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Longforgan is a village and
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
in the
Carse of Gowrie The Carse of Gowrie is a stretch of low-lying country in the southern part of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It stretches for about along the north shore of the Firth of Tay between Perth and Dundee. The area offers high-quality agricultu ...
, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies west of Dundee on the main A90 road.


History

A record survives of Sir Patrick Gray, as Baron of Longforgan, holding a baronial court here in 1385 on the Longforgan or Hund Hill; a
moot hill A moot hill or ''mons placiti'' (statute hill) is a hill or mound historically used as an assembly or meeting place, as a moot hall is a meeting or assembly building, also traditionally to decide local issues. In early medieval Britain, such h ...
. The officials present were the same as those at of the sovereign's courts. The village was created a
burgh of barony A burgh of barony was a type of Scottish town ( burgh). Burghs of barony were distinct from royal burghs, as the title was granted to a landowner who, as a tenant-in-chief, held his estates directly from the crown. (In some cases, they might also ...
in 1672.
Castle Huntly Castle Huntly is a castle in Scotland, now used as a prison under the name '' HMP Castle Huntly''. It is located approximately west of Dundee in the Carse of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross, close to the shore of the Firth of Tay, and can be seen ...
, established in the 14th century and developed in the 17th and 18th centuries, is located south-west of the village. It is now an
open prison An open prison (open jail) is any jail in which the prisoners are trusted to complete sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and are often not locked up in their prison cells. Prisoners may be permitted to take up employment w ...
. A woodland, Huntly Woods, is situated away from the village. There is evidence that a Roman Camp was built in Huntly woods. St Modwenna, who died in 521, is said to have founded a church at Longforgan. The present church, which probably stands on its site, was practically rebuilt in 1794, but during renovation about 1900, 15th century mouldings were discovered. A probably 13th century cross and a tombstone dated 1400, from the churchyard are preserved in the church. The present church is still in use and no trace of an earlier building can be seen. A restored panel in the tower reads "Founded in 1690". Two stones bearing incised crosses stand against the wall of the vestibule within the church. The tombstone dated 1400 is fixed to the interior of the north wall of the church. Beneath it is a stone with the following inscription: "Found under floor at supposed east end of pre-Reformation church while altering present church 1899". This stone bears the full length effigies of a knight in armour, his lady in the costume of the period and a small figure of a youth in armour, either a son or an attendant squire. Around the edge of the stone a ribbon is carried which the following (Latin) inscription is incised in Gothic letters. A translation reads : here lies John de Galychtly, late Laird of Ebrokis. The date for death was not carved and the incised writing is relatively clear indicating the stone may not have been used as a grave marker. The lands of Ebrokis (Ebrukis, Ebrux) appear in the Great Seal Register 1508/9 within the barony of Longforgan. In a letter dated 1650 between Sir Patrick Ogilvie of Inchmartine and Thomas Ogilvie, the lands of Ebrokis are mentioned as 'Ebrux alias Broomhall'. Broomhall is located at the south west corner of Longforgan parish. Two grave slabs, one to James Fife, d.1588 and the other to Jean Fledger, d.1660, have been removed from the graveyard, conserved and are now displayed within the church lobby. A tombstone to the 17th century painter Apollonia Kickius is in the graveyard.
William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army ...
is said to have stopped here to rest after escaping from Dundee where he had killed the English governor's son. The knocking stone upon which he sat is preserved in the Dundee Museum.


Name

The name Longforgan may be derived from
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
''lann'', meaning "enclosure" or "church", or ''lòn'', meaning "marsh", coupled with ''fothir grund'', meaning a fertile field. Its form in modern
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
is ''Forgrann''.


Description

Main Street is one of the oldest parts of the village. It contains the oldest cottages in the village and the bowling club,
police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, ...
, Architects Office,
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 ...

Coaching Inn
church and general store. The 17th-century mercat cross is protected as a category A
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. Castle Road is another of the oldest streets in Longforgan, and as the name suggests, was the main road from the church down to Castle Huntly. Many of the houses are original whitewashed
cottar Cotter, cottier, cottar, or is the German or Scots term for a peasant farmer (formerly in the Scottish Highlands for example). Cotters occupied cottages and cultivated small land lots. The word ''cotter'' is often employed to translate th ...
houses used in the past by land workers on the estate. This 'bonny' road down to the Carse of Gowrie is now closed to through vehicle traffic. The primary school in the village can accommodate around 100 pupils in total. The Headteacher is Lauren Budd. The Eastbank area was developed in the 1960s, and Paterson was built in the 1970s, to accommodate the village's growing population, it is situated in the north of the village. Dorward Place was re-developed (completion 1997) from an old Farm Site (An Aerial photograph of the original site is hung in the housing complex) and consists only of sheltered servite housing. Westbank was originally farms but was transformed into houses in 2001. Rosamunde Pilcher Drive is located in this estate, and is named after the bestselling author
Rosamunde Pilcher Rosamunde Pilcher, OBE (''née'' Scott; 22 September 1924 – 6 February 2019) was a British writer of romance novels, mainstream fiction, and short stories, from 1949 until her retirement in 2000. Her novels sold over 60 million copies world ...
who lived in Longforgan. Built in the 2000s, Mary Findlay Drive is the largest modern
housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...
in Longforgan with 42 houses and its own park. Worbey Place is situated next to Helen McGregor Park in the east end of Longforgan. The park includes run down tennis courts, a football pitch and a play area. The only church is situated on the Main Street and is run by the Church of Scotland with the minister being the Rev. Dr. Marjory MacLean. Memorial panels to the Paterson family in the church were designed by
Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Got ...
in 1900.


Transportation

The village had a railway station, Longforgan, which was open between 1849 and 1956. It was situated about south of the village on what is now the Glasgow–Dundee line. The village was bypassed to the north in 1952 by what is now the A90.


Drimmie

Drimmie was an estate in the west of Longforgan parish. A sharp drop-off of known as the Snabs of Drimmie, "extend north-westward from the bold rocky point of
Kingoodie Kingoodie ( gd, Ceann Gaothach or gd, Ceann na Gaoithe "windy head(land)") is a hamlet about south west of Dundee, but in the region of Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The shore is easily accessible and close to the Firth of Tay. Quarries close to ...
".


Notable Longforganites

*
Andrew Marr Andrew William Stevenson Marr (born 31 July 1959) is a British journalist and broadcaster. Beginning his career as a political commentator, he subsequently edited '' The Independent'' newspaper from 1996 to 1998 and was political editor of BBC ...
, television presenter *
Patrick Gray, 6th Lord Gray Patrick Gray, 6th Lord Gray (died 1612), known most of his life as Patrick, Master of Gray, was a Scottish nobleman and politician during the reigns of Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI of Scotland. Early life Patrick Gray, the son of Patrick Gr ...
, Scottish nobleman and politician during the reigns of James VI of Scotland and Mary, Queen of Scots. *
Rosamunde Pilcher Rosamunde Pilcher, OBE (''née'' Scott; 22 September 1924 – 6 February 2019) was a British writer of romance novels, mainstream fiction, and short stories, from 1949 until her retirement in 2000. Her novels sold over 60 million copies world ...
Best Selling Author * Robin Pilcher British Author * Alexander Thoms, mineralogist


References


Citations


Sources

* {{Authority control Villages in Perth and Kinross