Keig ( ) is a village within the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

area of

Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeenshire Council is the local authority for Aberdeenshire, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council has been under no overall control since its creation in 1996. It is based at Woodhill House, which is outside its own territory ...

in the North East of Scotland and is located within the Marr 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 ...

from Alford. It lies on the B992 road between

Insch Insch () is a village in the Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located approximately from the city of Aberdeen. History Insch is home to the Picts, Pictish Picardy Stone which is one of the oldest Pictish stone, Pictish symbol stones ...

and the village of

Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to: People * Charles S. Whitehouse (1921–2001), American diplomat * Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor * E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883–1965), American diplomat * Elliott Whitehouse (born ...

Education

The village has a

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 ...

, and it is within the

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

for Alford Academy, the nearest

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 ...

Church

Keig has a

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 ...

church, which is a church included in the Howe Trinity Parish (which also includes Alford and Tullynessle and Forbes). Keig Parish Church dates from 1834 and has a linked

churchyard In Christian countries, a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church (building), church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster S ...

. The church was saved from being sold off as a private dwelling in the early 2000s, thanks to a group, the Friends of Keig Kirk, which supports the church to this day.

Places of interest

Keig is located near

Castle Forbes Castle Forbes is a 19th-century country house in the Scots Baronial style near Alford in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Vale of Alford estate has been home to the Lords Forbes and their ancestors for over six hundred years. An earlier house ...

, which is the ancestral home of the

Clan Forbes Clan Forbes is a Highland Scottish clan from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History Origins The name Forbes is most probably a location name assumed from the lands of Forbes in Aberdeenshire, in possession of this family reputedly since the time ...

family. The historic

Category A listed Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * Category ( ...

Bridge of Keig, designed by the architect

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well ...

, spans the River Don and has views towards

. It is a notable local landmark. In February 2010 the bridge was closed to traffic by

amid fears of structural damage caused by the harsh winter conditions experienced at the end of 2009 and the early part of 2010. Having undertaken major strengthening and repair work,

reopened Keig Bridge on 18 September 2010. The River Don passes through north Keig (ROK) and South-East Keig.

Transport

The village is served by the 421 bus between Alford and

Notable residents

William Robertson Smith William Robertson Smith (8 November 184631 March 1894) was a Scottish orientalist, Old Testament scholar, professor of divinity, and minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He was an editor of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' and contributor ...

and his brother Charles Michie Smith were both born in Keig manse.

References

{{authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire