1.
Scottish Gaelic
–
Scottish Gaelic or Scots Gaelic, sometimes also referred to as Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish. The 2011 census of Scotland showed that a total of 57,375 people in Scotland could speak Gaelic at that time, the census results indicate a decline of 1,275 Gaelic speakers from 2001. A total of 87,056 people in 2011 reported having some facility with Gaelic compared to 93,282 people in 2001, only about half of speakers were fully literate in the language. Nevertheless, revival efforts exist and the number of speakers of the language under age 20 has increased, Scottish Gaelic is neither an official language of the European Union nor the United Kingdom. Outside Scotland, a group of dialects collectively known as Canadian Gaelic are spoken in parts of Atlantic Canada, mainly Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In the 2011 census, there were 7,195 total speakers of Gaelic languages in Canada, with 1,365 in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island where the responses mainly refer to Scottish Gaelic. About 2,320 Canadians in 2011 also claimed Gaelic languages as their mother tongue, with over 300 in Nova Scotia, aside from Scottish Gaelic, the language may also be referred to simply as Gaelic. In Scotland, the word Gaelic in reference to Scottish Gaelic specifically is pronounced, outside Ireland and Great Britain, Gaelic may refer to the Irish language. Scottish Gaelic should not be confused with Scots, the Middle English-derived language varieties which had come to be spoken in most of the Lowlands of Scotland by the modern era. Prior to the 15th century, these dialects were known as Inglis by its own speakers, from the late 15th century, however, it became increasingly common for such speakers to refer to Scottish Gaelic as Erse and the Lowland vernacular as Scottis. Today, Scottish Gaelic is recognised as a language from Irish. Gaelic in Scotland was mostly confined to Dál Riata until the 8th century, when it began expanding into Pictish areas north of the Firth of Forth, by 900, Pictish appears to have become extinct, completely replaced by Gaelic. An exception might be made for the Northern Isles, however, however, though the Pictish language did not disappear suddenly, a process of Gaelicisation was clearly underway during the reigns of Caustantín and his successors. By a certain point, probably during the 11th century, all the inhabitants of Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, by the 10th century, Gaelic had become the dominant language throughout northern and western Scotland, the Gaelo-Pictic Kingdom of Alba. Its spread to southern Scotland, was even and totalizing. Place name analysis suggests dense usage of Gaelic in Galloway and adjoining areas to the north and west as well as in West Lothian, less dense usage is suggested for north Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, the Clyde Valley and eastern Dumfriesshire. In south-eastern Scotland, there is no evidence that Gaelic was ever widely spoken, the area shifted from Cumbric to Old English during its long incorporation into the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria
2.
Angus, Scotland
–
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross, main industries include agriculture and fishing. Global pharmaceuticals company GSK has a significant presence in Montrose in the north of the county, Angus was historically a county, known officially as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1928. It remains a county and a lieutenancy area. In 1975 its administrative functions were transferred to the district of the Tayside Region. The area that now comprises Angus has been occupied since at least the Neolithic period, material taken from postholes from an enclosure at Douglasmuir, near Friockheim, about five miles north of Arbroath has been radiocarbon dated to around 3500 BC. The function of the enclosure is unknown, but may have been for agriculture or for ceremonial purposes, bronze age archaeology is to be found in abundance in the area. Examples include the short-cist burials found near West Newbigging, about a mile to the North of the town and these burials included pottery urns, a pair of silver discs and a gold armlet. Iron Age archaeology is also represented, for example in the souterrain nearby Warddykes cemetery and at West Grange of Conan. The county is associated with the Pictish kingdom of Circinn, which is thought to have encompassed Angus. Bordering it were the kingdoms of Ce to the North, Fotla to the West, the most visible remnants of the Pictish age are the numerous sculptured stones that can be found throughout Angus. Of particular note are the collections found at Aberlemno, St Vigeans, Kirriemuir, Angus shares borders with Kincardineshire to the north-east, Aberdeenshire to the north and Perthshire to the west. Southwards, it faces Fife across the Firth of Tay, Angus is marketed as the birthplace of Scotland. The signing of the Declaration of Arbroath at Arbroath Abbey in 1320 marked Scotlands establishment as an independent nation and it is an area of rich history from Pictish times onwards. Notable historic sites in addition to Arbroath Abbey include Glamis Castle, Arbroath Signal Tower museum, main industries include agriculture and fishing. Global pharmaceuticals company GSK has a significant presence in Montrose in the north of the county, in the 2001 census the population of Angus was recorded as 108,400. 20. 14% were under the age of 16,63. 15% were between 16 and 65 and 18. 05% were aged 65 or above, the most recent available census results show that Gaelic is spoken by 0. 45% of the Angus population. This, similar to other areas, is lower than the national average of 1. 16%
3.
United Kingdom Census 2011
–
A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011 and it was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National Statistics is the office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department formed in 2008. ONS designs, manages and runs the census in England and Wales, the first results from the 2011 census, age and sex, and occupied households estimates for England and Wales and Northern Ireland, were released on 16 July 2012. The first results for Scotland, and the first UK-wide results, were published on 17 December 2012, more detailed and specialised data were published from 2013. The Registrar General John Rickman conducted the first census of Great Britains population, from 1911 onwards rapid social change, scientific breakthroughs, and major world events affected the structure of the population. The 1971 census was run by the newly created Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, in 1996 the Office for National Statistics was formed by merging the Central Statistical Office, OPCS and the statistics division of the Department of Employment, the first census it ran was in 2001. In 2008 the UK Statistics Authority was established as an independent body, a population census is a key instrument for assessing the needs of local communities. When related to data sources such as housing or agricultural censuses, or sample surveys. Most countries of the world take censuses, the United Nations recommends that countries take a census at least once every ten years, other organisations that use census data include healthcare organisations, community groups, researchers and businesses. The 2011 census for England and Wales included around 25 million households, people could complete and submit their questionnaire online, or fill it in on paper and post it back in a pre-addressed envelope. Guidance was provided online and through the census helpline, completed questionnaires were electronically tracked and field staff followed up with households that did not return a questionnaire. In these cases field staff delivered and collected questionnaires and, where needed, provided advice or assistance in completing the questionnaire, there was a legal requirement to complete the 2011 census questionnaire, under the terms of the Census Act 1920. As at 27 March 2011 everyone who had lived or intended to live in the country for three months or more was required to complete a questionnaire, failure to return a completed questionnaire could lead to a fine and criminal record. The contract is valued at £150 million, approximately one third of the total £482 million census budget, concerns were raised during contract negotiations that the US PATRIOT Act could be used to force Lockheed Martin to reveal census data to US authorities. The Cabinet Office state that Lockheed Martin will develop the systems used to process census data, neither Lockheed Martin UK nor any Lockheed Martin employee will have access to personal Census data. The Office for National Statistics stated that no census information will ever leave the UK or be seen by any American-owned company. Several groups called for a boycott of the census over the involvement of Lockheed Martin, including the Stop the War Coalition, and the Christian thinktank Ekklesia
4.
Ordnance Survey National Grid
–
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude. It is often called British National Grid, the Ordnance Survey devised the national grid reference system, and it is heavily used in their survey data, and in maps based on those surveys. Grid references are commonly quoted in other publications and data sources. The Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system is used to provide references for worldwide locations. European-wide agencies also use UTM when mapping locations, or may use the Military Grid Reference System system, the grid is based on the OSGB36 datum, and was introduced after the retriangulation of 1936–1962. It replaced the previously used Cassini Grid which, up to the end of World War Two, had issued only to the military. The Airy ellipsoid is a regional best fit for Britain, more modern mapping tends to use the GRS80 ellipsoid used by the GPS, the British maps adopt a Transverse Mercator projection with an origin at 49° N, 2° W. Over the Airy ellipsoid a straight grid, the National Grid, is placed with a new false origin. This false origin is located south-west of the Isles of Scilly, the distortion created between the OS grid and the projection is countered by a scale factor in the longitude to create two lines of longitude with zero distortion rather than one. Grid north and true north are aligned on the 400 km easting of the grid which is 2° W. 2° 0′ 5″ W. OSGB36 was also used by Admiralty nautical charts until 2000 after which WGS84 has been used, a geodetic transformation between OSGB36 and other terrestrial reference systems can become quite tedious if attempted manually. The most common transformation is called the Helmert datum transformation, which results in a typical 7 m error from true, the definitive transformation from ETRS89 that is published by the OSGB is called the National Grid Transformation OSTN02. This models the detailed distortions in the 1936–1962 retriangulation, and achieves backwards compatibility in grid coordinates to sub-metre accuracy, the difference between the coordinates on different datums varies from place to place. The longitude and latitude positions on OSGB36 are the same as for WGS84 at a point in the Atlantic Ocean well to the west of Great Britain. In Cornwall, the WGS84 longitude lines are about 70 metres east of their OSGB36 equivalents, the smallest datum shift is on the west coast of Scotland and the greatest in Kent. But Great Britain has not shrunk by 100+ metres, a point near Lands End now computes to be 27.6 metres closer to a point near Duncansby Head than it did under OSGB36. For the first letter, the grid is divided into squares of size 500 km by 500 km, there are four of these which contain significant land area within Great Britain, S, T, N and H. The O square contains an area of North Yorkshire, almost all of which lies below mean high tide
5.
Subdivisions of Scotland
–
For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as council areas, which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as councils. The council areas have been in existence since 1 April 1996, historically, Scotland has been divided into 34 counties or shires. Although these no longer have any function, they are still used to some extent in Scotland for cultural and geographical purposes. Traditionally burghs have been the key unit of the government of Scotland, being highly autonomous entities. Even after the Acts of Union 1707, burghs continued to be the principal subdivision, until 1889 administration was on a burgh and parish basis. The years following 1889 saw the introduction of a hierarchy of local government administration comprising counties, counties of cities, large burghs, source,2011 Census for Scotland Scotland has several other administrative divisions, some of which are handled by joint boards of the councils. The Police and Fire Reform Act 2012 resulted in the merger of police and fire services on 1 April 2013 to form the Police Service of Scotland. Policing was the responsibility of the Cities and Burghs of Scotland, Police and fire service areas date from the era of regions and districts and island council areas. There are several joint boards for electoral registration and the purposes of property valuation for assessing council tax, see also NHS Scotland Until 1 April 2014 the towns of Cambuslang and Rutherglen were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area despite being located in South Lanarkshire. They are now part of NHS Lanarkshire, the Scottish Government has created seven Regional Transport Partnerships, for establishing transport policy in the regions. They broadly follow council area groupings and these areas in most cases resemble those of the pre-1975 administrative counties with Glasgow being the only current city to form a registration county. Although they have had no administrative function since 1930, they still exist and are used for statistical purposes such as the census. Many former civil parish areas also continue to form current registration districts and it should be noted that many boundary changes have occurred over the years and that an area currently derived from an old parish might no longer contain a place previously within that parish. The base level of sub-division in Scotland is that of communities, the main role of the CCs is to channel local opinion to larger local-government bodies. Otherwise, they have limited powers. There are around 1,200 communities in Scotland, not all communities have councils, some have joint councils. Scottish communities are the nearest equivalent to parishes in England. List of articles about local government in the United Kingdom ISO 3166-2, GB, subdivision codes for the United Kingdom
6.
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland
–
The lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial lord-lieutenants, the monarchs representatives, in Scotland. The lord-lieutenants titles chosen by the monarch and her advisers are mainly based on placenames of the traditional counties of Scotland. In 1794 permanent lieutenancies were established by Royal Warrant, by the Militia Act 1797, the lieutenants appointed for the Counties, Stewartries, Cities, and Places were given powers to raise and command County Militia Units. Lieutenancy areas are different from the current local government council areas and they also differ from other subdivisions of Scotland including sheriffdoms and former regions and districts. The Lord Provosts of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow also act ex officio as lord-lieutenants and this is a unique right in the United Kingdom, all other lord-lieutenants are appointed by the monarch, rather than being elected politicians. The regions and districts were themselves superseded in 1995, but the lieutenancy areas remain the same, the Lord-Lieutenants Order 1975, Statutory Instrument 1975 No.428. The Lord-Lieutenants Order 1996, Statutory Instrument 1996 No.731, subdivisions of Scotland List of burghs in Scotland List of places in Scotland Media related to Maps of traditional counties of Scotland at Wikimedia Commons
7.
Countries of the United Kingdom
–
The United Kingdom comprises four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Within the United Kingdom, a sovereign state, Northern Ireland, Scotland. England, comprising the majority of the population and area of the United Kingdom, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are not themselves listed in the International Organization for Standardization list of countries. However the ISO list of the subdivisions of the UK, compiled by British Standards, Northern Ireland, in contrast, is described as a province in the same lists. Each has separate governing bodies for sports and compete separately in many international sporting competitions. Northern Ireland also forms joint All-Island sporting bodies with the Republic of Ireland for most sports, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are dependencies of the Crown and are not part of the UK. Similarly, the British overseas territories, remnants of the British Empire, are not part of the UK, southern Ireland left the United Kingdom under the Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922. * Figures for GVA do not include oil and gas revenues generated beyond the UKs territorial waters, various terms have been used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Wales was described as the country, principality, and dominion of Wales, outside Wales, England was not given a specific name or term. The Laws in Wales Acts have subsequently been repealed, the Acts of Union 1707 refer to both England and Scotland as a part of a united kingdom of Great Britain The Acts of Union 1800 use part in the same way to refer to England and Scotland. The Northern Ireland Act 1998, which repealed the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the Interpretation Act 1978 provides statutory definitions of the terms England, Wales and the United Kingdom, but neither that Act nor any other current statute defines Scotland or Northern Ireland. Use of the first three terms in other legislation is interpreted following the definitions in the 1978 Act and this definition applies from 1 April 1974. United Kingdom means Great Britain and Northern Ireland and this definition applies from 12 April 1927. In 1996 these 8 new counties were redistributed into the current 22 unitary authorities, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are regions in their own right while England has been divided into nine regions. The official term rest of the UK is used in Scotland, for example in export statistics and this term is also used in the context of potential Scottish independence to mean the UK without Scotland. The alternative term Home Nations is sometimes used in sporting contexts, the second, or civic group, contained the items about feeling British, respecting laws and institutions, speaking English, and having British citizenship. Contrariwise, in Scotland and Wales there was a much stronger identification with each country than with Britain, studies and surveys have reported that the majority of the Scots and Welsh see themselves as both Scottish/Welsh and British though with some differences in emphasis. The propensity for nationalistic feeling varies greatly across the UK, and can rise and it reported that 37% of people identified as British, whilst 29% identified as Irish and 24% identified as Northern Irish
8.
Scotland
–
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles, the Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of England and King of Ireland, Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain. The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain, which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. Within Scotland, the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles, titles, the legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law. Glasgow, Scotlands largest city, was one of the worlds leading industrial cities. Other major urban areas are Aberdeen and Dundee, Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third-largest city in Scotland, the title of Europes oil capital, following a referendum in 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members, having authority over many areas of domestic policy. Scotland is represented in the UK Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6 MEPs, Scotland is also a member nation of the British–Irish Council, and the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly. Scotland comes from Scoti, the Latin name for the Gaels, the Late Latin word Scotia was initially used to refer to Ireland. By the 11th century at the latest, Scotia was being used to refer to Scotland north of the River Forth, alongside Albania or Albany, the use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages. Repeated glaciations, which covered the land mass of modern Scotland. It is believed the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12,800 years ago, the groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the mainland of Orkney dates from this period and it contains the remains of an early Bronze Age ruler laid out on white quartz pebbles and birch bark. It was also discovered for the first time that early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves, in the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths. In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll, when the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs. William Watt of Skaill, the laird, began an amateur excavation of the site, but after uncovering four houses
9.
United Kingdom
–
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
10.
Postcodes in the United Kingdom
–
Postal codes used in the United Kingdom are known as postcodes. They are alphanumeric and were adopted nationally between 11 October 1959 and 1974, having been devised by the GPO, a full postcode is known as a postcode unit and designates an area with a number of addresses or a single major delivery point. For example, the postcode of the University of Roehampton in London is SW15 5PU, the postcode of GCHQ is GL51 0EX, where GL signifies the postal town of Gloucester. The postal town refers to an area and does not relate to a specific town. GL51 is one of the postcodes for the town of Cheltenham which is where GCHQ is located, the London post town covers 40% of Greater London. On inception it was divided into ten districts, EC, WC, N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W. The S and NE sectors were later abolished and these divisions changed little, usually only changed for operational efficiency. Some older road signs in Hackney still indicate the North East sector/district, following the successful introduction of postal districts in London, the system was extended to other large towns and cities. Liverpool was divided into Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western districts in 1864/65, in 1917 Dublin – then still part of the United Kingdom – was divided into numbered postal districts. These continue in use in a form by An Post. In 1923 Glasgow was divided in a way to London. In January 1932 the Postmaster General approved the designation of some urban areas into numbered districts. In November 1934 the Post Office announced the introduction of numbered districts in every town in the United Kingdom large enough to justify it. Pamphlets were issued to each householder and business in ten areas notifying them of the number of the district in which their premises lay, the pamphlets included a map of the districts, and copies were made available at local head post offices. The public were invited to include the district number in the address at the head of letters. A publicity campaign in the following year encouraged the use of the district numbers, the slogan for the campaign was For speed and certainty always use a postal district number on your letters and notepaper. A poster was fixed to every box in the affected areas bearing the number of the district. Every post office in the district was also to display this information
11.
Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom
–
Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom are administered by the UK governments Office of Communications. For this purpose Ofcom established a telephone numbering plan, known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, since 28 April 2001, almost all geographic numbers and most non-geographic numbers have 9 or 10 national numbers after the 0 trunk code. All mobile telephone numbers have 10 national numbers after the 0 trunk code, regions with shorter area codes, typically large cities, permit the allocation of more telephone numbers as the local number portion has more digits. Local customer numbers are four to eight figures long, the total number of digits is ten, but in a very few areas the total may be nine digits. The area code is referred to as an STD or a dialling code in the UK. The code allocated to the largest population is for London, the code allocated to the largest area is for all of Northern Ireland. The UK Numbering Plan also applies to three British Crown dependencies—Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man—even though they are not part of the UK itself. Possible number formats for UK telephone numbers are as follows, Number ranges starting 01 can have NSN length as 10 or 9 digits, the 0800 range can have NSN length as 10,9 or 7 digits. The 0845 range can have NSN length as 10 or 7 digits, the 0500 range has NSN length as 9 digits only. There are no numbers in the UK with an NSN length of 8 digits. Geographic telephone numbers in the UK always have nine or ten digits, four-digit area codes have either six-digit subscriber numbers or a mix of five- and six-digit subscriber numbers. Xxxxxx This is the used by most areas. It has an area code and a six digit subscriber number. These area codes were changed by adding a 1 directly after the zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. Just short of 581 areas use this format, and the area range from 01200 to 01998. A small number of areas also have a few subscriber numbers that have only five digits. That is, almost all area codes now have only six digit local numbers, six of the four-digit area codes are known as mixed areas as they share those four digits with the twelve five-digit area codes. The numbers therefore have only nine digits after the initial zero trunk code and these area codes were changed by adding a 1 directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995
12.
Police Scotland
–
The Police Service of Scotland is the police force of Scotland. Although not formally absorbing it, the merger resulted in the winding up of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. Police Scotland is the second-largest police force in the United Kingdom in terms of numbers. The Chief Constable is answerable to the Scottish Police Authority, Scotland is also policed by the Ministry of Defence Police, British Transport Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary within their specific jurisdictions. The National Crime Agency also has jurisdiction in Scotland. In 2016, the Scottish Government introduced legislation which will integrate the Scottish division of the British Transport Police into Police Scotland, after a consultation process, the Scottish Government confirmed on 8 September 2011 that a single police service would be created in Scotland. The Police and Fire Reform Bill was published in January 2012 and was approved on 27 June 2012 after scrutiny in the Scottish Parliament, the Bill received Royal Assent as the Police and Fire Reform Act 2012. In September 2012, Chief Constable Stephen House of Strathclyde Police was announced as the future first Chief Constable of Police Scotland and he was sworn into the post on 1 October 2012. The first chair of the Scottish Police Authority, Vic Emery, was appointed in August 2012, as the date of formation approached, it was widely reported that the new Chief Constable and the Scottish Police Authority were in disagreement over the control of backroom staff. In February 2013 it came to light that the previously announced logo for Police Scotland could not be used as the Force had failed to approval from the Court of the Lord Lyon. This new symbol, a stylised thistle upon a Scottish saltire shield, a permanent logo was not approved in time for 1 April 2013 creation of Police Scotland, but the pre-2013 crowned thistle emblem was finally introduced in July 2013. This emblem was designed for the former Dumfries Constabulary by Robert Dickie Cairns. With minor artistic variations, it was the logo used by all regional Scottish police forces before 1 April 2013. Police Scotland has previously denied setting stop and search performance targets for individual officers, also removed from the report were calls for a review of stop and search on children and for clarification of the policys primary aim. In October 2013, Police Scotland announced proposals to close 65 out of 215 police station public counters, the plans were condemned by some opposition MSPs. In November 2016, it emerged that 58 further stations could close as part of an estates review and it was also announced in October 2013 that the number of police control rooms in Scotland was under review, with the possibility of 7 out of 10 control rooms closing. Control rooms considered for closure include Aberdeen, Inverness and Dumfries, in 2014, the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh was opened. The Assistant Chief Constables salary depends on their previous experience and would fall between £90,000 and £106,000 a year
13.
Fire services in the United Kingdom
–
The fire services in the United Kingdom operate under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Emergency cover is provided by over fifty fire and rescue services, many FRS were previously known as brigades or county fire services, but almost all now use the standard terminology. They are distinct from and governed by an authority, which is the legislative, public and administrative body. Fire authorities in England and Wales, and therefore fire and rescue services, Scotland and Northern Ireland have centralised fire and rescue services, and so their authorities are effectively committees of the devolved parliaments. The total budget for services in 2014-15 was £2.9 billion. The devolved government in Scotland has an agency, HMFSI Scotland. This Act provided for centralised co-ordination of fire brigades in Great Britain,1947, Fire Services Act 1947 This Act transferred the functions of the National Fire Service to local authorities. Now repealed entirely in England and Wales by Schedule 2 of the Fire,1959, Fire Services Act 1959 This Act amended the 1947 Act, it dealt with pensions, staffing arrangements and provision of services by other authorities. It was repealed in England and Wales along with the 1947 Act,1999, Greater London Authority Act 1999 This act was necessary to allow for the formation of the Greater London Authority and in turn the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. In 2002, there was a series of fire strikes. In December 2002, the Independent Review of the Fire Service was published with the action still ongoing. Bains report ultimately led to a change in the relating to firefighting. 2002, Independent Review of the Fire Service published 2004, Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, generally only applying to England and it came into force on 1 October 2006. The DfCLG has published a set of guides for non-domestic premises,2006, The Government of Wales Act 2006 gave the National Assembly for Wales powers to pass laws on Fire, promotion of fire safety otherwise than by prohibition or regulation. But does not prevent future legislation being passed by the UK government which applies to two or more constituent countries, There are further plans to modernise the fire service according to the Local Government Association. The fire service in England and Wales is scrutinised by a House of Commons select committee, in June 2006, the fire and rescue service select committee, under the auspices of the Communities and Local Government Committee, published its latest report. For example, where FRSs were historically inspected by HMFSI, much of this work is now carried out by the National Audit Office, Fire Control On 8 February 2010 the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee heard evidence on the Fire Control project. Called to give evidence were Cllr Brian Coleman and Cllr James Pearson from the Local Government Association, also giving evidence Matt Wrack from the Fire Brigades Union and John Bonney Chief Fire Officers Association
14.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
–
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is the national fire and rescue service of Scotland. It was formed by the merger of eight regional fire services in the country on 1 April 2013 and it thus became the largest fire brigade in the United Kingdom, surpassing the London Fire Brigade, and the fourth-largest in the world. After a consultation, the Scottish Government confirmed on 8 September 2011 that a single fire, following further consultation on the detailed operation of the service, the Police and Fire Reform Bill was published on 17 January 2012. After scrutiny and debate by the Scottish Parliament, the legislation was approved on 27 June 2012, the Bill duly received royal assent as the Police and Fire Reform Act 2012. This Act also created Police Scotland in place of the eight regional police forces. The mergers were effective from 1 April 2013, eight months after the consolidation, an internal report said the reorganisation had not negatively affected operational response. The service is headquartered are in Cambuslang, Glasgow, which houses a national training centre opened in January 2013. There are a further three service delivery centres in the east, west and north of the country, pat Watters, former president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, was also announced as chair of the service, an appointment to run for three years from September 2012. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended 25,002 fires in 2014/15, the service also delivers a preventative programme, with 65,343 free home fire safety visits conducted in 2015/16. As well as fighting fires, the service attends tens of thousands of specialist services such as traffic collisions, water rescues. In 2014/15 it attended 10,740 non-fire incidents, firefighters are routinely called out to water, flood and boat rescues. For example, during Storm Frank in December 2015 the SFRS received 350 flood related calls in the space of six days, in 2015 the SFRS were called out to 78 wildfire incidents in total, with over half of those taking place in the north of Scotland. As of March 2016, the SFRS operates 356 stations throughout Scotland, stations are split into three categories, Wholetime, A station with full-time firefighters. Retained, Part-time, on a basis and predominantly based in some of the more rural areas of Scotland. Volunteer, On a call-out basis and predominantly based in some of the remote villages. The most northerly station is Baltasound on the Shetland Islands, the most southerly is a volunteer station in the village of Drummore in Dumfries and Galloway. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service National Training Centre opened in January 2013, the facility in Cambuslang features a mock town with ultra-realistic motorways, railway tracks and buildings, including a multi-storey tenement structure. The number of control rooms handling 999 calls was reduced from eight to three
15.
Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
–
Emergency care including ambulance and emergency department treatment is free to everyone, regardless of immigration or visitor status. The NHS commissions most emergency services through the 14 NHS organisations with ambulance responsibility across the UK. As with other services, the public normally access emergency medical services through one of the valid emergency telephone numbers. This led to the formation of predominantly county based ambulance services, which gradually merged up and changed responsibilities until 2006, when there were 31 NHS ambulance trusts in England. Following further changes as part of the NHS foundation trust pathway, the commissioners in each region are responsible for contracting with a suitable organisation to provide ambulance services within their geographical territory. The primary contract for each area is held by a public NHS body, of which there are 11 in England. The service was operated before reorganisation in 1974 by the St Andrews’ Ambulance Association under contract to the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service was established in 1995 by parliamentary order, and serves the whole of Northern Ireland. The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust was established on 1 April 1998, there is a large market for private and voluntary ambulance services, with the sector being worth £800m to the UK economy in 2012. This places the voluntary providers in direct competition with private services, expenditure on private ambulances in England increased from £37m in 2011−12 to £67. 5m in 2013/4, rising in London from £796,000 to more than £8. 8m. In 2014−15, these 10 ambulance services spent £57.6 million on 333,329 callouts of private or voluntary services - an increase of 156% since 2010−11, in 2013, the CQC found 97% of private ambulance services to be providing good care. These private, registered services are represented by the Independent Ambulance Association, there are also a number of unregistered services operating, who do not provide ambulance transport, but only provide response on an event site. These firms are not regulated, and are not subject to the checks as the registered providers, although they may operate similar vehicles. There are a number of ambulance providers, sometimes known as Voluntary Aid Services or Voluntary Aid Societies, with the main ones being the British Red Cross. The history of the ambulance services pre-dates any government organised service. As they are in competition for work with the private ambulance providers. Voluntary organisations have also provided cover for the public when unionised NHS ambulance trust staff have taken industrial action, there are a number of smaller voluntary ambulance organisations, fulfilling specific purposes, such as Hatzola who provide emergency medical services to the orthodox Jewish community in some cities. These have however run into difficulties due to use of vehicles not legally recognised as ambulances, all emergency medical services in the UK are subject to a range of legal and regulatory requirements, and in many cases are also monitored for performance. This framework is largely statutory in nature, being mandated by government through a range of primary and secondary legislation and this requires all providers to register, to meet certain standards of quality, and to submit to inspection of those standards
16.
Scottish Ambulance Service
–
The Scottish Ambulance Service is part of NHS Scotland, and serves all of Scotland. It is a health board funded directly by the Health. The service was known as the St Andrews and Red Cross Scottish Ambulance Service, the Red Cross withdrew from the service in 1967, the service was renamed the St Andrews Scottish Ambulance Service. In 1974 the service was taken over by the NHS, the title being shortened to the Scottish Ambulance Service, St. Andrews First Aid, which is the trading name of St. Andrews Ambulance Association, continues as a voluntary organisation. In 2003 there was a reorganisation of the control centres across Scotland. The original uniform for the service consisted of a blue shirt, black clip-on tie, navy blue sweater. These uniforms were an Irish green colour for Emergency staff and a blue shade for Patient Transport staff. In 2013/2014, the uniform was changed to mirror the NHS National Uniform standard. It is now supplied by Dimensions and is similar to all other Ambulance Services in the UK. All staff, including control centre staff, now wear the national uniform unless otherwise authorised, the national headquarters are in west side of Edinburgh and there are five divisions within the Service, namely, The Patient Transport Service carries almost 1.6 million patients every year. This service is provided to patients who are physically or medically unfit to travel to hospital out-patient appointments by any means can still make their appointments. The service also handles non-emergency admissions, discharges, transport of palliative care patients, Patient Transport Vehicles come in a variety of forms and are staffed by Ambulance Care Assistants, whom work either double or single crewed. They are trained to look after patients during the journey, the service has the only government-funded air ambulance service in the UK, operated under contract by Gama Aviation. In 2015/16, the air crews flew 3,849 missions. One helicopter and one King Air are based at a Gama Aviation facility at Glasgow Airport, the other operating bases are Inverness Airport and Aberdeen Airport. The aircraft based in Glasgow are regularly used by the UKs only Emergency Medical Retrieval Service, the air ambulance service was occasionally featured as part of the popular Channel 5 television documentary series Highland Emergency. In late 2012 a charity was founded to provide an air ambulance, based at Perth Airport. Scotlands Charity Air Ambulance commenced operations in May 2013 with a Bolkow 105 airframe, since November 2015, SCAA operates a Eurocopter EC-135 helicopter
17.
Scotland (European Parliament constituency)
–
Scotland constitutes a single constituency of the European Parliament. In 2014 it elected six MEPs, using the method of party-list proportional representation. The constituencys boundaries are the same as those of Scotland, one of the four countries of the United Kingdom, the constituency was formed as a result of the European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999, replacing a number of single-member constituencies. These were Glasgow, Highlands and Islands, Lothians, Mid Scotland and Fife, North East Scotland, South of Scotland, Strathclyde East, the number of MEPs returned by the constituency was eight in 1999, seven in 2004, and six in 2009 and 2014. Elected candidates are listed in bold, brackets indicate the number of votes per seat won. Elections in Scotland Scottish Elections Between 1997 and present
18.
Angus (UK Parliament constituency)
–
Angus is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system and it was created for the 1997 general election, largely replacing East Angus. As a result of changes for the 2005 general election, boundaries are now quite different from those of the Angus Scottish Parliament constituency. The constituency is dominated by farmland, and includes the towns of Arbroath, Montrose, Brechin, the constituency covers the Angus council area, minus an area round the Dundee City council area, which is divided between the Dundee East and Dundee West constituencies. Major towns in the House of Commons constituency are Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar, Kirriemuir and Montrose
19.
Scottish Parliament
–
The Scottish Parliament, is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the city, Edinburgh. The most recent general election to the Parliament was held on 5 May 2016, as a consequence, both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England ceased to exist, and the Parliament of Great Britain, which sat at Westminster in London was formed. The Act delineates the legislative competence of the Parliament – the areas in which it can make laws – by explicitly specifying powers that are reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate in all areas that are not explicitly reserved to Westminster, the British Parliament retains the ability to amend the terms of reference of the Scottish Parliament, and can extend or reduce the areas in which it can make laws. The first meeting of the new Parliament took place on 12 May 1999, initial Scottish proposals in the negotiation over the Union suggested a devolved Parliament be retained in Scotland, but this was not accepted by the English negotiators. Suggestions for a devolved Parliament were made before 1914, but were shelved due to the outbreak of the First World War, one of the principal objectives of the commission was to examine ways of enabling more self-government for Scotland, within the unitary state of the United Kingdom. Kilbrandon published his report in 1973 recommending the establishment of a directly elected Scottish Assembly to legislate for the majority of domestic Scottish affairs, the party argued that the revenues from the oil were not benefitting Scotland as much as they should. The combined effect of events led to Prime Minister Wilson committing his government to some form of devolved legislature in 1974. However, it was not until 1978 that final legislative proposals for a Scottish Assembly were passed by the United Kingdom Parliament, publishing its blueprint for devolution in 1995, the Convention provided much of the basis for the structure of the Parliament. Devolution continued to be part of the platform of the Labour Party which, in May 1997, an election was held on 6 May 1999, and on 1 July of that year power was transferred from Westminster to the new Parliament. Since September 2004, the home of the Scottish Parliament has been a new Scottish Parliament Building. The Scottish Parliament building was designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles in partnership with local Edinburgh Architecture firm RMJM which was led by Design Principal Tony Kettle. Some of the features of the complex include leaf-shaped buildings. Throughout the building there are many repeated motifs, such as based on Raeburns Skating Minister. Crow-stepped gables and the upturned boat skylights of the Garden Lobby, Queen Elizabeth II opened the new building on 9 October 2004. In March 2006, one of the Holyrood buildings roof beams slipped out of its support and was left dangling above the back benches during a debate, the debating chamber was subsequently closed, and MSPs moved to The Hub for one week, whilst inspections were carried out. During repairs, all business was conducted in the Parliaments committee room two
20.
Geographic coordinate system
–
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
21.
Pictish stone
–
A Pictish stone is a type of monumental stele, generally carved or incised with symbols or designs. The earlier stones have no parallels from the rest of the British Isles, in The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland J Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson first classified Pictish stones into three groups. Critics have noted weaknesses in this system but it is widely known, in particular, the classification may be misleading for the many incomplete stones. Allen and Anderson regarded their classes as coming from distinct periods in sequence, Class 1 — unworked stones with symbols only incised. There is no cross on either side, Class 1 stones date back to the 6th, 7th and 8th century. Class 2 — stones of more or less rectangular shape with a large cross, the symbols, as well as Christian motifs, are carved in relief and the cross with its surroundings is filled with designs. Class 2 stones date from the 8th and 9th century, Class 3 — these stones feature no idiomatic Pictish symbols. The stones can be cross-slabs, recumbent gravemarkers, free-standing crosses and they originate in the 8th or 9th century. Historic Scotland describes this class as too simplistic and says Nowadays this is not considered a useful category, a surviving fragment may belong to a monument that did include Christian imagery. Later Scottish stones merge into wider medieval British and European traditions, many later Christian stones from Class II and Class III fall more easily into recognisable categories such as gravestones. A small number of Pictish stones have been associated with burials. Some later stones may also have marked tribal or lineage territories, some were re-used for other purposes, such as the two Congash Stones near Grantown-on-Spey, now placed as portal stones for an old graveyard. The shaft of an old cross is lying in the field, another Pictish stone, the Dunachton Stone near Kincraig, was later used as a door lintel in a barn. This was discovered when the building was dismantled in 1870, the stone was re-erected in the field. Recently it fell, after being photographed in 2007, but was re-erected again a few years later by the owner of Dunachton Lodge. Class I and II stones contain symbols from a set of standard ideograms, many unique to Pictish art. The exact number of distinct Pictish symbols is uncertain as there is debate as to what constitutes a Pictish symbol. The more inclusive estimates are in excess of sixty different symbols, there are also representations of everyday objects such as the mirror and comb, which could have been used by high-status Picts
22.
Anno Domini
–
The terms anno Domini and before Christ are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term anno Domini is Medieval Latin and means in the year of the Lord, There is no year zero in this scheme, so the year AD1 immediately follows the year 1 BC. This dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus of Scythia Minor, the Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today. Traditionally, English followed Latin usage by placing the AD abbreviation before the year number, however, BC is placed after the year number, which also preserves syntactic order. The abbreviation is widely used after the number of a century or millennium. Because BC is the English abbreviation for Before Christ, it is sometimes concluded that AD means After Death. However, this would mean that the approximate 33 years commonly associated with the life of Jesus would not be included in either of the BC, astronomical year numbering and ISO8601 avoid words or abbreviations related to Christianity, but use the same numbers for AD years. The Anno Domini dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus to enumerate the years in his Easter table. His system was to replace the Diocletian era that had used in an old Easter table because he did not wish to continue the memory of a tyrant who persecuted Christians. The last year of the old table, Diocletian 247, was followed by the first year of his table. Thus Dionysius implied that Jesus Incarnation occurred 525 years earlier, without stating the year during which his birth or conception occurred. Blackburn & Holford-Strevens briefly present arguments for 2 BC,1 BC, There were inaccuracies in the list of consuls There were confused summations of emperors regnal years It is not known how Dionysius established the year of Jesuss birth. It is convenient to initiate a calendar not from the day of an event. For example, the Islamic calendar begins not from the date of the Hegira, at the time, it was believed by some that the Resurrection and end of the world would occur 500 years after the birth of Jesus. The old Anno Mundi calendar theoretically commenced with the creation of the based on information in the Old Testament. It was believed that, based on the Anno Mundi calendar, Anno Mundi 6000 was thus equated with the resurrection and the end of the world but this date had already passed in the time of Dionysius. The Anglo-Saxon historian the Venerable Bede, who was familiar with the work of Dionysius Exiguus, used Anno Domini dating in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, completed in 731. e. On the continent of Europe, Anno Domini was introduced as the era of choice of the Carolingian Renaissance by the English cleric and scholar Alcuin in the late eighth century
23.
Historic Scotland
–
Historic Scotland was an executive agency of the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotlands built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. Under the terms of a Bill of the Scottish Parliament published on 3 March 2014, Historic Scotland was dissolved, HES also took over the functions of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Historic Scotland was an organisation to the Ancient Monuments Division of the Ministry of Works. It was created as an agency in 1991 and was attached to the Scottish Executive Education Department, as part of the Scottish Government, Historic Scotland was directly accountable to the Scottish Ministers. In 2002, proposals to restore Castle Tioram in the West Highlands, by putting a roof back on, were blocked by Historic Scotland and this position was supported in an extensive local Public Inquiry at which the arguments for both sides were heard. It has been implied that this dispute has led to a review of the operations of the organisation, after widespread consultation, Historic Scotland published a comprehensive series of Scottish Historic Environment Policy papers, consolidated into a single volume in October 2008. The agencys Framework Document set out the responsibilities of the Scottish Ministers and its Corporate Plan sets out its targets and performance against them. Historic Scotland had direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about a quarter of which are manned and these properties have additional features such as guidebooks, books and other resources. Historic Scotland sought to increase the number of run at its sites. Similarly, new museums and visitor centres were opened, notably at Arbroath Abbey, there was also a hospitality section, which makes some properties available for wedding receptions and other functions. Lifetime memberships were also available, and all received a quarterly magazine Historic Scotland. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland Scottish Ten Official website
24.
Forfar
–
Forfar /ˈfɔːrfər/ is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council. Its population is 14,048 Forfar dates back to the temporary Roman occupation of the area, and was held by the Picts. It was occupied by the English before being recaptured by the Scots, Forfar has been both a traditional market town and a major manufacturing centre for linen and jute. Today the main activities are agriculture and tourism around the valley of Strathmore. The local glens are popular with hill-walkers, and there are ski-slopes in the mountains, the town has a second division football club, Forfar Athletic, and Rugby Union is represented by Strathmore Rugby Football Club. The Forfar Bridie, a popular Scottish meat pastry snack, is identified with the town. From Battledykes northward the Romans established a succession of camps including Stracathro, during the First War of Scottish Independence, the castle of Forfar was held by the English. He then yielded the castle to Bruce, who rewarded him, the Meffan Museum is in the heart of the town. It was built by a daughter of the Provost Meffan as a bequest in 1898 and it is home of the Forfar story. It is also an art gallery and a place for local speakers, summer clubs for children. The story of Forfar takes you from the history of the cobbler shops to the burning of the witch Helen Guthrie. There is also a selection of Pictish stones found in and around Forfar. The Large Class I Pictish stone, with a carving of a flower, is called the Dunnichen Stone. It was found in the early 19th century when a farmer from the East Mains of Dunnichen was ploughing and it was initially displayed at a church in the vicinity, then at Dunnichen House. In 1966 it was relocated at St Vigeans and finally moved to Dundee museum in 1972, after the Meffan Institute had been renovated it was brought to Forfar on a long term loan where it is displayed alongside the Kirriemuir Sculptured Stones. There is also a canoe, excavated from Forfar Loch, that dates back to the 11th century, like other parts of Angus, Forfar was home to a very successful textile industry during and after the Industrial Revolution. In the late 18th century the firm of William Don & Co. was founded in the town, the firm originally bought and sold webs of linen which were woven in local cottages, although it also operated a small weaving shed. In 1865 the firm merged with A J Buist, a Dundee based firm, the partnership also operated mills in Dundee and later built Station Works in Forfar, which contained some 300 looms
25.
Brechin
–
Brechin is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Along with the cathedral and round tower, part of the chapel of Brechins Maison Dieu or hospital survives from the Middle Ages, the town is well known for its cathedral, with eleventh century round tower, one of only two of these Irish-style monuments surviving in Scotland. The tower was originally free-standing, but is now incorporated in the framework of the cathedral, the cathedral has been much altered, but still contains medieval work of the 13th and 14th centuries, notably a handsome western tower and processional door. Brechin is represented within Angus Council by the Brechin & Edzell ward, the members elected from this ward are, as of 2012, Mairi Evans, Bob Myles and Jim Houston. Education in Brechin is managed by the Education Department of Angus Council, Brechin City Football Club plays Scottish League football and is currently placed in the SPFL League One. Its ground is called Glebe Park and is situated off Trinity Road, Glebe Park is the only senior football ground in Europe which has a hedge along one of its perimeters. Brechin is also home to the football club Brechin Victoria F. C. who play at Victoria Park. Caledonian Steam Railway Steam railway in the heart of Brechin
26.
Genus
–
A genus is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms in biology. In the hierarchy of classification, genus comes above species. In binomial nomenclature, the name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. Felis catus and Felis silvestris are two species within the genus Felis, Felis is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by a taxonomist, the standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. Moreover, genera should be composed of units of the same kind as other genera. The term comes from the Latin genus, a noun form cognate with gignere, linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum, but the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort is considered the founder of the modern concept of genera. The scientific name of a genus may be called the name or generic epithet. It plays a role in binomial nomenclature, the system of naming organisms. The rules for the names of organisms are laid down in the Nomenclature Codes. The standard way of scientifically describing species and other lower-ranked taxa is by binomial nomenclature, the generic name forms its first half. For example, the gray wolfs binomial name is Canis lupus, with Canis being the name shared by the wolfs close relatives. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany. Especially with these names, when the generic name is known from context. Because animals are typically only grouped within subspecies, it is written as a trinomen with a third name. Dog breeds, meanwhile, are not scientifically distinguished, there are several divisions of plant species and therefore their infraspecific names generally include contractions explaining the relation. For example, the genus Hibiscus includes hundreds of other species apart from the Rose of Sharon or common garden hibiscus, Rose of Sharon doesnt have subspecies but has cultivars that carry desired traits, such as the bright white H. syriaca Diana. Hawaiian hibiscus, meanwhile, includes several separate species, since not all botanists agree on the divisions or names between species, it is common to specify the source of the name using author abbreviations
27.
