Arbuthnott (, "mouth of the Buadhnat") is a hamlet and parish in the

Howe of the Mearns Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of north-east Scotland. It is bounded by Abe ...

, a low-lying agricultural district of

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, Scotland. It is located on the B967, east of

Fordoun Fordoun () (Pronounced "For-Dun") is a parish and village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Fothirdun (possibly "the lower place"), as it was historically known, was an important area in the Howe of the Mearns. Fordoun and Auchenblae, together wit ...

(on the A90) and north-west of

Inverbervie Inverbervie (), also known simply as Bervie, is a small town on the north-east coast of Scotland, south of Stonehaven, in the Kincardineshire, Mearns. Etymology The name comes from Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic and means "mouth of Bervie Water". Hi ...

(on the A92). The nearest railway station is

Laurencekirk Laurencekirk (, , ), locally known as Lournie or simply 'The Kirk', is a small town in the historic county of Kincardineshire, Scotland, just off the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen main road. It is administered as part of Aberdeenshire. It is the l ...

. The most salient feature of the hamlet is the 13th century

Parish Church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

St Ternan Saint Ternan (''fl.'' fifth or sixth century) is venerated as the "Bishop of the Picts". Not much is known of his life. Different historians place him either at the mid-fifth century or the latter part of the sixth. Those who place him in the ear ...

, in which the Missal of Arbuthnott was written. Today the church is part of the combined parish of Arbuthnott, Bervie and Kinneff.

Lewis Grassic Gibbon James Leslie Mitchell (13 February 1901 – 7 February 1935), known by the pseudonym Lewis Grassic Gibbon (), was a Scottish writer. He was best known for '' A Scots Quair'', a trilogy set in the north-east of Scotland in the early 20th century ...

, an author remembered for his novels about life in the Mearns, grew up at Bloomfield in the parish of Arbuthnott. A small museum in the hamlet is dedicated to him, named the Lewis Grassic Gibbon Centre. This is built as an extension to the village hall, and contains an exhibition about the author and his work. The centre also contains a café, and post office facilities. Arbuthnott House, the seat of the

Viscount of Arbuthnott Viscount of Arbuthnott is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1641, along with the subsidiary title Lord Inverbervie, for Sir Robert Arbuthnott. The Viscount of Arbuthnott is the hereditary chief of Clan Arbuthnott. At the t ...

, is near the hamlet.

Prehistory and archaeology

In 2004, CFA Archaeology conducted archaeological investigations next to the hamlet in advance of the construction of the Aberdeen to Lochside natural gas pipeline. There they discovered the remains of four Middle

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 ...

roundhouses, one

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 ...

post-built roundhouse with a

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 ...

entered from the house, and two medieval/post-medieval corn-drying kilns. It is thought that more houses might exist but they were outside the area that would be impacted by the pipeline and so were not excavated.

Arbuthnott House

The existing house incorporates sections of a 13th/14th century castle built by the Arbuthnott family, and was greatly expanded in the 15th century when a courtyard was created at its base. A range was built on the side of the courtyard in the 16th century. In the 1750s the entrance was adjusted and the overall composition remodelled to create a symmetrical arrangement. A fine plaster ceiling of 1685 is one of the more important internal features.

Notable people

John Arbuthnot John Arbuthnot FRS (''baptised'' 29 April 1667 – 27 February 1735), often known simply as Dr Arbuthnot, was a Scottish physician, satirist and polymath in London. He is best remembered for his contributions to mathematics, his membership ...

(1667–1735), often known simply as Dr Arbuthnot, Scottish physician, satirist and polymath * The Most Rev.

George Gleig George Gleig FRSE FSA LLD (12 May 1753 – 9 March 1840) was a Scottish minister who transferred to the Episcopalian faith and became Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Life He was born at Boghall Farm, near Arbuthnott in Aberdeenshire, ...

(1753-1840),

Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church The primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, styled "The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church", is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd. Mark Strange who became primus o ...

* The Very Rev.

Samuel Trail Samuel Trail (1806–1887) was a Scottish minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1874. Life He was born in the parish of Udny on 31 May 1806, the son of John T. Trail, a farmer. He studied divini ...

(1806–1887), minister of the parish 1841–44 and

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...

in 1874

Listed buildings

Within the community of Arbuthnott, there are a number of listed buildings and structures: # Arbuthnott House - category A # Arbuthnott House - Doocot - category C(s) # Arbuthnott House - East Gate - category B # Arbuthnott House - Garden House - category B # Arbuthnott House - Ice House - category B # Arbuthnott House Mains Farm - category B # Arbuthnott House Sundial - category B # Arbuthnott House, North Bridge over Arbuthnott Burn - category A #

Arbuthnott Parish Kirk Arbuthnott Parish Kirk is a church in Arbuthnott, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Now a Category A listed building, it was built in at least the 13th century, from which time the nave and chancel survive. A west front and bell turret were added later. I ...

- category A # Former Arbuthnott Church Manse (Kilternan) - Category C More broadly, within the former parish boundaries, there are a futherer four buildings and structures which have listed status: # Allardyce Castle - Category A # Allardyce Castle - Gate Piers - Category A # House of Kairs - Category B # House of Kairs Main Farmhouse - Category B Source:

Notes

External links