Menmuir is a parish in the county of

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...

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 ...

. Kirkton of Menmuir consists of only three houses (the Old Schoolhouse, the

Manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

, the Old Inn) and for this reason is referred to locally as "twa hooses and another yin," but around 250 people live in the area and the community hall is well used.

History

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

cup and ring marked stones have been found in the area.

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

archaeology has been found nearby, with a short cist burial found a mile to the south-east of the village, containing bones and a flint spearhead, and a bronze axehead found nearby. The Brown

Caterthun Caterthun, or the Caterthuns, is a ridge of hills near the city of Brechin in Angus, Scotland. The Caterthuns are notable for being the site of two Iron Age forts known as the White Caterthun and the Brown Caterthun which are designated as a sc ...

and the White Caterthun, hillforts dating from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

, can also be seen nearby. A number of

Pictish symbol stones 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 ar ...

have been found in Menmuir, including a cross-slab and a sculptured stone found in the kirkyard around 1844 when an old wall was demolished, three fragments, found in the grounds of the village Manse in 1943, and another class III fragment reported in 1986. These point to Menmuir having been a centre of some ecclesiastical importance in the early Medieval period. A royal palace is supposed to have existed in Menmuir in the reign of Alexander III, a little to the south-west of where the church now stands. However, no remains of it have been found.Jervise (1853) pp246-247

Geography

Menmuir straddles the boundary of the fertile coastal land and the start of the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. T ...

. The unusual surname Menmuir seems to originate from this parish.

Famous residents

John Lindsay of Balcarres, Lord Menmuir John Lindsay of Balcarres (1552–1598) was Secretary of State, Scotland. On 5 July 1581 he was appointed a Lord of Session under the title Lord Menmuir. Life He was the second son of David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford and Catherine Campbell, d ...

was the laird of Menmuir and James Irvine was a Scottish portrait-painter born here in 1822. Alex Menmuir the famous tenant used to live here in the year of our lord 1099 after being sent there by bluey of Norway.

Notes

References

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External links

Menmuir Community Website

Angus Glens Website
{{authority control Villages in Angus, Scotland