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Insch () is a village in the Garioch,
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 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 ...
. It is located approximately from the city 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 ...
.


History

Insch is home to the Pictish Picardy Stone which is one of the oldest Pictish symbol stones and may date from the 7th century. Dunnideer Castle was built in 1260 and is one of the earliest Tower Houses in Scotland which is still in existence. In 1837, the ''Gazetteer of the British Isles'' described Insch parish as having a population of 8370, while the village held 1536 people.


Etymology

The name of the village may have come from the
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
''innis'', meaning an
island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
, or, as in this context, a piece of ''terra firma'' in a marsh.Watson, W.J., ''Celtic Placenames of Scotland'', (Edinburgh, 1926) Alternatively, ''inch'' or ''innis'' can refer to a meadow or low-lying pasture which more closely corresponds with the site of the village.Smith, Alexander (Ed.). ''A New History of Aberdeenshire in Two Parts: Part II'', Lewis Smith, Aberdeen, 1875. ''Innis'' also indicates the presence of water - a river, loch or estuary, perhaps - often seen as ''Inch'' in place names, as in Perth's famous North and South Inches on the west bank of 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 ...
.Watson, W.J. ''Place-Names of Ross and Cromarty'', 1904, reprinted in paperback 1996 by Highland Heritage Books). Inchnadamph at the eastern end of Loch Assynt and The Inch in southern Edinburgh are further examples. ''Innis'' can also be translated as ''haven'' or ''sanctuary'' - an island of safety from enemies or a resting place on the cattle drove.


Facilities

Facilities include a post office, health centre, part-time fire station, leisure centre, golf course, bowling club, library, general and specialist shops, coffee shop and a community centre. There are
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 ...
and Scottish Episcopal churches. Insch has two hotels, the Commercial Hotel and the Station Hotel. Some locals will offer bed and breakfast facilities in response to demand from migrant workers. A number of small play-parks are scattered around the village, along with a larger play park and football pitch beside the leisure centre. The village has a regular bus and train service, located on the main Aberdeen to Inverness train line. The village is served by Insch railway station and has regular bus services to Huntly and
Inverurie Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Uraidh'' or ''Inbhir Uaraidh'', 'mouth of the River Ury') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Ury and River Don, Aberdeenshire, Don, about north-west of Aberdeen. Geography ...
with connections 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 ...
and
Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
.


Education

Within the village there is a nursery and the Insch Primary School. For secondary education, the pupils can attend The Gordon Schools in Huntly or Inverurie Academy in
Inverurie Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Uraidh'' or ''Inbhir Uaraidh'', 'mouth of the River Ury') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Ury and River Don, Aberdeenshire, Don, about north-west of Aberdeen. Geography ...
.


Insch Golf Club

The game of golf in Insch was first recorded before World War I, with the course being laid around Dunnideer Hill. It was then moved to its present location around 1923 where it existed until 1940, when the ground was seconded by the War Department for use as a grenade range. Golf was absent in Insch until a committee was formed in 1977 to provide the village with such a facility. A nine-hole course was built by voluntary labour along Valentine Burn and was reopened for play in 1982. The club expanded further in 1987, when a clubhouse facility – complete with changing rooms, office, bar, café and dance floor – was provided from the remnants of temporary accommodation for a local school. The course was extended by the addition of 12 new holes on the slopes of Dunnideer.


Sports Team

The local Football team are called Insch AFC and play at Recreation Park, Insch, they play in the Premier Division under the governing body Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association (AAFA)


Famous residents

The surgeon/adventurer Robert Daun
FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...
(1785–1871) was born and raised here.


Demographics

86% were born in Scotland, 10% in England and 4% elsewhere.


References


External links


Insch community website

Loch Insch Fishery


{{authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire