Arbroath on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( ) is a former
royal burgh
A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs.
Most royal burghs were either created by ...
and the largest town in the council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Ac ...
of Angus
Angus may refer to:
*Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland
* Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario
Animals
* Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle
Media
* ...
, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
coast, some east-northeast of Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
and south-southwest of Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
.
There is evidence of Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
settlement, but its history as a town began with the founding of Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by William I of Scotland, King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecration, consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to th ...
in 1178. It grew much during the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
through the flax and then the jute
Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...
industry and the engineering sector. A new harbour
A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...
was created in 1839; by the 20th century, Arbroath was one of Scotland's larger fishing ports.
The town is notable for the Declaration of Arbroath and the Arbroath smokie. Arbroath Football Club holds the world record for the number of goals scored in a professional football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
match: 36–0 against Bon Accord of Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1885.
Letters: confirmation of the treaty of Salisbury
, www.rps.ac.uk; Retrieved 12 December 2008. and "Aberbrothok" (in a subsequent letter of consent to the marriage). In the Declaration of Arbroath, it is seen as "Abirbrothoc".Various authors (1320
Letters: 'The Declaration of Arbroath'; letter of the barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII
, www.rps.ac.uk; Retrieved 12 December 2008. Early maps show a number of variants including Aberbrothock, Aberbrothik, Aberbrothick,J. Knox, 185
Map of the Basin of the Tay, including the greater part of Perthshire, Strathmore and the Braes of Angus or Forfar
www.nls.uk; Retrieved 11 December 2008. and Aberbrothwick. The modern name Arbroath came into common use from the mid-19th century, the older name being largely dropped by the time of the first Ordnance Survey edition. However, variants of 'Arbroath' had been used since the 17th century, including 'Arbroth' and Aberbreth.
The area of Arbroath has been inhabited since at least the
The recorded history of Arbroath begins with the foundation of the
The history and traditions of the land of the Lindsays in Angus and Mearnes, with notices of Alyth and Meigle
Sutherland & Knox, Edinburgh. The abbey soon fell into disuse and eventual disrepair after its dissolution at the
Arbroath was made a
A summer event known as the Seafront Spectacular took place in the 2000s. The program for 2006 included flying displays, a sea rescue demonstration, exhibition of motor vehicles and fairground rides. The Sea Fest, an event themed around Arbroath's maritime heritage, was held annually for 21 years until 2017. Kerr's Miniature Railway was the oldest miniature railway in Scotland at the time of its closure in October 2020. It opened in 1935 and at its height, in 1955, drew 60,000 visitors; however numbers had fallen to just 3,500 in 2019. The Harbour Visitor Centre on Fishmarket Quay was completed in 2007. It was the focus of Angus Council's attempt to increase the number of tourists to the harbour. The centre originally housed a multimedia experience explaining the town's fishing history and a
The A92 dual carriageway connects Arbroath to
Twelve denominations spread over twenty two places of worship are listed for Arbroath in a survey of Scotland published in 1884; all bar The Old Church are described as "modern". Only a handful of these remain in use as places of worship. Some redundant church buildings have been demolished but alternative uses have been found for others, including The Old Church, the United Presbyterian Erskine Church in Commerce Street and the High Street and Brothock Bridge United Free Churches.
St Andrew's is in Hamilton Green, and the minister is Rev. Dr. Martin Fair with associate minister Rev. Stuart Irvin. Dr Fair was
Arbroath smokies, known nationally and internationally, have been made solely in Arbroath since the award of
angus.gov.uk; retrieved 7 September 2008. Roughly two-thirds of non-recyclable material is sent to
BBC History entry
from Angus Council
Documentary film about the history of the Arbroath Smokie
*A collection o
from the 1660s onward at
Engraving of Arbroath in 1693
by John Slezer at National Library of Scotland {{Authority control Towns in Angus, Scotland Large burghs Ports and harbours of Scotland Port cities and towns of the North Sea Royal burghs Fishing communities in Scotland Populated coastal places in Scotland
History
Toponymy
The earliest recorded name was 'Aberbrothock', referring to the BrothockBurn
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...
that runs through the town. The prefix ''Aber'' derived either from the Gaelic 'Obair', or the earlier Brythonic term ''Aber'' for confluence or river mouth. The name Aberbrothock was spelt numerous ways. The earliest manuscripts available have it as "Abirbrothoke" (in a letter to Edward I confirming the Treaty of Salisbury, which agreed that the Queen regnant
A queen regnant (: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning ...
, Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret (, ; March or April 1283 – September 1290), known as the Maid of Norway, was the queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 until her death. As she was never crowned, her status as monarch is uncertain and has been debated by historia ...
would marry Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
)Various authors (1290Letters: confirmation of the treaty of Salisbury
, www.rps.ac.uk; Retrieved 12 December 2008. and "Aberbrothok" (in a subsequent letter of consent to the marriage). In the Declaration of Arbroath, it is seen as "Abirbrothoc".Various authors (1320
Letters: 'The Declaration of Arbroath'; letter of the barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII
, www.rps.ac.uk; Retrieved 12 December 2008. Early maps show a number of variants including Aberbrothock, Aberbrothik, Aberbrothick,J. Knox, 185
Map of the Basin of the Tay, including the greater part of Perthshire, Strathmore and the Braes of Angus or Forfar
www.nls.uk; Retrieved 11 December 2008. and Aberbrothwick. The modern name Arbroath came into common use from the mid-19th century, the older name being largely dropped by the time of the first Ordnance Survey edition. However, variants of 'Arbroath' had been used since the 17th century, including 'Arbroth' and Aberbreth.
Early history
The area of Arbroath has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic period
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...
. Material from posthole
This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains.
A
B
C
D
E
F
...
s at an enclosure at Douglasmuir, near Friockheim
Friockheim (pronounced like "frickum",) is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose, Angus, Montrose.
