Stracathro ( gd, Srath Catharach) is a small place in

Angus, Scotland Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include a ...

. It was the site of a Roman marching camp as their forces invaded to the north.

Location

Stracathro is located southeast of

Edzell Edzell (; sco, Aigle; gd, Eigill) is a village in Angus, Scotland. It is 5 miles (8 km) north of Brechin, by the River North Esk. Edzell is a Georgian-era planned town, with a broad main street and a grid system of side streets. Origin ...

in north-east Angus. It lies to the north-east of

Brechin Brechin (; gd, Breichin) is a city and former Royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre- Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which continues today ...

on the A90.

History

A Roman marching camp has been discovered at Stracathro. This camp is one day's march from the next camp, at

Raedykes Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over northwest of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902. It is designated as a scheduled monument. A marching camp was a temporary camp used mainly fo ...

to the north. The gate design of the Stracathro Roman Camp is a distinctive bell-shaped indentation of the rampart perimeter. Stracathro was the site of the

Battle of Stracathro The Battle of Stracathro, also known as the Battle of Inchbare, took place on 16 April 1130 about north of Brechin, Scotland, near the River North Esk. Óengus of Moray and Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair invaded Scotland with 5,000 warriors acco ...

in 1130. This was the culmination of an invasion into southern Scotland led by

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 ...

, ruler of the partially independent "kingdom" of

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...

. He wanted to expand his territory and obtain recognition as a ruler independent of the Scottish kings. Angus was met by the royal army, led by the Constable of Scotland in the absence of

King David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, who had pressing business in England. The result was a decisive victory for the king's men. Four thousand Moravians were killed, including Angus, and Moray became wholly part of the kingdom of Scotland. At Stracathro on 7 July 1296,

John Balliol John Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as ''Toom Tabard'' (meaning "empty coat" – coat of arms), was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296. Little is known of his early life. After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered an ...

publicly admitted the errors of his ways and confirmed his reconciliation with Edward I, King of England. John Balliol abdicated on 10 July, the arms of Scotland were formally torn from his surcoat, and he was held for three years in the Tower of London. After that he was allowed to flee to France, where he died in 1314. His abdication and surrender of the Royal Crown and Seal of the Kingdom of Scotland to Edward I of England led to the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty o ...

Late 19th century to present

Construction of a railway to this area connected it to other villages. The station here was opened as Inchbare and then briefly renamed Dunlappie before finally being named Stracathro. From 1896 to 1964,

Stracathro railway station Stracathro railway station served the sparsely populated rural area around the villages of Stracathro and Inchbare as well as Dunlappie and other estates in Angus, Scotland from 1896 to 1964 on the Brechin and Edzell District Railway. The statio ...

served the sparsely populated rural area around the villages of Stracathro and Inchbare, as well as Dunlappie and other estates on the

Brechin and Edzell District Railway The Brechin and Edzell District Railway was a local line in Scotland connecting Edzell, then a developing tourist centre, to the nearby main population centre of Brechin, where there was a branch of the Caledonian Railway. The short line opened i ...

Stracathro House

Stracathro House is an A-listed Palladian-style mansion, overlooking the Cruick Water. In 1775, the Stracathro Estate, which extended to almost , was bought by Patrick Cruickshank. He had made his fortune in Jamaica in sugar plantations, where labor consisted of enslaved Africans. His brother, Alexander, inherited the property and employed the Aberdeen-based architect Archibald Simpson (1790–1847) to build the house between 1824 and 1827, together with a deer-park and gardens. In 1874, the house and estate was purchased by Sir James Campbell (1790–1876),

Lord Provost of Glasgow The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Glasgow is the convener of the Glasgow City Council. Elected by the city councillors, the Lord Provost serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. The office is equ ...

and father of Prime Minister 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 1 ...

(1836–1908). Stracathro House was requisitioned by the government in 1938 but reverted to private ownership following its sale by Tayside Health Board in 2003. It is being refurbished as a family home. Cottages in the grounds are let as self-catering holiday accommodation.

Stracathro Hospital

A temporary Emergency Medical Services Hospital was established in the grounds of Stracathro House to cope with military and civilian casualties during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Stracathro Hospital became an NHS hospital and is now managed by

NHS Tayside NHS Tayside is an NHS board which forms one of the fourteen regions of NHS Scotland. It provides healthcare services in Angus, Scotland, Angus, the City of Dundee and Perth and Kinross. NHS Tayside is headquartered at Ninewells Hospital in Dunde ...

Footnotes

{{authority control Villages in Angus, Scotland Roman fortified camps in Scotland