Fettercairn (, gd, Fothair Chàrdain) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from

Edzell Edzell (; sco, Aigle; gd, Eigill) is a village in Angus, Scotland. It is 5 miles (8 km) north of Brechin, by the River North Esk. Edzell is a Georgian era, Georgian-era planned town, with a broad main street and a grid system of side stre ...

. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from

Deeside Deeside ( cy, Glannau Dyfrdwy) is the name given to a predominantly industrial conurbation of towns and villages in Flintshire and Cheshire on the Wales–England border lying near the canalised stretch of the River Dee that flows from nei ...

. The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ''Fothair'' and the

Pictish Pictish is the extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geographica ...

''carden'' and means "slope by a thicket". The name appeared as Fotherkern in c. 970. In the 2011 national census, Fettercairn had a population of 353.

Overview

The shaft of the old 16th century Kincardine Mercat cross stands in the square, and is notched to show the measurements of a Scottish ell. Nearby the ruins of the long since abandoned county town and royal castle of Kincardine ( Gaelic: ''Cinn Chàrdainn'' meaning "The head of the copse", including the

word carden, "copse" ) similarly Fettercairn ( Gaelic: ''Fothair Chàrdainn'' meaning "Shelving or terraced slope at the copse", containing Pictish carden) Kincardine stood about northeast of Fettercairn, and by the end of the 16th century had declined to a mere hamlet, being represented now only by xv. 26 the ruins of the royal castle and an ancient burial-ground. A memorial archway erected in 1864 commemorates the 1861 visit by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

and Prince Albert, while staying at Balmoral. Leaves from the journal of our life in the highlands describes aspects of their visit.

writes "At a quarter-past seven o'clock we reached the small quiet town, or rather village, of Fettercairn, for it was very small-not a creature stirring, and we got out at the quiet little inn, "Ramsay Arms" quite unobserved". " Louis and General Grey had rooms in an hotel, called "The Temperance Hotel" opposite". "The evening being bright and moonlight and very still, we all went, and walked through the whole village, where not a creature moved:- through the principal little square, in the middle of which was a sort of pillar or Town Cross on steps, and Louis read, by the light of the moon, a proclamation for collections of charities which was stuck on it". "Suddenly we heard a drum and fifes!". "As we walked slowly back, we heard the noise from time to time- and when we reached the inn door, we stopped and saw six men march up with fifes and a drum (not a creature taking any notice of them), go down the street and back again". "Albert asked the little maid, and the answer was, "It's just a band" and that it walked about in this way twice a week. How odd! It went on playing some time after we got home". Historically Fettercairn lies at the southern end of the Monboddo Estate, where the Scottish philosopher and precursor of evolutionary thought, James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, lived. Fettercairn houses the Fettercairn distillery (owned by Whyte and Mackay Ltd.) that produces the "Fettercairn 1824" single malt

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...

History

In 1504 Fettercairn was granted the status of a free burgh of barony, with the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair that was dedicated to St Mark. The market and fair brought a period of growth and prosperity to the village which lasted until the village was sacked and burned by the army of the Marquis of Montrose in 1645 during as part of the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 B ...

. Five years later, in 1650, Montrose would pass through Fettercairn, bound hand and foot on horseback, on his way to his execution in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

after being betrayed by Neil Macleod of

Assynt Assynt ( gd, Asainn or ) is a sparsely populated area in the south-west of Sutherland, lying north of Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland. Assynt is known for its landscape and its remarkable mountains, which have led to the area, along with ...

. The Fettercairn distillery was opened in 1824.

Education

Primary education and nurseries services are provided in the village by Fettercairn Primary School. The school's catchment area includes the village and the surrounding rural area, it has approximately 70 pupils. The current school building was built in 1963 and originally had only two classrooms, it was extended in 1974, adding an additional two classrooms and a nursery room. The majority of students travel to Mearns Academy in Laurencekirk to attend secondary school.

Gallery

Image:Fettercairn St Martins Church.JPG, St Martins Church Image:Fettercairndistscotaug05 021.jpg, Fettercairn distillery.

References

External links