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The Royal Burgh of Arbroath or Aberbrothock (archaic, Scottish Gaelic: Obair Bhrothaig) is the largest burgh in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of approximately 23,000 people (2001 census). It lies on the North Sea coast, around 12 miles north-east of Dundee and 51 miles south of Aberdeen.

The town is internationally famous as the home of the Declaration of Arbroath, the statement of Scottish independence signed by the nobility in the 14th century. The town's ancient ruined abbey is central to the story of the declaration and remains a key Scottish tourist attraction today.

A traditional fishing town, it has also achieved fame for its local delicacy the Arbroath Smokie, a kind of smoked haddock.

History of Arbroath

Early history

The modern name Arbroath became prevalent in the mid-nineteenth century as a colloquialism of the original name Aberbrothock. This Pictish title is a reference to the Brothock Burn upon which the town is built.

Arbroath Abbey was founded by King William the Lion in 1178 for monks of the Tironesian order from Kelso Abbey. It received consecration in 1197 with a dedication to Saint Thomas Becket. It was the King's only personal foundation, and he was buried within its precincts in 1214.

On 6 April 1320 the parliament met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the Pope the Declaration of Arbroath, drafted by the Abbot of the time Bernard de Linton. This document detailed the services which their "lord and sovereign" Robert the Bruce had rendered to Scotland, and affirmed in eloquent terms the independence of the Scots.

The harbour

The original harbour was constructed and maintained by the abbots within the terms of an agreement between the burgesses and John Gedy, the abbot in 1394. This gave way to a more commodious port in 1725, which in turn was enlarged and improved in 1839.

In 1807 Arbroath became the base of operations for the building of the Bell Rock Lighthouse. The shore station for the lighthouse - the Bell Rock Signal Tower - was completed in 1813 and acted as a lifeline for the keepers offshore. Today this building houses the Signal Tower Museum, a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse.

Arbroath culture and tradition

Smokies

The local specialty, genuine Arbroath Smokies are made from haddock using traditional methods dating back to the late 1800s.

The fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, before being left tied in pairs to drouth (Scots for dry). Next, the dried fish are hung in a special barrel containing a hardwood fire and covered with a lid. After around an hour of smoking, the fish are golden brown and ready to eat.

The preparation of Smokies remains a cottage industry in Arbroath, centred exclusively at the harbour area, known in Scots as the fit o the toun (the lower end of the town).

In 2004 the Arbroath Smokie was awarded Protected Geographical Indication, acknowledging its unique status. It is exported worldwide.

Seafest

This event has been held in August every year since 1997 to celebrate Arbroath's close ties to the North Sea. Events include:
  • rescue displays by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
  • performances by Scottish pipe bands, local brass bands and other artists
  • a raft race around the inner harbour
  • a yacht race which takes the participants past the cliffs north of Arbroath
  • the Gourmet Galley, where chefs prepare locally caught seafood dishes

A separate event is the Seafront Spectacular, held in July since 2004 at Victoria Park. It features transport and military related displays. The Red Arrows performed an aerobatic display over the town in 2004 and 2005.

A highlight of recent Sea Fests has been the Arbroath Smokie Blues Festival, with around 30 acts performing at 15 venues throughout the town including a Blues Marquee on Inchcape Common. There is music to thrill all blues lovers, including delta blues, Chicago blues, bluegrass, early rock and roll and even Cajun/zydeco music.

Victoria Park

Victoria Park was opened in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Four concrete pillars were constructed in the 1930's at the same time as the outdoor bathing pool at the west links. The pillars are placed on either side of the road at the entrance to the park. Two are 18 feet and two are 16 feet tall.

At the end of Victoria Park is the site of St Ninian's Well.The well was a small hollow scooped out from the cliff face, with a reputation for curing various diseases.

In geographic terms Victoria Park is an example of a raised beach.

Abbey pageant

Since 1947, a pageant commemorating the signing of the Declaration has been held within the roofless remains of the abbey. This is run by the local Arbroath Abbey Pageant Society, and dramatically re-enacts the story of the signing.

Arbroath in literature

The author Sir Walter Scott is famous for the Waverley series of novels, including Rob Roy and Ivanhoe. Scott is known to have visited Arbroath three times, and his personal favourite in the series, The Antiquary (1816) features affectionately fictionalised versions of both Arbroath ("Fairport") and Auchmithie ("Musselcrag").

Arbroath the football team

Arbroath holds the world record for the largest winning margin in a score in a first-class football match, 36-0 in a Scottish Cup match against Bon Accord (from Aberdeen) in 1885. For some reason, the fans seem to let everyone, more than 120 years later, know about it! The AFC supporters' club is called the 36-0 club in memory of this event. Seven further goals were disallowed for offside - apparently, the score would have been greater if there had been goal nets to stop the ball blowing into the North Sea. The team are nicknamed 'The Red Lichties' due to the red light that used to guide fishing boats back from the North Sea to the harbour.

Places around Arbroath

Auchmithie

Auchmithie, three miles north-east of Arbroath, is a tiny village whose residents originally earned a precarious living by fishing for lobster and crab.

Auchmithie is almost certainly where the Smokie originated. At the beginning of the 19th century the fisherfolk there (with surnames such as Swankie, Spink and Cargill) migrated into Arbroath, where the Smokie tradition continues today under the same names.

The rugged cliffs around Auchmithie create in the promontory of Red Head a number of curiously shaped caves and archways which attract large numbers of visitors.

St Vigeans

This originally rural parish, 1 mile north of Arbroath town centre, takes its name from the Latin form (Vigeanus) of Féchín, a 7th century Irish saint, who founded the monastery of Fore, in Co. Westmeath. There is no evidence Féchín himself ever came to Scotland, so the church may have been founded by his followers, perhaps in the early 8th century. It is the likely site of a Pictish monastery, as attested by both the dedication and the large collection of carved stones recovered from the walls of the parish church during its restoration in the 19th century. One of the stones, the Drosten Stone, has one of the few inscriptions surviving from Pictland, implying literacy, and other stones feature representations of ecclesiastics holding books, and Biblical or Patristic scenes.

Since the 1960s the carved stones, along with some medieval fragments, have been displayed in a converted cottage in the village (Historic Scotland). Key available from Arbroath Abbey (no entrance charge).

Carmyllie

Six miles west by south are the slate quarries of Carmyllie, the terminus of a branch line (opened in 1900) from Arbroath, which functioned as the first light railway in Scotland. The quarries and the light railway have been closed since the 1950s and the railway bed now serves as a nature trail from Elliot to Carmyllie.

Signal Tower Museum

The local museum is built into the regency 'Signal Tower', built in 1813 as the shore station and family living quarters for the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse.

Bell Rock Lighthouse

From the beach and harbour side of Arbroath, at night you can clearly see the hugely impressive sweep of the famous historical Bell Rock Lighthouse, which sits 12 miles out to sea. This impressive engineering feat was built by family of the author Robert Louis Stevenson author of Kidnapped and Treasure Island.

Notable Arbroathians

See also

External links

Towns in Angus | Ports and harbours of Scotland | Large burghs | Royal burghs

Arbroath | Арброт | Arbroath

 

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