History
The name 'Friockheim', literally translated, means 'Heather ...
, some five miles north of Arbroath, have been radiocarbon dated to about 3500 BCE. The function of the enclosure is unknown – perhaps for agriculture or for ceremonial purposes.
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
finds are abundant in the area. They include short-cist burials near West Newbigging, about a mile north of the town, which yielded pottery urns, a pair of silver discs and a gold armlet. Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
archaeology is also present, for example in the souterrain
''Souterrain'' (from French ', meaning "subterrain", is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the European Atlantic Iron Age.
These structures appear to have been brought northwards from Gaul d ...
near Warddykes Cemetery and at West Grange of Conan, as well as better-known examples at Carlungie and Ardestie.
The area appears to have had importance in the early Christian period, as shown by Pictish
Pictish is an extinct Brittonic Celtic 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 geog ...
stone carvings found during restoration of 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.
History
St Vigeans is derived from ''Vigeanus'', a Latinised form of ...
Church, now housed in the small museum there. The stones had been used in building the old church and many were badly damaged. One of them, the 9th century Drosten Stone, is among the few Pictish artefacts with a Latin inscription: DROSTEN: IREUORET TFOR CUS'. This has been variously construed, but is thought to refer to the Pictish King Uurad
Uurad or Ferat son of Bargoit (died 842) was king of the Picts, from 839 to 842.
No two versions of the king lists, known as the Pictish Chronicle, give exactly the same version of his name. Ferat, or Uurad in Pictish language, Pictish, is the ...
, who reigned in 839–842 CE.
Medieval history
The recorded history of Arbroath begins with the foundation of the Abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
by King William the Lion
William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...
in 1178 for monks of the Tironensian order from Kelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbeys, Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scottish Borders, Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland in the reign of Alexander ...
. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to Saint Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...
, as the King's only personal foundation; he was buried within its precincts in 1214. The Abbey was not finally completed until 1233.
King John, also in the 13th century, exempted Arbroath from "toll and custom" in every part of England except London.
On 6 April 1320 the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
the Declaration of Arbroath, drafted by the Abbot of the time, Bernard
Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname.
The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...
. This detailed the services which their "lord and sovereign" Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
had rendered to Scotland and eloquently affirmed Scots independence.
The Battle of Arbroath in 1446 came after a series of clashes between the Chief Justiciary of Arbroath, Alexander Lindsay, third Earl of Crawford and Bishop James Kennedy of St Andrews, which resulted in Lindsay sacking the bishop's lands and burning his properties. Lindsay was excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...
and it was felt this conflicted 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 it were destroyed in the aftermath by the Lindsay family.A. Jervise, 185The history and traditions of the land of the Lindsays in Angus and Mearnes, with notices of Alyth and Meigle
Sutherland & Knox, Edinburgh. The abbey soon fell into disuse and eventual disrepair after its dissolution at the
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
. The roof lead is rumoured to have been used in the 16th-century civil wars and the stonework plundered for housebuilding in the town. The ruins were a popular site for travellers in the 17th and 18th centuries. Finally in 1815, they were taken into state care. They are now administered by Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland () was an executive agency of the Scottish Government, executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage and promoting its und ...
.
Modern history
The Jacobite rising known as the Forty-Five turned Arbroath into a Jacobite town. A high proportion of its able-bodied men joined the Jacobite army. It was one of the main ports where men and supplies could be landed from France. It and other Jacobite ports along the north-east coast collectively formed 'an asset of almost incalculable value' to the Jacobite cause. TheIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
led to an expansion of Arbroath's economy and population. New housing was built for the influx of workers and Arbroath became known for jute
Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...
and sailcloth
Sailcloth is cloth used to make sails. It can be made of a variety of materials, including natural fibers such as flax, hemp, or cotton in various forms of sail canvas, and synthetic fibers such as nylon, polyester, aramids, and carbon fibers ...
production. In 1867, the mills employed 4,620 people and in 1875, 1,400 loom
A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...
s in 34 mills produced over a million yards of osnaburg
Osnaburg is a general term for coarse, plain-weave fabric. It also refers specifically to a historic fabric originally woven in flax but also in tow or jute, and from flax or tow warp with a mixed or jute weft.
Historic osnaburg
Osnaburg fab ...
cloth and 450,000 yards of sailcloth; the town is believed to have supplied the sails for ''Cutty Sark
''Cutty Sark'' is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, at the end of a long period of desig ...
''. Arbroath was also prominent in the making of shoes and lawnmowers. Manufacturer Alexander Shanks, founded in 1840 and based at Dens Iron Works from 1853, supplied mowers to the Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course in the world. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links ...
and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a Gentlemen's club, private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championsh ...
. Shanks was taken over in the 1960s by local firm, Giddings & Lewis-Fraser Ltd., which had evolved from the flax and canvas manufacturing business established by Douglas Fraser in 1832. In the last decade of the 19th century, Douglas Fraser & Sons shifted focus to machine manufacture following the success of a braiding machine designed by Norman Fraser. The firm had interests in South America and India. In 1959 the business was taken over by the US company, Giddings & Lewis and renamed Giddings & Lewis-Fraser. Its headquarters were Wellgate Works, Arbroath.
Arbroath is well known for its ties to the fishing industry. Following significant improvements to the harbour in 1839, the council sought fishermen willing to migrate to the town. Men came from nearby Auchmithie and further afield, including Shetland
Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...
. The industry grew, and in the peak years up to 1980 some 40 whitefish and pelagic
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the sur ...
vessels worked from Arbroath, employing hundreds on board and hundreds more ashore to service vessels and process the fish. Quota cuts and decommissioning took their toll in Scotland from the 1980s; however, Arbroath remains a whitefish port open for landing shellfish. Only one vessel now works regularly from Arbroath, but a further three Arbroath-owned vessels work from Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
and ports further north. Fish processing remains a big employer, but the fish come from Aberdeen, Peterhead
Peterhead (; , ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 19,060 at the 2022 Census for Scotland, 2022 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landi ...
and even Iceland, Norway and Ireland.
Governance
Arbroath was made a burgh of regality
A burgh of regality is a type of Scottish town.
They were distinct from royal burghs as they were granted to "lords of regality", leading noblemen. (In distinction, burghs of barony were granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his est ...
in 1178 by King William the Lion
William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...
, when the abbey was founded. The burgh of regality permitted monks to hold a weekly market, dispense basic justice and establish a harbour. In 1599, the town was granted royal burgh
A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs.
Most royal burghs were either created by ...
status by King James VI of Scotland
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
. A provost and town council were appointed.
In 1922, Lord Inchcape became burgess. He was presented with his ticket to the office in a silver casket engraved with the burgh coat-of-arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achiev ...
and views of the locality.
Arbroath remained controlled by Arbroath Burgh Council, which was based at Arbroath Town House, through to 1975, when Arbroath (and the county of Angus) were amalgamated with Perthshire and Dundee City into Tayside, controlled by Tayside Regional Council. Angus, along with Dundee City and Perth & Kinross were re-established under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the current Local government in Scotland, local government structure of 32 Unitary authority, unitary authori ...
.
Arbroath is represented on Angus Council
Angus Council is the Local government in Scotland, local authority for Angus, Scotland, Angus, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
History
The first election to Angus District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authori ...
by seven councillors; four from the ward of Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim and three from Arbroath East & Lunan.
Parliamentary representation
Arbroath is part of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry constituency for elections to theHouse of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
. The seat was first contested at the 2024 general election where Stephen Gethins
Stephen Patrick Gethins (born 28 March 1976) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and academic serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry since the 2024 general election.
He previously served as the MP ...
of the SNP won the seat.
Arbroath is in the Angus South constituency of the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
(having been in the Angus
Angus may refer to:
*Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland
* Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario
Animals
* Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle
Media
* ...
constituency until its abolition in 2011). It returns a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) to Holyrood directly. Graeme Dey
Graeme James Dey (born 29 October 1962) is a Scottish politician currently serving as the Minister for Veterans and the Minister for Higher and Further Education since 2023. He served as Minister for Transport from 2021 to 2022, having previou ...
of the Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...
has won the seat in all three elections contested since its formation. Angus South forms part of the North East Scotland electoral region for electing additional Members of the Scottish Parliament.
Geography
At , Arbroath lies on theNorth Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
coast, north-east of Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
, within the Angus
Angus may refer to:
*Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland
* Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario
Animals
* Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle
Media
* ...
region. Geologically, it sits predominantly on Old Red Sandstone
Old Red Sandstone, abbreviated ORS, is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the eastern seaboard of North America. It ...
. Lower-lying parts were below sea level until after the last Ice Age.
Arbroath lies north-east of Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, south-west of Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
and from Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
. Neighbouring villages of 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.
History
St Vigeans is derived from ''Vigeanus'', a Latinised form of ...
, Carmyllie, Friockheim
Friockheim (pronounced like "frickum",) is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose, Angus, Montrose.
History
The name 'Friockheim', literally translated, means 'Heather ...
, 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.
See also
*Arbroath
References
SourcesCollistonin the ''Gazetteer for Scotland
T ...
and Inverkeilor
Inverkeilor is a village and parish in Angus, Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast, midway between Arbroath and Montrose, Angus, Montrose. The A92 road now bypasses the village.
The population of Inverkeilor parish in the United Kingdom Cen ...
are taken as part of Arbroath for council representation, and along with Carnoustie
Carnoustie (; ) is a town and former police burgh in the subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast. In the UK census 2011, 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of ...
share its 01241 telephone area code.
Brothock Water
A burn (or stream) named Brothock Water flows through the town fromSt 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.
History
St Vigeans is derived from ''Vigeanus'', a Latinised form of ...
parallel to the railway line, before turning to meet the North Sea at Danger Point immediately east of the harbour. Flax and jute mills congregated alongside the stream in the 19th century to use the water for their steam-powered machinery. Much of its course within the town is open but some parts have been built over. The burn and its environs form a green artery between residential areas and along with the railway line divides the town, east to west. Data collected by the Brothock Water monitoring station from 1990 onwards shows the water level to normally range between and . The highest recorded level of was reached on 2 November 2009. A £12 million publicly funded scheme to reduce flows in Brothock Water to protect parts of the town at risk from flooding was developed by Angus Council and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The works, completed in December 2022, included the creation of flood storage areas at Dammy Meadows and north of the town.
The shoreline
South west of the harbour lies an area of craggy rocks with a large number of rock pools exposed at low tide. Rocks, boulders and shingle extend for about nine hundred metres to Arbroath West Links (or Elliot) beach. This gently sloping beach is of mixed sand and pebbles and the sea here is a designated bathing water site of about in length. The main access to the beach is via a slipway, but there are also steps down from the coastal path. Depending on the tide, the width of the beach can vary from twenty to two hundred metres. Arbroath (or Seaton) cliffs rise about north east of the harbour. Whiting Ness at the end of the King's Drive promenade is an example of geological angularunconformity
An unconformity is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer was exposed to erosion for an interval ...
; a coarse conglomerate of late Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...
upper red sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
overlies early Devonian lower red sandstone.
Climate
Arbroath has a typical British marine climate influenced by its seaside position. There are narrow temperature differences between seasons. January has an average high of and July of . The climate is somewhat dry and sunny for Scotland, with of precipitation and 1561.7 hours of sunshine. The data are sourced from the 1991–2020 averages of the Met Office weather station in Arbroath.Demography
Residents of Arbroath are called Arbroathians but often call themselves ''Red Lichties'' after the red lamp that shone from the harbour light and foghorn tower at the harbour entrance, as an aid to shipping entering the harbour. Scotland's census of 2011 reports the total resident population of Arbroath as 23,902, a 4.9 per cent increase over the 22,785 reported by the 2001 census. About 86.5 per cent of the population was born in Scotland, down from 88.9 per cent in 2001 and 95.6 per cent was born in the United Kingdom as a whole (2001: 97.7 per cent). In 2011, Arbroath had a higher percentage of its population under 16 years of age (18.3 per cent) than Scotland (17.3 per cent). Persons aged 65 years and over are put at 18.9 per cent compared with Scotland's 16.8 per cent. Arbroath correspondingly has a lower percentage of 16 to 64 year olds than Scotland. In 2011 there were 47.8 per cent males to 52.2 per cent females. Arbroath has a moderate unemployment rate – some 2.7 per cent claim job-relatedsocial welfare
Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance p ...
benefits.
Economy
The 2011 census shows Arbroath to have an economically active population of 10,545 (2001: 9,192); of which jobs in health and social work account for 16.0 per cent of total employment (2001: 13.1 per cent), closely followed by wholesale and retail trade and repairs with 15.2 per cent (2001: 15.4 per cent). Manufacturing, the top employment sector in 2001 with 16.0 per cent, fell to third place in 2011 with 12.3 per cent. A separate figure for the fishing industry is not shown for 2011 but accounted for only 0.4 per cent (fewer than 50 people) in 2001, although the processing sector is counted separately under manufacturing and the figure of 50 relates directly to the catching and support sectors.The port
Arbroath's prospects originally revolved around the harbour. The original harbour was constructed and maintained by theabbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
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 coastal shipping port and in 1846 there were 89 Arbroath-registered vessels, totalling 9,100 gross tons. In the same year, 599 vessels docked at Arbroath, 56 from foreign ports (mainly Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
*Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...
ports) and 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.
Manufacturing
Driven by the needs of the fishing and sailing industry, Arbroath-based sailmaker Francis Webster Ltd perfected in 1795 the art of addinglinseed oil
Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colorless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by ...
to flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
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, when it began to decline. A major employer, Keith & Blackman, closed in 1985 and Giddings and Lewis-Fraser wound down about the same time, with the whole plant later demolished to make way for a supermarket. Alps Electric Co. was a large employer in Arbroath from 1990 to 2001, employing 180. All were made redundant when the plant closed.
Armed forces
Arbroath is home to 45 Commando of theRoyal Marines
The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
, which has been based at RM Condor since 1971. The barracks were 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 contributor to the local economy; in addition to the Marines stationed at Arbroath, some 600 residents are employed by the Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
. In 2004, there was speculation that RM Condor would be transferred to the Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
as a replacement for Fort George and the barracks become a permanent base for a battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only current Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry Regiment#British Army, regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (form ...
. This went no further than the planning stage and in 2005 it was confirmed the Marines would remain.
Housing
House prices in Arbroath in April–June 2006 were just £99 below national average: £113,646 compared to a national £113,745. The average house price across Angus rose by 14.9 per cent to £124,451 in the year up to November 2006. Angus Council suggests the upgrading of the A92 between Arbroath and Dundee to a dual carriageway has lured Dundonians to Arbroath, which may be boosting house prices.Tourism
A visitor survey compiled in 2017 found Arbroath to be the most popular destination in Angus andArbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by William I of Scotland, King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecration, consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to th ...
the second most visited attraction after Glamis Castle
Glamis Castle is situated beside the village of Glamis (, ) in Angus, Scotland. It is the home of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and is open to the public.
Glamis Castle has been the home of the Clan Lyon, Lyon family since the 14th cent ...
. Arbroath Abbey receives around 14,000 visitors annually. A re-enactment of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath (the declaration of Scottish independence) known as the Scots' or Arbroath Pageant has taken place in the Abbey ruins intermittently since 1947. The last full pageant took place in 2005 but a smaller ceremony is usually performed on the 6 April each year to commemorate the signing.
Former attractions
A summer event known as the Seafront Spectacular took place in the 2000s. The program for 2006 included flying displays, a sea rescue demonstration, exhibition of motor vehicles and fairground rides. The Sea Fest, an event themed around Arbroath's maritime heritage, was held annually for 21 years until 2017. Kerr's Miniature Railway was the oldest miniature railway in Scotland at the time of its closure in October 2020. It opened in 1935 and at its height, in 1955, drew 60,000 visitors; however numbers had fallen to just 3,500 in 2019. The Harbour Visitor Centre on Fishmarket Quay was completed in 2007. It was the focus of Angus Council's attempt to increase the number of tourists to the harbour. The centre originally housed a multimedia experience explaining the town's fishing history and a VisitScotland
VisitScotland, formerly the Scottish Tourist Board (), is a national tourism organisation for Scotland. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, and ...
tourist information centre; both have closed and the space vacated let for commercial use.
Transport
The A92 dual carriageway connects Arbroath to Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
and crosses the Tay estuary into Fife
Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
via the Tay Road Bridge. North to Montrose and Stonehaven
Stonehaven ( ) is a town on the northeast coast of Scotland, south of Aberdeen. It had a population of 11,177 at th2022 Census
Stonehaven was formerly the county town of Kincardineshire, succeeding the now abandoned town of Kincardine, Aberd ...
the A92 is single carriageway but thereafter is dualled to Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
. The A933 road runs north to Brechin
Brechin (; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Scottish Reformation, Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which contin ...
. Within the town, the A92 was formerly dualled prior to 2024, when it was singled to allow a dedicated cycle-path and additional green space to be created.
Destinations from Arbroath Bus Station include Brechin
Brechin (; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Scottish Reformation, Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which contin ...
, Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
, Forfar
Forfar (; , ) is the county town of Angus, Scotland, and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million-pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town had a population of 16,280.
The town ...
and Montrose. The bus station is also a stopping point on the X7 Coastrider route that runs between Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
and Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
. Stagecoach East Scotland under its Stagecoach Strathtay brand operates most services.
Arbroath railway station is a short walk from the bus station. The station facilities and most of the passenger trains are operated by ScotRail
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail (), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise as an operator of las ...
. Direct services run along the east coast of Scotland to Aberdeen and via Dundee to Edinburgh and Glasgow with onward connections to London and other English cities. The overnight Caledonian Sleeper
''Caledonian Sleeper'' is the collective name for overnight Sleeping car, sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom ...
stops at Arbroath en route to London Euston.
The closest regional airport, Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
has flights to London City, George Best Belfast City and Sumburgh. The airport lies 1.8 miles west of the city centre, adjacent to the River Tay
The River Tay (, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing' David Ross, ''Scottish Place-names'', p. 209. Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh, 2001.) is the longest river in Sc ...
. The nearest international airports are Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
and Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
. There is a sizeable airfield at the Royal Marines
The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
military base on the western outskirts of the town. It was created in 1940 as a Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
airfield and had a training role during World War II. The airstrip was used by a Volunteer Gliding Squadron
A Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) is an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) which provides flying training in glider aircraft for Royal Air Force Air Cadets. All current operational Volunteer Gliding Squadrons operate a sole type ...
up until 2016.
Education
Further education
Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...
is provided at the Arbroath campus of Dundee and Angus College, based in the former Arbroath High School
Arbroath High School is a six-year, all-through comprehensive school situated on the west side of Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. It moved into its present building in 1985.
Accommodation
The new building was opened in 1985 to serve the west side of ...
buildings. The town has two secondary school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
s and seven primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
s. One primary school is Roman Catholic, the remainder non-denominational.
Secondary schools
The two secondaries areArbroath High School
Arbroath High School is a six-year, all-through comprehensive school situated on the west side of Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. It moved into its present building in 1985.
Accommodation
The new building was opened in 1985 to serve the west side of ...
on Keptie Road and Arbroath Academy in the Hayshead area of the town. The High School was originally a grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
; a notable alumnus is former Scottish Secretary, Michael Forsyth. It caters for around 880 pupils and has a catchment area of west Arbroath and the villages of Arbirlot, Carmyllie and 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.
See also
*Arbroath
References
SourcesCollistonin the ''Gazetteer for Scotland
T ...
. The Academy, originally a comprehensive, opened in 1962. It has a school roll of around 700 pupils and a catchment area that includes east Arbroath and the villages of Auchmithie, Inverkeilor
Inverkeilor is a village and parish in Angus, Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast, midway between Arbroath and Montrose, Angus, Montrose. The A92 road now bypasses the village.
The population of Inverkeilor parish in the United Kingdom Cen ...
and Friockheim
Friockheim (pronounced like "frickum",) is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose, Angus, Montrose.
History
The name 'Friockheim', literally translated, means 'Heather ...
.
Further education
Angus College was established in 1957. In the mid 2000s, Angus College had around 8,500 students, with 80 per cent passing the course for which they enrol. There are about 1,700 full-time students, with part-time students making up the majority. On 1 November 2013, Angus College merged with Dundee College to form Dundee and Angus College. Arbroath is not a student town and there are no student residences. The student population is solely local students living within commuting distance of the college. The Arbroath campus offers mostly full and part time vocational courses from SCQF level 1 up toHigher National Diploma
Higher National Diploma (HND), part of the Higher Nationals suite of qualifications, is an academic higher education qualification in the United Kingdom and various other countries. They were introduced in England and Wales in 1920 alongside th ...
(level 8).
Places of worship
Twelve denominations spread over twenty two places of worship are listed for Arbroath in a survey of Scotland published in 1884; all bar The Old Church are described as "modern". Only a handful of these remain in use as places of worship. Some redundant church buildings have been demolished but alternative uses have been found for others, including The Old Church, the United Presbyterian Erskine Church in Commerce Street and the High Street and Brothock Bridge United Free Churches.
Church of Scotland
The Old and Abbey Church is in the centre of town on West Abbey Street. Formerly known as the Abbey Church, its name was changed on uniting with the Old Parish Church after the latter's closure in 1990. Abbey Church was originally built as achapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
to the Old Parish Church in 1797 and was greatly extended in 1876–8 with the addition of the tower and Gothic style
Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...
front facade.
St Andrew's is in Hamilton Green, and the minister is Rev. Dr. Martin Fair with associate minister Rev. Stuart Irvin. Dr Fair was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...
in 2020–2021; the only time that a minister of a congregation in Arbroath has held the position.
The West Kirk in Keptie Street was opened as St Margaret's Chapel of Ease in 1879 and upgraded to a parish church in 1886. The height of the tower was doubled in 1903 by the addition of two storeys, a parapet and pinnacles. St Margaret's changed its name to Arbroath West Kirk in 1990 when joined by the members of Ladyloan St Columba's following that church's closure. Falling attendances at Knox's Church lead to its congregation uniting with West Kirk in 2019 and the site in Howard Street being put up for sale. Knox's Church was built in 1866 and linked with St Vigeans Church, 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.
History
St Vigeans is derived from ''Vigeanus'', a Latinised form of ...
in 1983.
Other congregations
There is anEpiscopalian
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...
congregation based at St Mary the Virgin Church in Springfield Terrace. The minister is Rev. Peter Mead. St Mary's Church evolved from a meeting house set up in 1694 by Episcopalians forced out of Arbroath Parish Church. The present church building dates from 1854. The Scottish Episcopal Church in Arbroath is part of the Diocese of Brechin
The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, Roman Catholic Diocese of Brechin, also known as the Diocese of Angus, was one of the thirteen pre-Scottish Reformation, Reformation dioceses of Scotland.
History
The diocese was believed to have been ...
.
St Thomas of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
is in Dishlandtown Street. The church opened in 1848 and has distinctive twin octagonal and crenellated front towers. The priest is the Rev. Fr. Andrew Marshall and the church is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld
The Diocese of Dunkeld () is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in southern Scotland. The current bishop of the diocese is Andrew McKenzie, having been appointed as the diocese’s eleventh bishop on 27 May 2024.
History
It i ...
. The parish includes a primary school which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998.
St John's Methodist Church in Ponderlaw was opened and preached in by John Wesley in 1772 and since the closure of Dunbar Methodist Church has been the oldest Scottish Methodist Church still used for worship. The original church building is octagonal and situated behind a vestibule added in 1882.
Other groups that worship in Arbroath include the Arbroath Corps of the Salvation Army, which meets in Marketgate; the Elim Pentecostal Church, which meets in Ogilvy Place; the Jehovah's Witnesses, who meet at the Kingdom Hall in Burnside Drive; the Springfield Christian Assembly, which meets in the Gospel Hall in Ponderlaw Lane and the Arbroath Town Mission on Grant Road, an interdenominational group established in 1849 and led by Dr Robert Clapham for sixty years, until 2010. The independent, non-denominational Life Church meet in the former St Vigeans Chapel of Ease in James Street. The church building dates from 1828 and became Inverbrothock Parish Church in 1855. The parish was dissolved in 1977.
Culture
The ANGUSalive Community Trust manages Arbroath Library and Art Gallery, Webster Memorial Theatre, Signal Tower Museum, Arbroath Community Centre and Arbroath Sports Centre. On permanent display in the Corsar Gallery at Arbroath Art Gallery are ''The Adoration of the Magi'' and ''Saint John Preaching in the Wilderness;'' two large oil paintings attributed toPieter Brueghel the Younger
Pieter Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger ( , ; ; between 23 May and 10 October 1564 – between March and May 1638) was a Flemish painting, Flemish painter known for numerous copies after his father Pieter Bruegel the Elder's ...
. The art gallery and public library are housed within a former school, The Academy, built in 1821 to a design by Dundee architect James Black. The building was bought for the town by former Provost, David Corsar, owner of a flaxspinning and manufacturing business. It was converted by local architect, Hugh Gavin and opened to much fanfare in 1898.
The Webster Memorial Theatre building was opened as ''The Public Hall'' in 1867; James Maclaren of Dundee was the architect. As well as a large hall there was a library, reading-room, museum and smaller hall. The Arbroath Guide newspaper acclaimed the front facade to be "the finest thing in architecture we have in the town". The first public performance was by a troupe of Christy's Minstrels
Christy's Minstrels, sometimes referred to as the Christy Minstrels, were a blackface group formed by Edwin Pearce Christy, a well-known ballad singer, in 1843, in Buffalo, New York. They were instrumental in the solidification of the minstrel ...
. The hall was renamed in memory of First World War casualty Joseph Webster, on his family gifting it to the town in 1919. Besides concerts, the hall was used for political addresses and lectures. HRH Princess Margaret reopened the hall in October 1970 as the Webster Memorial Theatre and Arts Centre, after major works and refurbishment. The front stonework was renovated, the auditorium remodelled and disabled access improved in 2008. The main auditorium seats five hundred. The theatre has featured among others Harry Lauder
Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...
, Jimmy Tarbuck, Charlie Landsborough, The Drifters
The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul vocal group. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1959 and ...
and the Chuckle Brothers and was the first venue the Alexander Brothers, a Scottish easy listening act, performed in as a professional duo.
The 10 year-old Marion Angus arrived in Arbroath in February 1876, when her father became minister at the Erskine United Presbyterian Church. An early contributor to the poetry of the Scottish Renaissance, in her early thirties she wrote "The Diary of Arthur Ogilvie" (1897–98) and "Christabel's Diary" (1899) columns for the ''Arbroath Guide'', sardonically chronicling the development of the town, musical concerts, visiting dramatic productions, and Church soirées.
The Angus Black and White Minstrels were the last group in Britain to regularly perform blackface
Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
. In 2005, after pressure from Angus Council, the show began with normal stage makeup and the group changed its name to The Angus Minstrels. The move to stop performing in blackface received wide UK press coverage. The group performed its farewell concert in November 2019 and made a final charitable donation in 2022.
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 6 April in association with Angus Council as well as educational visits to local schools.
Arbroath Male Voice Choir was founded in 1934 and is one of the few remaining male voice choirs in Scotland. The choir sings a mix of songs from classical, through Scottish, show tunes and pop. It performs two main concerts each year, one at Christmas, another in spring. The choir is notable for attracting well known, often international singers to its annual spring concert. These have included, Jamie McDougall, Karen Cargill, Gordon Cree, Cheryl Forbes, Colette Ruddy and the international diva Lesley Garrett
Lesley Garrett, CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano singer, musician, broadcaster and media personality who is noted for being at home in opera and "crossover music".
Early life
Garrett was born in the town of Thorne, near Doncas ...
.
The author Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
's famous '' Waverley'' series of novels includes '' Rob Roy'' and ''Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...
''. Scott is known to have visited Arbroath three times, and his personal favourite in the series, '' The Antiquary'' (1816), features fictionalised versions of 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. Signal Tower Museum was opened in 1974 as a visitor centre, detailing the history of the lighthouse and the town of Arbroath.
Hospitalfield House, a baronial mansion to the west of the town, houses an educational charity promoting contemporary arts.
The town was twinned with "THE HADDOCK THAT NEVER GOT SMOKED" by the Intercontinental Twinning Association in July 2024 following a short email exchange with Bill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond (born 29 April 1953) is a Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer. He was a co-founder of the late-1980s avant-garde pop group the KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with wh ...
, commemorative signage is due to be deployed later in the year.
Arbroath smokies
Arbroath smokies, known nationally and internationally, have been made solely in Arbroath since the award of Protected Geographical Indication
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and Traditional food, traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote ...
in 2004, which limits their production to within of Arbroath Town House. Smokies are made from haddock
The haddock (''Melanogrammus aeglefinus'') is a saltwater ray-finned fish from the Family (biology), family Gadidae, the true cods. It is the only species in the Monotypy, monotypic genus ''Melanogrammus''. It is found in the North Atlantic Oce ...
by traditional methods dating back to the late 19th century. The fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, then left tied in pairs to dry. Next, the dried fish are hung in a covered barrel containing a hardwood fire. After 45 minutes to an hour of smoking, the fish are golden brown and ready to eat. The preparation of smokies remains a cottage industry
The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...
in Arbroath, centred almost exclusively on the harbour area known as Fit o' the Toon. A large processor, R R Spink & Sons, supplied Arbroath smokies to several UK supermarket chains for a number of years, however this was discontinued when the firm concentrated on smoked salmon and trout.
Sport
Arbroath F.C., nicknamed the ''Red Lichties,'' is a semi-professional football team who play in theScottish Championship
The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...
, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League
The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As well ...
. The club plays its home matches at Gayfield Park. The stadium is set right on the North Sea coast, just 5½ yards (5 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
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.
The earliest instance of the term ...
from Aberdeen) on 12 September 1885. Arbroath Victoria F.C., a junior football club, plays its home matches at Olgilvy Park. Arbroath SC, another junior football club folded in 2011.
Arbroath Lawn Tennis Club's origins date back to 1909. Despite its name the club no longer has grass courts at its home on Arbirlot Road. Blaes (red shale) a type of clay court
A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis is played. Clay courts are built on a foundation of crushed stone, brick, shale, and other construction aggregate, aggregate, with a thin layer of fine clay particles ...
surface, was in turn replaced by floodlit, all-weather hardcourt
A hardcourt (or hard court) is a type of surface or floor on which a sport is played, most usually in reference to tennis courts. It is typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete, and covered with acrylic resins to seal the s ...
s following a successful fundraising drive and grant from Sportscotland. Australian Open 2020 men's doubles quarter finalist Jonny O'Mara is a former club member.
Arbroath has a rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
club, Arbroath RFC, and several bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...
clubs, with former World, British and current Commonwealth Games singles champion Darren Burnett a native of Arbroath.
Arbroath has a successful cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
club. It won the CSL Eastern Premiership in 2013 and the Scottish Cup in 2015.
Arbroath is a popular location for angling.
Public services
Water is supplied by Scottish Water from Lintrathen and Backwater reservoirs inGlen Isla
The River Isla () is a tributary of the River Tay in Angus and Perthshire, Scotland. It rises in the Grampians before flowing down through Glen Isla into the Valley of Strathmore. After a course of 46 miles (74 km), it falls into the Ta ...
. Electricity distribution is by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (the trading name of Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Limited, Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc and Southern Electric Power Di ...
.
Waste management is handled by Angus Council
Angus Council is the Local government in Scotland, local authority for Angus, Scotland, Angus, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
History
The first election to Angus District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authori ...
. A kerbside recycling
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...
scheme 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.Angus Council kerbside Recycling Schemeangus.gov.uk; retrieved 7 September 2008. Roughly two-thirds of non-recyclable material is sent to
landfill
A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...
at Angus Council's site at Lochhead, Forfar and the remainder sent for incineration
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high ...
(with energy recovery
Energy recovery includes any technique or method of minimizing the input of energy to an overall system by the energy transfer, exchange of energy from one sub-system of the overall system with another. The energy can be in any form in either sub ...
) outside the council area. A recycling centre is at Cairnie Loan and there are a number of neighbourhood recycling facilities. In 2020, Angus Council achieved a 57.9 per cent recycling rate — the highest by any Scottish council — compared with 34.7 per cent for 2007–2008.
Healthcare facilities were developed in the 19th century. In 1836 a dispensary was set up by subscription to give medical care to the poor. In 1842 a typhus epidemic led to a small isolation ward. Arbroath Infirmary, also financed by subscriptions, opened in 1845 and relocated to larger premises in 1916. Medical facilities continue to be provided at Arbroath Infirmary on Rosemount Road by NHS Tayside and further afield at Ninewells Hospital
Ninewells Hospital is a large teaching hospital, 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 manag ...
, Dundee. The Abbey Health Centre in East Abbey Street and Springfield Medical Centre in Ponderlaw Street provide primary health care. Arbroath, along with the rest of Scotland is served by the Scottish Ambulance Service
The Scottish Ambulance Service () is part of NHS Scotland, which serves all of Scotland, Scotland's population. The Scottish Ambulance Service is governed by a NHS Scotland#Special health boards, special health board and is funded directly by t ...
.
Police Scotland
Police Scotland (), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist services of the Scottis ...
have a police station in Gravesend and the town is served by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is the national fire and rescue service of Scotland. It was formed by the merger of eight regional fire services in the country on 1 April 2013. It thus became the largest fire brigade in the Unite ...
.
A lifeboat station was established in 1803 and was among the first in Scotland. The current RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways.
Founded in 1824 ...
station houses the only remaining Scottish slipway-launched lifeboats. The two lifeboats are an inshore inflatable D-class lifeboat (IB1), the ''Robert Ferguson'', and an all-weather Mersey Class, the ''Inchcape''.
Notable people
In alphabetical order: * Gus Alexander (1934–2010), footballer * Marion Angus (1865–1946), poet, lived in Arbroath from 1876 until her father's death in 1902. Returned in 1945, a year before her death. Her ashes were scattered across Elliot Links. *Neil Arnott
Neil Arnott (15 May 1788 – March 1874) was a Scottish physician and inventor. He was the inventor of one of the first forms of the waterbed, the Arnott waterbed, and was awarded the Rumford Medal in 1852 for the construction of the smoke ...