Aberlemno Sculptured Stones
–
The Aberlemno Sculptured Stones are a series of five Class I and II Early Medieval standing stones found in and around the village of Aberlemno, Angus, Scotland. Aberlemno 1,3 and 5 are located in recesses in the dry stone wall at the side of the road in Aberlemno, Aberlemno 2 is found in the Kirkyard,300 yards south of the roadside stones. Aberlemno 4, the Flemington Farm Stone was found 30 yards from the church, Aberlemno 1 is the central roadside stone. It is a standing stone, bearing incised Pictish symbols, defining it under J Romilly Allen. The symbols on one face, the serpent, the disc and Z-rod. The meaning of symbols is unknown. They are deeply incised in a bold, confident line, the other face of the stone exhibits prehistoric cup marks, showing that it has been re-used. Aberlemno II, found in Aberlemno kirkyard, is a shaped cross-slab, bearing Pictish symbols as well as Christian symbols in relief, defining it as a Class II stone. The stone, carved from Old Red Sandstone, stands 2.3 metres tall,1.3 metres wide at the base, tapering to 0.9 metres wide at the top, the west face is inscribed with a quadrilobate Celtic Cross. The cross bears several styles of Celtic pattern designs, the vertical arms are inscribed with three separate knotwork designs, the horizontal arms with keywork designs. The central roundel has a spiral composed of three interconnecting triskeles. Bordering the cross are a number of Celtic zoomorphic designs, reminiscent of Northumbrian designs and designs from the Book of Kells, a hole has been bored through the upper part of the stone some time after its sculpting. The rear face features two Pictish symbols, a rectangle with z-rod and a triple disc. Below this are nine figures which have been interpreted as an account of a battle. Until recently, it was thought to date to the mid-8th century, the western road-side stone is another Class II stone. It has an elaborately decorated ringed cross flanked by adoring angels on one side, and this stone is known as Aberlemno 3. This stone has until recently thought to date from the late eighth century. More recent comparative analyses have suggested that it may be of a later, Aberlemno 3 has different proportions to the Kirkyard Cross-slab, being relatively tall and thin, with parallel sides which have incised decoration
28.
Scotland in the Early Middle Ages
–
Of these, the four most important to emerge were the Picts, the Scots of Dál Riata, the Britons of Alt Clut, and the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia. After the arrival of the Vikings in the late 8th century, Scandinavian rulers and colonies were established on the islands and along parts of the coasts. In the 9th century, the House of Alpin combined the lands of the Scots and Picts to form a kingdom which constituted the basis of the kingdom of Scotland. Scotland has a coastline and vast areas of difficult terrain. In this period, more land became marginal due to change, resulting in relatively light human settlement, particularly in the interior. Northern Britain lacked urban centres and settlements were based on farmsteads and around fortified positions such as brochs, with mixed-farming primarily based on self-sufficiency. In this period, changes in settlement and colonisation meant that the Pictish and Brythonic languages began to be subsumed by Gaelic, English, Life expectancy was relatively low, leading to a young population, with a ruling aristocracy, freemen, and relatively large numbers of slaves. The expansion of Christianity from the margins of Scotland was key to the development of this period, initially influenced by the Celtic tradition originating from what is now Ireland, by the end of the era it had become integrated into the organisational structures of the Catholic Church. This period produced some highly distinctive monumental and ornamental art, culminating in the development of the Insular art style, common across Britain, the most impressive structures included nucleated hill forts and, after the introduction of Christianity, churches and monasteries. The period also saw the beginnings of Scottish literature in British, Old English, Gaelic, as the first half of the period is largely prehistoric, archaeology plays an important part in studies of early Medieval Scotland. From the 7th century, there is evidence from Latin sources including the lives of saints, such as Adomnáns, Life of St. Columba. Archaeological sources include settlements, art, and surviving everyday objects, by the time of Bede and Adomnán, in the late seventh century and early eighth century, four major circles of influence had emerged in northern Britain. In the east were the Picts, whose kingdoms eventually stretched from the river Forth to Shetland, in the south was the British Kingdom of Alt Clut, descendants of the peoples of the Roman-influenced kingdoms of The Old North. Finally, there were the English or Angles, Germanic invaders who had much of southern Britain and held the Kingdom of Bernicia, in the south-east. The confederation of Pictish tribes that developed north of the Firth of Forth may have stretched up as far as Orkney and it probably developed out of the tribes of the Caledonii, perhaps as a response to the pressure exerted by the presence of the Romans to the south. They first appear in Roman records at the end of the 3rd century as the picti when Roman forces campaigned against them, the first identifiable king of the Picts, who seems to have exerted a superior and wide-ranging authority, was Bridei mac Maelchon. His power was based in the kingdom of Fidach, and his base was at the fort of Craig Phadrig, near modern Inverness. After his death, leadership seems to have shifted to the Fortriu, whose lands were centred on Strathearn and Menteith, Christian missionaries from Iona appear to have begun the conversion of the Picts to Christianity from 563
29.
McManus Galleries
–
McManus Galleries is a Gothic Revival-style building, located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. The building houses a museum and art gallery with a collection of fine and it was agreed that the funding for the building should be provided by the inhabitants of Dundee. Although the city could not afford such a lavish memorial outright, a guaranteed fund of £4,205 15/- from 168 contributors was collected which included a munificent gift from the Baxter family which totalled £420. The building was designed by the architect George Gilbert Scott, who was an expert for the restoration of mediaeval churches and he intended to design a large tower like in his previous work at St. Nikolai, Hamburg. The foundations were situated in a wetland called Quaw Bog at the confluence of the Scourin Burn and Friar Burn. This meant that the area under the site was underpinned by large wood beams. However, when construction began in 1865, the ground proved too unstable to support the tower that he envisaged. The building was opened as the Albert Institute in 1867, two further sections, which extended the building by four art galleries and four museum galleries, were added by 1889. The central section was designed to Scotts intention by David MacKenzie, the contents of the Watt Institute, founded in 1848, were incorporated into the collection before the opening of the civic museum and art gallery in 1873. Between 1873 and 1949, the buildings were administrated as part of library service. From 1959, the city took over the running of the administration. Ironically, following a later refurbishment the building now commemorates the Lord Provost Maurice McManus, in 1976, cracks were discovered in south-east corner of the building. The subsequent survey found that the building was partially subsiding, during 1979, remedial measures of placing load bearing concrete piles and cross-beams positioned to replace rotted timbers. The building was closed to the public on 24 October 2005 for a £7. 8million redevelopment by Page\Park Architects and was reopened to the public on 28 February 2010. Currently, much of the McManus collection, which works by Dundee-based artists James MacIntosh Patrick. The collection includes three paintings by Thomas Musgrave Joy which celebrate Grace Darlings rescue of passengers on the paddlesteamer Forfarshire
30.
Andrew Jervise
–
Andrew Jervise was a Scottish compositor, drawing teacher and antiquarian. Born 28 July 1820 at Brechin, Forfarshire, he was the son of Jean Chalmers, a nurserymans daughter, leaving school at age 11, he became a compositor, and met Alexander Laing, the Brechin poet. Finishing his apprenticeship in 1837, he oscillated till 1841 between Brechin and Edinburgh, nominally a compositor, but taking up poetry and painting. After lessons in design and colour under Sir William Allan and Thomas Duncan from 1842 to 1845, in 1847 he delivered three lectures in Brechin on the Popular History of Painting and its Principles. His duties involved travel through Fife, Forfar, Perth, Kincardine, and Aberdeen, and for a time also through Banff, Elgin and he died at Brechin 12 April 1878, four months before his mother. Jervise began publishing specimens of churchyard poetry in the Montrose Standard in 1848 and he wrote, Sketches of the History and Traditions of Glenesk,1852, dedicated to Lord Panmure. History and Traditions of the Land of the Lindsays,1853, lectures on the Mearns and on Glamis. Memorials of Angus and the Mearns,1861, an antiquarian work, inscriptions from the Shields in the Trades Hall, Aberdeen,1863. Inscriptions from the Burial Grounds of Brechin and Magdalen Chapel,1864, Jervise contributed to the Transactions of the Antiquarian Society, and collected for newspaper articles inscriptions from churchyards, and general antiquarian information. Attribution This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Lee, Sidney, ed. Jervise. Works by or about Andrew Jervise at Internet Archive
31.
Arbroath
–
Arbroath or Aberbrothock /ɑːrˈbroʊθ/ is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast, around 16 miles ENE of Dundee and 45 miles SSW of Aberdeen, Arbroath grew considerably during the Industrial Revolution owing to the expansion of firstly the flax and secondly the jute industries and the engineering sector. A new harbour was built in 1839 and by the 20th century, the town is notable as the home of the Declaration of Arbroath, as well as the Arbroath smokie. The towns football team, Arbroath Football Club, hold the record for the highest number of goals scored in a professional football match. They won 36–0 against Aberdeen Bon Accord in the Scottish Cup in 1885, the name Aberbrothock can be found in numerous spelling variations. In the earliest manuscripts available, it is seen as Abirbrothoke, in the Declaration of Arbroath, it is seen as Abirbrothoc. Early maps show a number of variants including Aberbrothock, Aberbrothik, Aberbrothick, the modern name Arbroath became more common in the mid-19th century, with the older name being largely dispensed with by the time of the first edition of the Ordnance Survey Maps. However, variants of Arbroath had been used since the 17th century, the area around Arbroath has been occupied since at least the Neolithic period. Bronze age archaeology is to be found in abundance in the surrounding area, examples include the short-cist burials found near West Newbigging, about a mile to the North of the town. These burials included pottery urns, a pair of silver discs, iron Age archaeology is also well represented, for example in the souterrain nearby Warddykes Cemetery and at West Grange of Conan, as well as the better-known examples at Carlungie and Ardestie. The stones had been used in the building of the old church and, unfortunately, the first modern development in Arbroath was the Abbey, founded by King William the Lion in 1178 for monks of the Tironensian order from Kelso Abbey. It received consecration in 1197 with a dedication to Saint Thomas Becket and it was the Kings only personal foundation, and he was buried within its precincts in 1214. The Abbey was not finally completed until 1233, Arbroath was the location of the Battle of Arbroath in 1446. Lindsay was excommunicated for his troubles and it was felt that this was incompatible with his role as Chief Justiciary. The monks of Arbroath Abbey selected Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity as his replacement, large parts of the town were destroyed in the aftermath by the Lindsay family. The ruins were a site for travellers during the 17th and 18th centuries. The remains are now administered by Historic Scotland, on 6 April 1320 the Scottish Parliament met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the Pope the Declaration of Arbroath, drafted by the Abbot of the time, Bernard. This document detailed the services which their lord and sovereign Robert the Bruce had rendered to Scotland, Arbroath was created a royal burgh in 1599 by James VI
32.
