Auchenblae (, gd, Achadh nam Blàth) (historically known as Auchinblae) is a village in the

Kincardine and Mearns Kincardine and Mearns is one of six area committees of the Aberdeenshire council area in Scotland. It has a population of 38,506 (2001 Census). There are significant natural features in this district including rivers, forests, mountains and bogs ...

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 ...

, formerly in

Kincardineshire Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the Stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and w ...

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 ...

. The village was known for its weavers, a whisky distillery and the annual Paldie's Fair horse market.

Etymology

The name is a derivation from the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

for "Field of Flowers" possibly due to the growing of flax in bygone times.

History

The current parish church was built between 1827 and 1829 by John Smith. The church was built on the opposite side of the Luther Water was built next to an older chapel dedicated to St. Palladius and was formerly known as Fordoun Parish Church. The location of the older chapel, known as at Kirkton of Fordoun was the birthplace of the chronicler John of Fordun (before 1360 – c. 1384) and has been a religious site since the 7th century. The bones of St Palladius were brought to Auchenblae. There is a Pictish cross slab, the

Fordoun Stone The Fordoun Stone is a class II Pictish stones, Pictish cross slab in Fordoun parish church, Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Description A slab of Old Red Sandstone, the cross slab was discovered in the late 18th century, having been reus ...

, in the kirk's vestibule. In the graveyard is the ancient ruin of St Palladius' Chapel and there is a memorial to Scotland's first Protestant martyr

George Wishart George Wishart (also Wisehart; c. 15131 March 1546) was a Scottish Protestant Reformer and one of the early Protestant martyrs burned at the stake as a heretic. George Wishart was the son of James and brother of Sir John of Pitarrow, ...

, born at Mains of Pittarrow in the old parish of

Fordoun Fordoun ( gd, Fordun) (Pronounced "For-Dun") is a parish and village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Fothirdun (possibly "the lower place"), as it was historically known, was an important area in the Howe of the Mearns. Fordoun and Auchenblae, to ...

and burnt at the stake under the orders of Cardinal Beaton in St Andrews. Auchenblae school house was built in 1850 and the current school building circa 1889 (they are Category C listed). Auchenblae village hall on Monboddo Street was built to a

gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ca ...

design in 1870 to a design by the Architect Johnstone and is Category B listed. Auchinblae distillery was a

scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

distillery in the village that was in operation between 1895 and 1916. Prior the distillery, the site was occupied by

spinning mill Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

, the Den Mill, that was built in 1795 beside Luther Water. In 2009, there was a

gas explosion A gas explosion is an explosion resulting from mixing a gas, typically from a gas leak, with air in the presence of an ignition source. In household accidents, the principal explosive gases are those used for heating or cooking purposes such as nat ...

at the Drumtochty Arms hotel in the village. The explosion left three people injured and resulted in a fine for the company, as well as demolition of the hotel. Auchenblae

In popular culture

It is featured in

Lewis Grassic Gibbon Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell (13 February 1901 – 7 February 1935), a Scottish writer. He was best known for ''A Scots Quair'', a trilogy set in the north-east of Scotland in the early 20th century, of which ...

's novel, Sunset Song, as well as being mentioned in the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

song "Hotel Blast Terror" b
Thrashist Regime
based on the tragic 2009 Gas explosion.

Bibliography

* A. Grove, ''The History of Auchenblae'', Scottish Women's Rural Institutes, Auchenblae Branch, Angus, Scotland (1967) * George Robertson (1810) ''A General View of Kincardineshire, Or, The Mearns'', R. Phillips (Originally published by Oxford University), 576 pages * Ronald P.A. Smith, ''Stonehaven/Portlethen Street Plan: Including Auchenblae, Drumlithie, Gourdon'' (1998)

References

Villages in Aberdeenshire {{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub

Etymology

History

In popular culture

See also

Bibliography

References