(1788–1874) was born in Arbroath. He became physician-extraordinary to Queen Victoria and was the inventor of a prototype waterbed and warm air stove.
*David Dunbar Buick
David Dunbar Buick (September 17, 1854 – March 5, 1929) was a Scottish-born American inventor, widely known for founding the Buick Motor Company. He headed this company and its predecessor from 1899–1906, thereby helping to create one ...
(1854–1929), founder of Buick
Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...
. Inventor of the enamelled bathtub
A bathtub, also known simply as a bath or tub, is a container for holding water in which a person or another animal may Bathing, bathe. Most modern bathtubs are made of thermoformed Acrylic resin, acrylic, porcelain enamel, porcelain-enameled s ...
and the overhead valve
An overhead valve engine, abbreviated (OHV) and sometimes called a pushrod engine, is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with flathead (or "sidevalve") engines, where the v ...
engine was born and baptised in the town.
* James Chalmers (1782–1853), Post Office reformer and disputed inventor of the adhesive postage stamp was born in the town.
* Dominik Diamond (born 1969), TV presenter
* Ned Doig (1866–1919), Arbroath-born goalkeeper. The only Arbroath F.C. footballer to win a Scotland cap while playing for the club.
* Martin Fair (born 1964), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...
for 2020–2021 and minister at St Andrew's Parish Church, Arbroath.
* John Ritchie Findlay (1824–1898), proprietor of ''The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...
'' newspaper and philanthropist.
* Graham Gano (born 1987), American football placekicker for the Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
and the New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
of the National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) was born in Arbroath and considers it his home town.
* James Glen Sivewright Gibson (1861–1951), architect, Arbroath born.
* Jamie Gillan (born 1997), American football punter for the New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
and the Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
of the National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) was born in Arbroath.
* Robert Pearse Gillies (1789–1858), poet and writer, born near or at Arbroath.
* George Gordon (1829–1907), civil engineer working in the Netherlands, India and Australia was born in the town.
* Patrick Hennessy (1915–1980), Irish born, realist painter, educated and lived in Arbroath.
*Harry Lauder
Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...
(1870–1950), Scottish singer and comedian. He lived in Arbroath until age of 14
* Durward Lely (1852–1944), opera singer, especially Gilbert and Sullivan. Arbroath born.
*Bernard of Kilwinning
Bernard (died c. 1331) was a Tironensian abbot, administrator and bishop active in late 13th- and early 14th-century Scotland, during the First War of Scottish Independence. He first appears in the records already established as Abbot of Kilwi ...
(died c. 1331), Abbot of Arbroath
The Abbot of Arbroath or Abbot of Aberbrothok (and later Commendator) was the head of the Tironensians, Tironensian Benedictines, Benedictine monastic community of Arbroath Abbey, Angus, Scotland, founded under the patronage of King William I of ...
, Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally titled Lord High Chancellor, was an Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. The Lord Chancellor was the principal Great Officer of State, the presiding officer of the Parliament of Scotland, the K ...
and Bishop of the Isles. Widely credited since the 18th century as the author of the Declaration of Arbroath; Abbot at Arbroath Abbey from 1309 and immortalised in the town in a statue with Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
holding aloft the Declaration sited at the West (or Cricket) Common.
*David Nicoll Lowe
David Nicoll Lowe FRSE OBE (1909–1999) was a Scottish botanist and administrator. He served as Secretary to the Carnegie Trust in Dunfermline 1954 to 1970. He greatly improved the relationship between the Trust and its applicants.
Life
He was b ...
(1909–1999), botanist
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
* James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape (1852–1932), Chairman of P&O and the British India Steam Navigation Company was born in Arbroath.
* Gareth Murray (born 1984), basketball player/coach of Glasgow Rocks, represented Great Britain at seven or more major tournaments. Grew up in Arbroath.
*Morris Pert
Morris David Brough Pert (8 September 1947 – 27 April 2010) was a Scottish composer, drummer/percussionist, and pianist who composed in the fields of both contemporary classical and jazz-rock music. His compositions include three symphonies, p ...
(1947–2010), Scottish composer, percussionist, pianist and session musician, born in Arbroath.
* George Scott Railton (1849–1913), Scottish missionary, first commissioner of The Salvation Army and 2nd in Command to William Booth was born in Arbroath.
* Alexander Ross (1895–1972), born in Arbroath. Made one first-class appearance as wicket keeper and batsman for the Civil Service cricket team against New Zealand in 1927, scoring a single run over the two innings.
* Robert Sievwright (1882–1947), international cricketer for Scotland, born in Arbroath.
* David Frederick Skea (1871–1950), was a Scottish association football player (1890s).
* Andy Stewart, (1933–1993), musician and entertainer, lived in Arbroath as a boy and retired to Arbroath.
* Gavin Swankie (born 1983), Arbroath born footballer.
* Paul Tosh (born 1973), football striker was born and raised in Arbroath.
See also
* Aber and Inver as place-name elements *List of places in Angus
This List of places in Angus is a list of links for any town, village and hamlet (place), hamlet in the Angus, Scotland, Angus Council areas of Scotland, council area of Scotland.
A
*Aberlemno
*Airlie, Angus, Airlie
*Arbirlot
*Arbroath
*Ar ...
References
External links
BBC History entry
from Angus Council
Documentary film about the history of the Arbroath Smokie
*A collection o
from the 1660s onward at
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland (NLS; ; ) is one of Scotland's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of ...
Engraving of Arbroath in 1693
by John Slezer at National Library of Scotland {{Authority control Towns in Angus, Scotland Large burghs Ports and harbours of Scotland Port cities and towns of the North Sea Royal burghs Fishing communities in Scotland Populated coastal places in Scotland