Carnoustie
–
Carnoustie is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast, in the 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of 11,394, making it the fourth largest town in Angus. The town was founded in the late 18th century, and grew throughout the 19th century due to the growth of the local textile industry. Carnoustie can be considered a town for its nearest city, Dundee. It is served by Carnoustie railway station, and less so by Golf Street railway station and its nearest major road is the A92. The origin of the name Carnoustie is uncertain, plausible suggestions have included various Gaelic derivations such as cathair, càrr or càrn na fheusta, fort, rock or cairn of the feast, or càrn guithais, cairn of the firtree. However, these suggestions are of recent origin and the name may derive from an obscure Pictish element. Folk etymology suggests that the name has a later, Anglic origin, the name is supposed to derive from the scots Craws Nestie, referring to the large number of crows that inhabit the area. This tradition is alluded to in the coat of arms of Carnoustie, other, less likely possibilities include that it derives from Cairn of the Host or Cairn of the Heroes in memory of those who supposedly perished at the Battle of Barry. Ultimately the origin of the name is unknown but predates the town itself by several hundred years, the earliest record is of Carnowis in a 1510 charter of James IV to Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus. Carnussie farm is recorded in the Balmerino Abbey register of c1575, adair is perhaps the first to depict Carnoustie with the current spelling in 1703, while Roys military survey of Scotland, 1747–55 has it as Cornisty. In Websters Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Carnoustie is mentioned as Carnuistie, the area surrounding Carnoustie has been occupied continuously since the Neolithic period, as evidenced by a Cursus monument, identified from cropmarks near Woodhill. This cursus is of a scale to the well characterised. Numerous stones incised with cup and ring marks have also found in the surrounding area. An assemblage of Late Neolithic pottery fragments found at Carlogie, half a mile to the north of Carnoustie, has interpreted as evidence of a settlement of that age in the area. Bronze age archaeology is also present in the area, numerous short cist burials have been found in the area, including one found in 1994 at West Scryne, a mile north-east of Carnoustie, that was radiocarbon dated to between 1730 and 1450 BC. The presence of Bronze Age round barrows at Craigmill is also indicated by cropmarks, from the Iron age, perhaps the most prominent remains are of the Dundee Law Hill Fort, with the Iron Age fort at Craigmill Den being less well known. Near to Carnoustie can be found the souterrains at Carlungie and Ardestie, several brochs are also found in the area, including the ruins at Drumsturdy and at Craighill
33.
Kirriemuir
–
Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. Its history reaches back to earliest recorded times, when it seems to have been an ecclesiastical centre. Later it was identified with witchcraft, and some houses still feature a ‘witches stane’ to ward off evil. In the 19th century, it was an important centre of the jute trade, the playwright J. M. Barrie was born and buried here, and a statue of Peter Pan stands in the town square. The history of Kirriemuir extends to the historical period and it appears to have been a centre of some ecclesiastical importance. The Kirriemuir Sculptured Stones, a series of late Pictish cross slabs, are now on display at the Meffan Institute in Forfar, Kirriemuir has a history of accused witches back in the 16th century. Many of the buildings have a witches stane built in to ward off evil. This is a grey stone set into the local red sandstone which the buildings were built from. The adjacent Court Hillock was shown, on excavation to make way for a development, to be nothing more than the spoil heap left from the excavation. Though its importance as a town has diminished, its former jute factories echo its past importance in the 19th century as the centre of a home weaving industry. Historic features near Kirriemuir include a carved Pictish stone known as the Eassie Stone, Kirriemuir claims the narrowest public footpath in Western Europe, Cats Close, situated between Grants Pend and Kirkwynd, is a mere 40 centimetres wide. The family estate of Sir Hugh Munro, who created Munros Tables of Scottish mountains over 3000 ft in elevation is located near the town, as is Kinnordy House. Kirriemuir is represented within Angus Council by the Kirriemuir & Dean ward, the members elected from this ward are, as of 2012, Ian Gaul, Ronnie Proctor and Jeanette Gaul. The town once had a museum of aviation and these artifacts are now in the Richard Moss Memorial Collection at the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre. There is a camera obscura, which was donated by Barrie, on the Hill and it offers views to the south and south-west, also on the Hill and offering views from its southern slopes is the town cemetery, where Barrie is buried in a simple grave. There is a silver granite war memorial in the centre of the cemetery, the Tayside Police Museum used to be located in Reform Street. Every August, a music organization holds a music festival called Live In The Den which features local guitar bands. It takes place in The Den, hence the name, in 2011 the festival was not held due to large flooding
34.
Monifieth
–
Monifieth /ˈmɒnifiːθ/ is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated on the bank of the Firth of Tay on the east coast. In 2008, the population of Monifieth was estimated at 8,220, the presence of a number of class II and III Pictish stones points to Monifieth having had some importance as an ecclesiastical centre in the early medieval period. The lands were a possession of the Céli Dé monastic order until they were granted to the Tironensian monks of Arbroath Abbey in the early 13th century, until the early 19th century, Monifieth remained a small village but grew rapidly due to the expansion of the local textile industry. Monifieth is considered a town for its closest city, Dundee. Politically, Monifieth can be seen to be a stronghold of the Scottish National Party, being represented at local, national, the town falls within the boundaries of Angus Council but was part of Dundee City Council from 1975 to 1996. The local constituency boundary and whether Monifieth should fall within Angus or Dundee council areas continues to be a source of debate, Public transport consists mainly of bus services operated by Stagecoach Buses. While the town is served by Monifieth railway station, the station presently operates only a token service. Its nearest major road is the A92 and the town is connected to Dundee by the A930, the name Monifieth is generally taken to derive from the Gaelic Monadh Feith, Hill of the deer. An alternative etymology Monaich Fother, Monks Land has been suggested, the earliest evidence for occupation of the area surrounding Monifieth dates to the Mesolithic period. Midden pits of that age have been nearby at Stannergate. More tangible evidence for settlement can be found from the Neolithic period, for example with the Cursus monument, identified from cropmarks near Woodhill and this cursus is of a similar scale to the well characterised, mid 4th century BC enclosure found nearby at Douglasmuir near Friockheim. Numerous stones incised with cup and ring marks have also found in the surrounding area. Approximately 1 mile to the north of Monifieth lies Laws hill, on which lies the Iron age ruins of a broch, artefacts found at and around the site include a quantity of gold coins, iron spear heads and a stone lamp. One artefact found near Laws Hill is that of a Pictish crescent plate and this find is particularly intriguing in light of the paucity of Viking archaeology in this part of Scotland. Domestic remains from the late Prehistoric period can also be found in abundance in the area, perhaps most well known are the souterrains at Carlungie and Ardestie, but cropmarks point to other settlements of that age, for instance at Woodhill. Prior to the century, the church and lands of Monifieth were possessions of the Céli Dé monastic order. A hoard of 700 coins dating to the reigns of Edward I and these stones were removed in the mid 19th century and, along with a fourth stone found in an adjoining garden, were donated to the National Museums of Scotland in 1871
35.
