Menmuir is a parish in the county of

Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

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 ...

. Kirkton of Menmuir consists of only three houses (the Old Schoolhouse, the

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 '' ...

, the Old Inn) and for this reason is referred to locally as "twa hooses and another yin," but around 250 people live in the area and the community hall is well used.

History

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

cup and ring marked stones have been found in the area.

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

archaeology has been found nearby, with a short cist burial found a mile to the south-east of the village, containing bones and a flint spearhead, and a bronze axehead found nearby. The Brown Caterthun and the White Caterthun, hillforts dating from the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

, can also be seen nearby. A number of Pictish symbol stones have been found in Menmuir, including a cross-slab and a sculptured stone found in the kirkyard around 1844 when an old wall was demolished, three fragments, found in the grounds of the village Manse in 1943, and another class III fragment reported in 1986. These point to Menmuir having been a centre of some ecclesiastical importance in the early medieval period. A royal palace is supposed to have existed in Menmuir in the reign of Alexander III, a little to the south-west of where the church now stands. However, no remains of it have been found.Jervise (1853) pp246-247

Geography

Menmuir straddles the boundary of the fertile coastal land and the start of the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains () is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian range extends northeast to so ...

. The unusual surname Menmuir seems to originate from this parish.

Famous residents

John Lindsay of Balcarres, Lord Menmuir was the laird of Menmuir and James Irvine was a Scottish portrait-painter born here in 1822.

Notes

References

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External links

Menmuir Community Website

Angus Glens Website
{{authority control Villages in Angus, Scotland