Longforgan
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Longforgan is a village and
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
in the Carse of Gowrie, in
Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...
, Scotland. It lies west of
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 ...
on the main
A90 road The A90 road is a major north-to-south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh, through Dundee and Aberdeen. Along with the A9 road (Scotland), A9 and the A82 (road), A82 it is one of the three major north–south tr ...
.


History

A record survives of Sir Patrick Gray, as Baron of Longforgan, holding a baronial court here in 1385 on the Longforgan or Hund Hill; a moot hill. The officials present were the same as those of the sovereign's courts. The village was created a
burgh of barony A burgh of barony was a type of Scottish town (burgh). Burghs of barony were distinct from royal burghs, as the title was granted to a landowner who, as a tenant-in-chief, held his estates directly from the crown. (In some cases, they might also ...
in 1672. Castle Huntly, established in the 14th century and developed in the 17th and 18th centuries, is located south-west of the village. It is now an
open prison An open prison or open jail is any jail in which the prisoners are trusted to complete sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and are often not locked up in their prison cells. Prisoners may be permitted to take up employmen ...
. A woodland, Huntly Woods, is situated away from the village. There is evidence that a Roman Camp was built in Huntly woods. St Modwenna, who died in 521, is said to have founded a church at Longforgan. The present church, which probably stands on its site, was practically rebuilt in 1794, but during renovation about 1900, 15th century mouldings were discovered. A probably 13th century cross and a tombstone dated 1400, from the churchyard are preserved in the church. The present church is still in use and no trace of an earlier building can be seen. A restored panel in the tower reads "Founded in 1690". Two stones bearing incised crosses stand against the wall of the vestibule within the church. The tombstone dated 1400 is fixed to the interior of the north wall of the church. Beneath it is a stone with the following inscription: "Found under floor at supposed east end of pre-Reformation church while altering present church 1899". This stone bears the full length effigies of a knight in armour, his lady in the costume of the period and a small figure of a youth in armour, either a son or an attendant squire. Around the edge of the stone a ribbon is carried which the following (Latin) inscription is incised in Gothic letters. A translation reads : here lies John de Galychtly, late Laird of Ebrokis. The date for death was not carved and the incised writing is relatively clear indicating the stone may not have been used as a grave marker. The lands of Ebrokis (Ebrukis, Ebrux) appear in the Great Seal Register 1508/9 within the barony of Longforgan. In a letter dated 1650 between Sir Patrick Ogilvie of Inchmartine and Thomas Ogilvie, the lands of Ebrokis are mentioned as 'Ebrux alias Broomhall'. Broomhall is located at the south west corner of Longforgan parish. Two grave slabs, one to James Fife, d.1588 and the other to Jean Fledger, d.1660, have been removed from the graveyard, conserved and are now displayed within the church lobby. A tombstone to the 17th century painter Apollonia Kickius is in the graveyard. William Wallace is said to have stopped here to rest after escaping from
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 ...
where he had killed the English governor's son. The knocking stone upon which he sat is preserved in the Dundee Museum.


Name

The name Longforgan may be derived from
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 ...
''lann'', meaning "enclosure" or "church", or ''lòn'', meaning "marsh", coupled with ''fothir grund'', meaning a fertile field. Its form in modern
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 ...
is ''Forgrann''.


Description

Main Street is one of the oldest parts of the village. It contains the oldest cottages in the village and the bowling club,
police station A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...
, Architects Office,
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 ...

Coaching Inn
church and general store. The 17th-century
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 ...
is protected as a category A
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. Castle Road is another of the oldest streets in Longforgan, and as the name suggests, was the main road from the church down to Castle Huntly. Many of the houses are original whitewashed cottar houses used in the past by land workers on the estate. This 'bonny' road down to the Carse of Gowrie is now closed to through vehicle traffic. The primary school in the village can accommodate around 100 pupils in total. The Headteacher is Lauren Budd. The Eastbank area was developed in the 1960s, and Paterson was built in the 1970s, to accommodate the village's growing population, it is situated in the north of the village. Dorward Place was re-developed (completion 1997) from an old Farm Site (An Aerial photograph of the original site is hung in the housing complex) and consists only of sheltered servite housing. Westbank was originally farms but was transformed into houses in 2001. Rosamunde Pilcher Drive is located in this estate, and is named after the bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher who lived in Longforgan. Built in the 2000s, Mary Findlay Drive is the largest modern
housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision (land), subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to count ...
in Longforgan with 42 houses and its own park. Worbey Place is situated next to Helen McGregor Park in the east end of Longforgan. The park includes run down tennis courts, a football pitch and a play area. The only church is situated on the Main Street and is run by the Church of Scotland with the minister being the Rev. Dr. Marjory MacLean. Memorial panels to the Paterson family in the church were designed by
Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, Order of the British Empire, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scotland, Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, f ...
in 1900.


Transport


Rail

The village had a railway station, Longforgan, which was open between 1849 and 1956. It was situated about south of the village on what is now the Glasgow–Dundee line. The village was bypassed to the north in 1952 by what is now the A90.


Bus

Stagecoach East Scotland provides bus services 39, 39A and 39B, connecting Longforgan Main Street 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 ...
,
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
City Centre and PRI. These services, collectively, run hourly throughout the week. From the A90 Westbound Slip Road Roundabout bus stop, Scottish bus operator Ember operates services E1 to
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
and E3 to
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
. The services from the westbond roundabout bus stop operate in the opposite direction 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 ...
.


Drimmie

Drimmie was an estate in the west of Longforgan parish. A sharp drop-off of known as the Snabs of Drimmie, "extend north-westward from the bold rocky point of Kingoodie".


Notable Longforganites

*
Andrew Marr Andrew William Stevenson Marr (born 31 July 1959) is a British journalist, author, broadcaster and presenter. Beginning his career as a political commentator at ''The Scotsman,'' he subsequently edited ''The Independent'' newspaper from 1996 to ...
, television presenter * Patrick Gray, 6th Lord Gray, Scottish nobleman and politician during the reigns of James VI of Scotland and Mary, Queen of Scots. * Rosamunde Pilcher, best selling author * Robin Pilcher, British author * Alexander Thoms, mineralogist


References


Citations


Sources

* {{Authority control Villages in Perth and Kinross