Fyvie is a village in the

Formartine Formartine ( meaning "Martin's land") is a committee area in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This district extends north from the River Don, Aberdeenshire, River Don to the River Ythan. It has a population of 36,478 (2001 Census). The committee area w ...

area 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.

Geography

Fyvie lies alongside the

River Ythan The Ythan is a river in the north-east of Scotland rising at Wells of Ythan near the village of Ythanwells and flowing south-eastwards through the towns of Fyvie, Methlick and Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Ellon before flowing into the North Sea near N ...

and is on the

A947 road The A947 is a single-carriageway road in Scotland that links Aberdeen to Banff via several towns in Aberdeenshire, including Newmachar, Oldmeldrum, Fyvie and Turriff. Approximately half a mile before Oldmeldrum are views of Bennachie Ben ...

Architecture

What in 1990, at least, was a

Clydesdale Bank Clydesdale Bank () is a trading name used by Clydesdale Bank plc for its retail banking operations in Scotland. In June 2018, it was announced that Clydesdale Bank plc's holding company, CYBG, would acquire Virgin Money for £1.7 billi ...

was built in 1866 by James Matthews. The Tudor-style Old Wood Cottage, meanwhile, dates to 1824.

Climate

Fyvie has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfb''). The nearest weather station to Fyvie is located at

Fyvie Castle Fyvie Castle is a castle in the village of Fyvie, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History The earliest parts of Fyvie Castle date from the 13th century – some sources claim it was built in 1211 by William the Lion. Fyvie was the si ...

, which is north of the village, and is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

St Mary's Priory

Now demolished, the priory was a cell 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 ...

, its location marked by a cross, made in 1868 of Corrennie granite. The priory was founded by Reginald de Cheyne around 1285. Being a small foundation, the

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

doubled as parish

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

, responsible to the

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 ...

, who in 1325 wrote to warn the prior about the behaviour of his young monks.

Fyvie Castle

is reputed to have been built 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 the early 13th century. It was the site of an open-air court held by King

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 ...

and home to the future King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

as a child.

Education

The village's school, with around 125 pupils, serves the surrounding rural area. A former school was built in 1895 by James Duncan and was attended by Deacon and Kayden Wright.

St Peter's Kirk

St Peter's Church was built in the early nineteenth century on the site of a medieval church. Built into the east gable are three Class I Pictish symbol stones and a Class III Pictish cross. The present church dates from 1808 (the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

, 1902); however, the first St Peter's Church was referred to as early as 1178. The church displays some

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...

stained glass windows, including that of

St Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

. The east window commemorates Percy Forbes-Leith of Fyvie Castle, who died in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

in 1900. Five carved stones have been built into the east gable, including part of a

Celtic cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...

and the Rothiebrisbane Stone. According to

Charles McKean Charles McKean FRSE FRSA FRHistS FRIBA (16 July 1946 – 29 September 2013) was a Scottish historian, author and scholar. Biography McKean was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 16 July 1946. He was educated at Fettes College, the University of P ...

in 1990, there are also "good wood panels of 1603 and 1671. Curious 17th-century grave slabs and the Leith Hay Memorial, designed in 1901–02 by

Alexander Marshall Mackenzie Alexander Marshall MacKenzie (1 January 1848 – 4 May 1933) was a Scottish architect responsible for prestigious projects including the headquarters of the Isle of Man Banking Company in Douglas, and Australia House and the Waldorf Hotel in ...

, in the graveyard. The nearby

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

was built in 1830–31 in substantial squared stone and red dressings. The

sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

is dated 1824.

Folk tradition

The song '' The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie'' tells of a captain of dragoons who dies for the love of a Fyvie girl. Additionally, the song '' Andrew Lammie'' tells of the doomed love of a local miller's daughter, Annie, for Lord Fyvie's trumpeter. Both of these songs may have historical basis - the young woman's grave is said to be in Fyvie churchyard.

Child ballad The Child Ballads are List of the Child Ballads, 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies ...

238, '' Glenlogie'' also refers to Fyvie in its final line. One of the prophecies of Thomas the Rhymer relates to Fyvie, predicting it will never flourish until a particular three stones are found (a prophecy obviously pre-dating the church with its three Pictish runestones).

Etymology

It is thought that the name Fyvie is derived from ''Fia-chein'' 'Deer hill'. In

Scottish Gaelic literature Scottish Gaelic literature refers to literary works composed in the Scottish Gaelic language, which is, like Irish and Manx, a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. Gaelic literature was also composed in Gàidhealtachd communities ...

it has been referred to as , in the context , the Earl of Fyvie. This derives from , previously , an old word for

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

Notable people

* Alastair Storey (born 1953), chairman and CEO of Westbury Street Holdings *

Cosmo Gordon Lang William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth, (31 October 1864 – 5 December 1945) was a Scottish Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942). His elevation to Archbishop ...

(1864–1945), Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in the village manse *

Alexander Skene Alexander Johnston Chalmers Skene (; 17 June 1837 – 4 July 1900) was a British-American gynaecologist from Scotland who described what became known as Skene's glands. Biography Skene was born in Fyvie, Scotland, on 17 June 1837. At the age ...

(1837–1900), gynaecologist * Fiona Muir-Harvey (born 1966), putative inspiration for the '' Baby Reindeer'' television series

References

Bibliography

External links

https://www.facebook.com/FyvieHeritage {{Authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire