Glamis is a small village in

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 ...

, located south of

Kirriemuir Kirriemuir ( , ; ), sometimes called Kirrie or the ''Wee Red Toon'', is a burgh in Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom. The playwright J. M. Barrie was born and buried here and a statue of Peter Pan is in the town square. History Some of th ...

and southwest of

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 ...

. It is the location of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

History

Glamis village and the distant Grampians

The vicinity of Glamis has prehistoric traces – within the village, there stands an intricately carved

Pictish stone A Pictish stone is a type of monumental stele, generally carved or incised with symbols or designs. A few have ogham inscriptions. Located in Scotland, mostly north of the River Clyde, Clyde-River Forth, Forth line and on the Eastern side of the ...

known as the Glamis Manse Stone. There are various other Pictish stones nearby the village, such as the Hunter's Hill Stone, and the Eassie Stone, which stands in Eassie Old Church near the village of Eassie. The last Alpínid king of Scotland,

Malcolm II Máel Coluim mac Cinaeda (; anglicised Malcolm II; c. 954 – 25 November 1034) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Alba (Scotland) from 1005 until his death in 1034. He was one of the longest-reigning Scottish Kings of that period. He was ...

, died at Glamis in 1034. Some other small fragments of Pictish stones from Glamis are preserved in the Meffan Institute in

. On 20 October 1491, James IV declared it a burgh of barony. This gave Glamis the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair, which was held on 17 November, the feast day of Saint Fergus. This legacy can be seen in the

mercat cross A mercat cross is the Scots language, Scots name for the market cross found frequently in Scotland, Scottish cities, towns and villages where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or ...

, which still stands in the village square. The humorous poet Agnes Lyon lived in the town. Glamis was the location of a flax spinning mill, which in 1818 was leased by William Baxter, who later founded the major Dundee textile firm Baxter Brothers & Co Ltd.

Important buildings

Glamis is a well-preserved conservation village. Much of its historic core was built to house estate workers in the late 18th century. The Angus Folk Museum, run by the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

, is in the village. It is a museum of days past, recreating scenes of rural life such as a minister's parlour, a schoolroom, a laundry, and an

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

area, along with displays of tools, everyday artifacts, and old crafts. It is housed in an adapted row of single-storey stone cottages, built in 1793. The parish church of Glamis, dedicated to Saint Fergus, was founded in the early

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 ...

period (probably 8th century AD). The present building is 18th-century with an interior recast in the 1930s, but retains a vaulted 15th-century aisle from the medieval church which preceded it. The aisle is the burial place
photo
of the Bowes-Lyon family, owners of Glamis Castle. One of its park gates is situated near the parish church. The

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

hosts various events throughout the year, notably the Proms evening, when thousands of people traditionally turn out with picnics ranging from the small to the elaborate.

In Shakespeare

In the tragedy of ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

is the Thane of Glamis. He later becomes the Thane of Cawdor and the king of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, fulfilling the witches' prophecy. Several cities in Britain have streets named after Glamis, due to the popularity of naming streets after Shakespearean characters and locations during the

Victorian Era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

References

{{Authority control Villages in Angus, Scotland

History

Important buildings

In Shakespeare

See also

References