Brechin (; ) is a town and 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 ...

Angus, Scotland Angus (; ) is one of the 32 Local government in Scotland, local government council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City (council area), Dundee City and Per ...

. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-

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 ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

(which continues today as an episcopal seat of the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church (; ) is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provi ...

), but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era. Nevertheless, the designation is often used, with examples being the City of Brechin and District Community Council, City of Brechin and Area Partnership, City of Brechin Civic Trust and Brechin City Football Club. Kinnaird Castle is nearby. Brechin is located slightly closer 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 ...

than

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 ...

on the A90 between the cities. It is the fourth largest settlement of Angus.

History

In the centre of Brechin is a small

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

in the

Brechin Town House Brechin Town House is a municipal structure in the High Street in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. The structure, which was used as a museum from 2003 to 2023, is a Category B listed building. History The first municipal building in the town was a tol ...

, and an award-winning tourist attraction, the

Caledonian Railway The Caledonian Railway (CR) was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was formed in 1845 with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively ex ...

. Along with the cathedral and

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls. Castle ...

, part of the

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

of Brechin's ''Maison Dieu'' or hospital survives from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

; the Maison Dieu was founded before 1267 by William de Brechin. The Maison Dieu chapel is in the care of

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

. The Bank Street drill hall was completed in 1879. The Guildry Incorporation of Brechin was formed in 1629 by merchants and traders in the Burgh and in 1666 obtained recognition of its rights under Decree of the Convention of Burghs. The Guildry's historic purposes have been assumed by local government and its current functions are social and civic. On 19 October 2023, residents of the town were evacuated due to Storm Babet. On 5 March 2025, the disused Maison Dieu church was damaged by a fire.

Religion

Brechin Cathedral

The town is well known for its cathedral, with eleventh century

(

), one of only two of these Irish-style monuments surviving in Scotland (the other is at Abernethy,

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

). The tower was originally free-standing, but is now incorporated in the framework of the cathedral. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

has been much altered, but still contains

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

work of the 13th and 14th centuries, notably a handsome western tower and processional door.

Scottish Episcopal Church

In 1695, following the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, the town's Episcopalians were driven out of Brechin Cathedral which remained under the control of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

. A meeting house was set up in the High Street with a chapel being built in 1743. Following the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

, the chapel's seats and books were destroyed by government forces and the chapel was taken over by a qualified congregation. A new Episcopalian Church, St Andrews Church was built in 1809 and consecrated in June 1811. This was replaced by a new building in 1888. St Andrews Church 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 ...

and its archives are held by the

University of Dundee The University of Dundee is a public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a university college in 1881 with a donation from the prominent Baxter family of textile manufacturers. The institution was, for most of its ...

Governance

Brechin is represented within

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 three councillors who represent the Brechin & Edzell ward. In the Scottish Parliament, it is part of the Angus North and Mearns constituency and the North East Scotland electoral region. In the UK Parliament, it is part of the Angus and Perthshire Glens constituency.

Education

Education in Brechin is managed by the Education Department of

. There is one

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 ...

in the area;

Brechin High School Brechin High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. Admissions It has approximately 660 students. The school has a relationship with the town's Brechin#Brechin Cathedral, cathedral stretching back to the ear ...

and four feeder

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; Andover Primary school, Edzell Primary School, Maisondieu Primary School and Stracathro Primary School.

Public services

Brechin Infirmary was designed by local architect William Fettis (or Fettes) and opened in 1869 by Fox Maule-Ramsay, 11th Earl of Dalhousie. On opening, the hospital had beds for up to 30 patients. Four new wards were added in a major extension built circa 1929 and further expansion took place in 1960 when new out-patients and physiotherapy departments were included within a separate new single-storey building. The infirmary closed in 2015 and looks set to be demolished. A parochial lodging house for paupers (a

poor house A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), "workhouse" has been the more ...

) was opened in grounds next to the infirmary in 1880. It had accommodation for eighty persons in eleven wards. Renamed St Drostan's House, it was later used by Angus Council as a care home for the elderly.

Sport

Brechin City F.C. Brechin City Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish association football, football Football team, club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it ha ...

contest in the

Highland Football League The Scottish Highland Football League (SHFL, commonly known as the Highland League) is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Scott ...

at its stadium Glebe Park. Glebe Park is the only senior football ground in Europe which has a hedge along one of its perimeters. Brechin is also home to the junior football club Brechin Victoria who play at Victoria Park. Brechin Golf Club was formed in 1893, at Trinity Muir with a 9 hole course. Records show that by 1924 an agreement had been made to purchase Limefield Farm. In 1926, the famous James Braid was invited to play the course. Braid was so impressed he suggested suitable sites for sand bunkers in the Limefield section of the course. The course was expanded to the current layout to mark its centenary year in June 1993.

Transport

The nearest

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, a group representing passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the passenger services previously provided by ...

station is at , which is a stop on the Dundee–Aberdeen line. The town was previously served by

Brechin railway station Brechin is a station in Angus, on the Caledonian Railway line. History The station opened for business on 1 February 1848. Initially four trains per day ran between Brechin and Montrose. The fare between Brechin and Montrose was 1s.4d First C ...

, a terminus of several lines. It was closed to passengers in 1952, but has since reopened as part of the

heritage line. Local bus services are operated predominantly by Stagecoach East Scotland. Key routes connect the town with Arbroath, Dundee and Montrose. The single-carriageway bypass of Brechin was dualled and reopened in March 1994, completing the upgrade of the newly numbered A90 between Perth and Aberdeen.

Notable people

* Dame

Anne Begg Dame Margaret Anne Begg DBE (born 6 December 1955) is a Scottish politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberdeen South from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Labour Party, she was Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committe ...

, former Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South. * Sir David de Brechin (d. 1320), Lord of Brechin. * William Eddie (1891—1979), Scottish first-class cricketer and Provost. * Douglas A. H. Graham, British Army Officer * Thomas Guthrie FRSE (1803–1873), Scottish

divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

and philanthropist *

Joseph Fairweather Lamb Joseph Fairweather Lamb FRSE (1928–2015) was a 20th-century Scottish physician, who was emeritus Professor of the Chandos Chair of Physiology at the University of St Andrews. Life He was born at Balnacake Farm near Brechin on 18 July 1928A ...

, academic and former Chandos Chair of Physiology at the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

. *

James McCosh James McCosh (April 1, 1811 – November 16, 1894) was a philosopher of the Scottish School of Common Sense. He was president of Princeton University 1868–88. Biography McCosh was born into a Covenanter, Covenanting family in Ay ...

and

Free Church A free church is any Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church neither defines government policy, nor accept church theology or policy definitions from the government. A f ...

minister at Brechin. Later president of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

* David Myles, former MP for

Banffshire Banffshire (; ; ) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been spli ...

and public servant. *

Robin Orr Robert Kemsley (Robin) Orr (2 June 1909 – 9 April 2006) was a Scottish organist and composer. Life Born in Brechin, and educated at Loretto School, he studied the organ at the Royal College of Music in London under Walter Galpin Alcock, and pi ...

, composer. *

Robert Watson-Watt Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt (13 April 1892 – 5 December 1973) was a Scottish radio engineer and pioneer of radio direction finding and radar technology. Watt began his career in radio physics with a job at the Met Office, where he be ...

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

pioneer, born in Brechin.

Gallery

File:John the Scot.svg, Coat of arms of Brechin, based on the arms of Henry, Lord of Brechin

References

External links

Brechin Online
Local Community Website for Brechin. * - local newspaper
Brechin Town House Museum

Brechin Environment
{{Authority control Towns in Angus, Scotland