Montrose, Angus
–
Montrose is a coastal resort town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. It is situated 38 miles north of Dundee between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers and it is the northernmost coastal town in Angus and developed at a natural harbour that traded in skins, hides and cured salmon in medieval times. With a population of approximately 12,000, the functions as a port, but the major employer is GlaxoSmithKline. The skyline of Montrose is dominated by the 220-foot steeple, designed by James Gillespie Graham, Montrose is a town with a wealth of architecture, and is a centre for international trade. It is an important commercial port for the oil and gas industry. It is known for its wide thoroughfare and high street which leads to picturesque closes containing secluded gardens, the town has a view of a 2 mi square tidal lagoon, Montrose Basin, which is considered a nature reserve of international importance. It is the largest inland salt water basin in the UK, just outside Montrose is the 18th-century House of Dun, designed by the Scottish architect William Adam and built in 1730 for David Erskine, 13th Laird of Dun. Prehistoric elements are found in the vicinity of Montrose, including the Stone of Morphie located to the north, one ancient name for Montrose was Celurca. Early place names appear to show the presence of a Norse settlement in the area of the present harbour, the Norse settlement was named Stroma which translates as Tide race river, referring to the speed of the tidal emptying and filling of the aforementioned basin. It is claimed that the name Montrose stems from Mouth Hrossay due to the location at the outlets of the River Esk near Rossie Island, however the etymology is more often attributed to the gaelic words Monadh and Rois or Ros. The first documentary evidence of the existence of Montrose is the charter issued by David I who founded the town around 1140 as Sallorch or Sallork. By 1178 the name had taken the form Munross before becoming Montrose, folk etymology attributes the origin of the towns name as Mount of Roses. This is reflected by the motto on the seal, Marie ditat. Montrose was visited and plundered in numerous instances by Danes, in the year 980 it was sacked and razed to the ground. It was once believed that a castle existed in Montrose in the 10th century and was destroyed by Kenneth III, however the historicity of this account has been disputed. In the two proceeding centuries there are no dates in its history. During the 1140s it was an important trading town, the trading revenues received from Montrose as well as Forfar and Dundee were acquired by Malcolm IV and contributed to Restenneth Priory. In 1178 William the Lion built a castle nearby in which he would occasionally reside, the ruins have acquired the name Red Castle
36.
Airlie, Angus
–
Airlie is a civil parish in the Scottish council area of Angus. It is the seat of the Earl of Airlie, and the location of Airlie Castle and it comprises Craigton of Airlie, Baitland of Airlie and Kirkton of Airlie. Airlie also contains one of the finest examples of a Pictish souterrain in Scotland, Airlie Castle is not currently open to the public, however it is remembered in the song The Bonnie Hoose o Airlie which is mentioned in Robert Louis Stevensons novel Kidnapped. The song commemorates the burning of the castle by the Earl of Argyll, claiming to act on behalf of the anti-royalists, however, it is also claimed that Forter Castle in Glen Isla was the bonnie hoose destroyed in 1640
37.
Arbirlot
–
Arbirlot is a village in a rural parish of the same name in Angus, Scotland. The current name is presumed to be a contraction of Aberelliot or Aber-Eliot - both meaning the mouth of the Elliot. It is situated west of Arbroath, the main village settlement is on the Elliot Water,2.5 miles from Arbroath. There is a Church of Scotland church and a primary school, the school lies 1 mile further west in the approximate geographic centre of the parish. Arbirlot village, sometimes known as Kirkton of Arbirlot, lies in the Kelly Den, the principal underlying rock formation is Old Red Sandstone and Arbirlot attracted the attention of early geologists because of the exposed rock formations in the Kelly Den. Hugh Miller describes the rock formations in the village of Arbirlot in detail in his highly influential 1841 book Old Red Standstone. A nature trail by the Elliot Water links Arbirlot with the railway junction of Elliot on the Angus Coast. Arbirlot holds host to a spectacular 23 foot waterfall, there is extensive evidence of prehistoric occupation of the Arbirlot area. The First Statistical Account refers to the recent demolition of a temple in the parish, the finding of a Pictish crown. The Second Statistical Account mentions the finding of stone arrowheads in the parish. There is a cup and ring marked boulder near Craigend, there are cropmark indications of a possible Roman marching camp to the west of Grahamston Cottages. The current manse garden contains a stone with what are thought to be medieval carvings. The stone was retrieved from the foundations of the church during re-building works in 1831. The relief was granted on the grounds of the poverty, sterility, Kelly Castle, which overlooks the Elliot Water, comprises a four-storey tower of the late 15th or early 16th Century, set within a 19th-century courtyard. It was a stronghold of the Mowbray family until forfeited to the Stewarts in the early 14th century and was restored from a state by the Earl of Dalhousie in the 19th century. The Elliots joined the clans of Armstrong, Scott, Douglas, Kerr, Nixon, Hepburn, the Border Reivers and other titles such a Outlaws of the Marshes are most informative about the Elliots and their exploits after leaving the Arbirlot parish. Supporter of Charles Is religious policies, younger son of the Rev John Kirk
38.
Ascreavie
–
Ascreavie is a country house in Angus, Scotland. It is located 2 kilometres north of Kirkton of Kingoldrum, and 6 kilometres north-west of Kirriemuir, the farms of Over Ascreavie and Nether Ascreavie lie close by. The gardens at Ascreavie are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland for its important horticultural collection, gathered by the plant-hunter George Sherriff. In 1540 the lands of Ascreavie were sold, along with Balfour and Kirkton of Kingoldrum, by Arbroath Abbey to James Ogilvy of Cookston and his wife Marjory Durie. In 1699 John Ogilvy of Balfour sold the Ascreavies to James Ogilvy, the Ogilvy of Ascreavie family continued until the death of James Catherine Ogilvy in 1871. Her son William Baird Young then inherited the title of Ascreavie, author J. M. Barrie’s grandfather, Alexander Ogilvy, was born at Over Ascreavie in 1788. A new house was built on the estate in the 1850s, the Youngs lived there until the 1940s when it was purchased by the circus-owning family of Bertram Mills. The house was sold on in 1949 to Major George Sherriff. Major Sherriff had undertaken a number of plant collecting expeditions with Frank Ludlow in the Himalayas in the 1930s, at Ascreavie he and his wife began to develop the gardens using plants which he had gathered on these expeditions, including many rare rhododendrons. Since Sherriffs death, the plant collection has been maintained, and a number of specimens have been donated to botanic gardens in Dundee and Edinburgh
39.
Auchmithie
–
Auchmithie is a former fishing village in Angus, Scotland, three miles north east of the town of Arbroath. It sits atop a cliff of red sandstone conglomerate of Devonian date, among the pebbles on the beach, derived from those weathered out of the cliffs, a significant percentage are jasper, predominantly dark red, with rarer examples green or yellow. In the dilapidated harbour, built in 1891, there are some small fishing boats. The Arbroath Smokie originated in Auchmithie, sir Walter Scott stayed in the Waverley Hotel in Auchmithie and described Auchmithie in his novel The Antiquary, under the name Musslecrag. Joe Dorwards website with a view of Auchmithies harbour Old photos of Auchmithie
40.
Auchterhouse
–
Auchterhouse is a village, community, and civil parish in the Scottish council area of Angus, located 7.3 miles north west of Dundee,9.5 miles south east of Alyth and 14.9 miles south west of Forfar. It lies on the edge of the Sidlaw Hills, below Auchterhouse Hill,1,398 feet high. The parish, which is coterminous with the community, had a population of 520 in 2001, the village, formerly known as Milltown of Auchterhouse, straddles the B954 Muirhead to Newtyle road. About 1.0 mile east lies the village of Kirkton of Auchterhouse. Singer Billy MacKenzie lived in the village from 1991 until his death in 1997, Kirkton, in Auchterhouse, was the subject of the painting Sidlaw Village, Winter by James MacIntosh Patrick. The earliest human settlement discovered around Auchterhouse dates from 3500 to 1000 BC, in the form of stone, a possible henge in Dronley Wood has been revealed by aerial photography, and a stone circle at Templelands was destroyed during railway construction in the 19th century. A stone cairn on West Mains Hill, excavated in 1897, was found to conceal a double burial cist, the cist contained burnt bones and a bronze dagger blade with ox-horn hilt, which are now in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Other cists were reportedly discovered in the 19th century, and a burial mound survives south of Dronley House. Cup marks on stones were found around Auchterhouse Park, an Iron Age hillfort on Auchterhouse Hill occupies a naturally defensible position, and is protected to the east and south east by a set of five ramparts and ditches. The village came under the jurisdiction of James Stewart, the Earl of Buchan in 1469 and he also held the title Lord Auchterhouse, and was the uncle of King James III. The adoption of new techniques in the 18th and 19th centuries led to increased prosperity in rural areas. Between 1820 and 1850 farm production in Scotland increased by 58 per cent and this new wealth was reflected in Auchterhouse with the construction of new farm buildings at Dronley, East Adamston, Eastfield, Kirkton of Auchterhouse, Leoch and Templeton. Balbeuchley was one of the earliest improved steadings in the area, built in 1802, while Balbeuchley House was built for Patrick Miller, proprietor of the Auchterhouse Estate from 1820 to 1876. The farmhouse at Pitpointie, dated 1883, was built on the site of an earlier steading for George Willsher, sandstone for the line was quarried at Pitpointie. On 2 May 1899 a meeting was held at the Town Hall in Dundee to establish a sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis. Plans were drawn up for the creation of a 30-bed hospital, and a site at Auchterhouse Park was gifted by David Ogilvy, construction started in 1901, and Dundee Sanatorium was formally opened on 26 September 1902, at a cost of £20,764. The Dundee Advertiser commented, The first patients were admitted on 11 March 1903, during the first year of operation,87 patients were admitted. One patient died, but 67 were discharged, the average stay was just under four months
