Keig ( ) is a village within the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

area of

Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...

in the

North East of Scotland North East Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Ten of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 addit ...

and is located within the

Marr Marr (Scottish Gaelic: ''Màrr'') is one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 34,038 (2001 Census). Someone from Marr is called a ''Màrnach'' in Scottish Gaelic. Etymology The genesis of the name ''Marr ...

area of

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

from Alford. It lies on the B992 road between

Insch Insch ( gd, An Innis or Innis Mo Bheathain) is a village in the Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located approximately from the city of Aberdeen. Etymology The name of the village may have come from the Scottish Gaelic ''innis'', me ...

and the village of

Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to: People * Charles S. Whitehouse (1921-2001), American diplomat * Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor * E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883-1965), American diplomat * Elliott Whitehouse (born 1993), ...

Education

The village has a

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

, and it is within the

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

for Alford Academy, the nearest

Secondary School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

Church

Keig has a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

church, which is a church included in the Howe Trinity Parish (which also includes Alford and

Tullynessle Tullynessle is a hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, three miles NNW of Alford. The settlement contains the Category A listed Terpersie Castle, a privately owned 16th-century tower house. It formerly contained Tullynessle Tower, now gone, which ...

and Forbes). Keig Parish Church dates from 1834 and has a linked

churchyard In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

. The church was saved from being sold off as a private dwelling in the early 2000s, thanks to a group, the Friends of Keig Kirk, which supports the church to this day.

Places of interest

Keig is located near

Castle Forbes Castle Forbes is a 19th-century country house in the Scottish baronial architecture style near Alford in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Vale of Alford estate has been home to the Forbes for over 600 years. The original house was named Putachi ...

, which is the ancestral home of the

Clan Forbes Clan Forbes is a Highland Scottish clan from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History Origins The name Forbes is most probably a location name assumed from the lands of Forbes in Aberdeenshire, in possession of this family reputedly since the time ...

family. The historic

Category A listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...

Bridge of Keig, designed by the architect

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...

, spans the River Don and has views towards

. It is a notable local landmark. In February 2010 the bridge was closed to traffic by

amid fears of structural damage caused by the harsh winter conditions experienced at the end of 2009 and the early part of 2010. Having undertaken major strengthening and repair work,

reopened Keig Bridge on 18 September 2010. The River Don passes through north Keig (ROK) and South-East Keig.

Transport

The village is served by the 421 bus between Alford and

Notable residents

William Robertson Smith William Robertson Smith (8 November 184631 March 1894) was a Scottish orientalist, Old Testament scholar, professor of divinity, and minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He was an editor of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' and contributo ...

and his brother

Charles Michie Smith Professor Charles Michie Smith CIE FRSE FRAS (13 July 1854–27 September 1922) was a Scottish astronomer. He founded the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory in the mountains of south India and served as its first Director. Life Smith was born i ...

were both born in Keig manse.

References

{{authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire