined the Highland League for the 2009/2010 season, having been...
who now play in the Highland League
Highland Football League
The Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...
, having been voted into membership on February 26, 2009. They are currently looking for a new ground to escape problems caused by being flooded 4 times in the last year.
An annual two-day agricultural show is held in Turriff called the "Turriff Show", which is Scotland's largest two day agricultural show.
History
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
appear to have had a base in the area, and a nearby site is still known as "Temple Brae".
Turriff was notable as the scene of the very first engagements of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
(1639–51). Early in 1639, the Marquis of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles, only the English marquessate of Winchester being older...
assembled his forces here, and thereafter went to Kintore in lower Aberdeenshire, eventually marching from there 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 ....
itself. The Marquis — being informed shortly after his arrival in Aberdeen that a meeting of Covenanters was to be held in Turriff on the fourteenth of February — resolved to disperse them, by occupying the town with 2000 men. The incident was known as the "Raid of Turriff" and was followed a few days later by a minor engagement known as the "Trot of Turriff".
More recently, the 1913 Turra Coo incident in the parish was the result of a local refusal to pay National Insurance
National Insurance
National Insurance in the United Kingdom was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits...
when this was introduced by Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
's government. A statue of the "coo" (cow) was erected in 2010 and stands in the town centre at the junction of High Street and Main Street.