Meigle ( gd, Mìgeil, ) is a village in Strathmore,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It lies in the council area of

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...

in the

Coupar Angus Coupar Angus (; Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Cùbar Aonghais'') is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, south of Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie. The name Coupar Angus serves to differentiate the town from Cupar, Fife. The town was traditi ...

and Meigle ward. It lies on the A94 road between Perth and

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a p ...

. Other smaller settlements nearby are Balkeerie,

Kirkinch Kirkinch, meaning 'kirk (church) on the island' in Scots and Gaelic, is a small village in Angus, Scotland.United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map, Landranger (2005) The 'island' is the knoll on which remains of the medieval church of the parish of ...

and Kinloch. Meigle is accessed from the north and south via the

B954 road The B954 road is a public highway in Angus, Scotland which generally runs north to south, connecting the settlement of Dykends to the northwestern part of the city of Dundee. The road runs near the Meigle Museum, where a collection of Pictish s ...

. In 1971 it had a population of 357.

Etymology

The name ''Meigle'' is of

Pictish Pictish is the extinct language, extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited num ...

origin. Recorded as ''Migdele'' in the Legend of

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

, the first element is ''*mig'', meaning "swamp, bog, quagmire", and the second is ''dol'', "field, meadow" (c.f.

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

''mig-dôl).

Area history

The

Pictish stone A Pictish stone is a type of monumental stele, generally carved or incised with symbols or designs. A few have ogham inscriptions. Located in Scotland, mostly north of the Clyde-Forth line and on the Eastern side of the country, these stones are ...

s on display at Meigle are a manifestation of the early history of the area. The village of

Eassie Eassie is a village located along the A94 road in Angus, Scotland. The church in Eassie is dedicated to Saint Fergus, a monk who worked at nearby Glamis. Eassie is noted for the presence of the Eassie Stone, a carved Pictish stone. Other notable ...

, approximately to the east of Meigle, is noted for the presence of the

Eassie Stone The Eassie Stone is a Class II Pictish stone of about the mid 8th century AD in the village of Eassie, Angus, Scotland. The stone was found in Eassie burn in the late 18th century and now resides in a purpose-built perspex building in the ruined ...

, a carved Pictish stone dated to the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

Attractions

The

Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum The Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum is a permanent exhibition of 27 carved Pictish stones in the centre of the village of Meigle in eastern Scotland.Ritchie 1997, p.2. It lies on the A94 road running from Coupar Angus to Forfar. The museum occupi ...

is housed in the former Victorian village school and contains a collection of more than thirty Pictish Stones, along with some later carvings dating from between the 8th and 10th centuries. The village was probably the site of an important early medieval

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, centred on the present church and churchyard. The collection is cared for by

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...

and is open in summer. Nearby

Belmont Castle Belmont Castle was a Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic mansion near Grays, Essex, Grays in the England, English county of Essex. Built c. 1795 to designs by the little-known Thomas Jeffery, and surrounded by extensive pleasure grounds, it ...

, constructed from the 15th century originally as a residence of the Bishops of

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

, was the home of Sir

Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (né Campbell; 7 September 183622 April 1908) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. He served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 190 ...

(1836–1908),

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

1905–08, who is buried in the village churchyard; a mural monument to his memory is built into the north-east wall of the church. Meigle is also home to Meigle C.C. a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

team which competes in the

Strathmore Union The Strathmore Union was the main cricket league for clubs in the north and midlands of Scotland outside of the Scottish Counties Cricket Championship until the late 1990s. It was one of four feeder leagues to the Scottish National Cricket League ...

Transportation

Meigle railway station Meigle railway station served the village of Meigle in the Scottish county of Perth and Kinross. The station was on the Alyth Railway from on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway running between and . History Opened by the Alyth Railway on ...

was a stop on the Alyth Railway, which served the village from 1861 to 1951.

Notable people

Gordon Drummond General Sir Gordon Drummond, GCB (27 September 1772 – 10 October 1854) was a Canadian-born British Army officer and the first official to command the military and the civil government of Canada. As Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Dr ...

, international cricketer for Scotland * Ralph Laing, first-class cricketer *

Hugh Lyon Playfair Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair (20 February 1787 – 19 January 1861) was a Scottish politician, army officer and photographic pioneer. He was Provost of St Andrews from 1842 until his death in 1861. Biography He was born in Meigle in Perthshire ...

References

External links

* Old Statistical Account (1791–1799) * Second Statistical Account (1834–1845) Villages in Perth and Kinross {{PerthKinross-geo-stub