Pitsligo was a coastal parish in the
historic county 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 ...
, Scotland, containing the fishing villages of
Rosehearty
Rosehearty () is a settlement on the Moray Firth coast, four miles west of the town Fraserburgh, in the historical county of Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The burgh has a population of approximately 1,300 with about 25 per cent of pensionable age. ...
,
Pittulie and
Sandhaven,
[''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland'']
Frances Hindes Groome (1901), p. 1334 3 miles (6 km) west of
Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh (; ), locally known as the Broch, is a town in Aberdeenshire (unitary), Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with a population recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census as 13,100. It lies in Buchan in the northeastern corner of th ...
and 12 miles (19 km) north of
Mintlaw.
The name is derived from the Gaelic ''Peit Shligeach'', meaning "portion of land abounding in shells". The parish was established on 28 June 1633, from parts of the existing parishes of Aberdour, Fraserburgh and Tyrie.
Pitsligo Castle dates from the 15th century.
Old Pitsligo Church, known locally as the Rathill or Peathill Kirk, dates to 1632. Its loft, described by
Charles McKean as "magnificent", was added two years later. It was later moved and installed in the Hill Church of Rosehearty. The church was constructed after Pitsligo seceded from the parish of Aberdour. It is believed the split occurred after a minister "ranted in a sermon" about the "three Pits of Hell", namely Pittulie, Pittendrum and Pitsligo.
Old Pitsligo Church
File:Old Pitsligo Parish Church near Rosehearty - geograph.org.uk - 14997.jpg, The ruins of the church, 2004
Notable people
*
Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer (January 16, 1726 – January 12, 1777) was a Scottish brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the New York and New Jersey campaign and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Pri ...
, soldier
See also
*
New Pitsligo
References
Former populated places in Scotland
Banff and Buchan
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