royal burgh A royal burgh () was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act. ...

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 ...

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

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 mostl ...

Arbroath Abbey Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, who ...

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

Declaration of Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath ( la, Declaratio Arbroathis; sco, Declaration o Aiberbrothock; gd, Tiomnadh Bhruis) is the name usually given to a letter, dated 6 April 1320 at Arbroath, written by Scottish barons and addressed to Pope John ...

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1885

History

Toponymy

The earliest recorded name was 'Aberbrothock', referring to the Brothock

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur ma ...

that runs through the town. The prefix ''Aber'' derived either from the Gaelic 'Obair', or the earlier Brythonic term ''Aber'' for confluence or river mouth. The name Aberbrothock was spelt numerous ways. The earliest manuscripts available have it as "Abirbrothoke" (in a letter to Edward I confirming the Treaty of Salisbury, which agreed that the

Queen regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...

,

Margaret, Maid of Norway Margaret (, ; March or April 1283 – September 1290), known as the Maid of Norway, was the queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 until her death. As she was never inaugurated, her status as monarch is uncertain and has been debated by historian ...

would marry Edward I)Various authors (1290
Letters: confirmation of the treaty of Salisbury
, www.rps.ac.uk; Retrieved 12 December 2008. and "Aberbrothok" (in a subsequent letter of consent to the marriage). In the

Declaration of Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath ( la, Declaratio Arbroathis; sco, Declaration o Aiberbrothock; gd, Tiomnadh Bhruis) is the name usually given to a letter, dated 6 April 1320 at Arbroath, written by Scottish barons and addressed to Pope John ...

, it is seen as "Abirbrothoc".Various authors (1320
Letters: 'The Declaration of Arbroath'; letter of the barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII
, www.rps.ac.uk; Retrieved 12 December 2008. Early maps show a number of variants including Aberbrothock, Aberbrothik, Aberbrothick,J. Knox, 185
Map of the Basin of the Tay, including the greater part of Perthshire, Strathmore and the Braes of Angus or Forfar
www.nls.uk; Retrieved 11 December 2008. and Aberbrothwick. The modern name Arbroath became commoner in the mid-19th century, the older name being largely dropped by the time of the first Ordnance Survey edition. However, variants of 'Arbroath' had been used since the 17th century, including 'Arbroth' and Aberbreth.

Early history

The area of Arbroath has been inhabited since at least the

Neolithic period 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 ...

. Material from

posthole In archaeology a posthole or post-hole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide; however, truncation may not make this apparent. Although the remains of the timber may survive, most ...

s at an enclosure at Douglasmuir, near

Friockheim Friockheim is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose. History The name 'Friockheim', literally translated, means 'Heather Home', with Friock being a derivative from t ...

, some five miles north of Arbroath, have been

radiocarbon date Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was dev ...

d to about 3500 BCE. The function of the enclosure is unknown – perhaps for agriculture or for ceremonial purposes.

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 prin ...

finds are abundant in the area. They include short-cist burials near West Newbigging, about a mile north of the town, which yielded pottery urns, a pair of silver discs and a gold armlet.

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 mostl ...

archaeology is also present, for example in the

souterrain ''Souterrain'' (from French ''sous terrain'', meaning "under ground") is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the European Atlantic Iron Age. These structures appear to have been brought north ...

near Warddykes Cemetery and at West Grange of Conan, as well as better-known examples at Carlungie and Ardestie. The area appears to have had importance in the early Christian period, as shown by

Pictish Pictish is the 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 number of geographica ...

stone carvings found during restoration of

St Vigeans St Vigeans is a small village and parish in Angus, Scotland, immediately to the north of Arbroath. Originally rural, it is now more or less a suburb of the town of Arbroath. History The name St Vigeans is derived from ''Vigeanus'', a Latinised ...

Church, now housed in the small museum there. The stones had been used in building the old church and many were badly damaged. One of them, the 9th century

Drosten Stone The Drosten Stone is a carved Pictish stone of the 9th century at St Vigeans, near Arbroath, Scotland. In academic contexts it is sometimes called ''St Vigeans 1''. Inscription The Drosten Stone is a Class 2 cross-slab: a flat rectangular st ...

, is among the few Pictish artefacts with a Latin inscription: DROSTEN: IREUORET TFOR CUS'. This has been variously construed, but is thought to refer to the Pictish King

Uurad Uurad or Ferat son of Bargoit (died 842) was king of the Picts, perhaps from 839 to 842. No two versions of the king-lists, known as the Pictish Chronicle, give exactly the same version of his name. Ferat, or Uurad in Pictish, is the most common ...

, who reigned in 839–842 CE.

Medieval history

The first modern development in Arbroath was the

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

founded by King

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

in 1178 for monks of the

Tironensian The Tironensian Order or the Order of Tiron was a medieval monastic order named after the location of the mother abbey (Tiron Abbey, french: Abbaye de la Sainte-Trinité de Tiron, established in 1109) in the woods of Thiron-Gardais (sometimes ''Ti ...

order from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to Saint

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

, as the King's only personal foundation; he was buried within its precincts in 1214. The Abbey was not finally completed until 1233. King John, also in the 13th century, exempted Arbroath from "toll and custom" in every part of England except London. The Battle of Arbroath in 1446 came after a series of clashes between the Chief Justiciary of Arbroath, Alexander Lindsay, third Earl of Crawford and Bishop James Kennedy of St Andrews, which resulted in Lindsay sacking the bishop's lands and burning his properties. Lindsay was

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

and it was felt this conflicted with his role as Chief Justiciary. The monks of Arbroath Abbey selected Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity as his replacement and the insult led to pitched battle in the town, leaving 500 dead, including Lindsay and Ogilvy. Large parts of it were destroyed in the aftermath by the Lindsay family.A. Jervise, 185
The history and traditions of the land of the Lindsays in Angus and Mearnes, with notices of Alyth and Meigle
Sutherland & Knox, Edinburgh. The abbey soon fell into disuse and eventual disrepair after its dissolution at the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. The roof lead is rumoured to have been used in the 16th-century civil wars and the stonework plundered for housebuilding in the town. The ruins were a popular site for travellers in the 17th and 18th centuries. Finally in 1815, they were taken into state care. They are now administered 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 ...

. On 6 April 1320 the Scottish Parliament met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

the

Declaration of Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath ( la, Declaratio Arbroathis; sco, Declaration o Aiberbrothock; gd, Tiomnadh Bhruis) is the name usually given to a letter, dated 6 April 1320 at Arbroath, written by Scottish barons and addressed to Pope John ...

, drafted by the Abbot of the time,

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "bra ...

. This detailed the services which their "lord and sovereign"

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

had rendered to Scotland and eloquently affirmed Scots independence. Arbroath was created a royal burgh in 1599 by

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

. In the 17th century, communion was not held for several years at the church of St Vigeans, near Arbroath, as villagers believed there was a curse on communion were held there: it would fall into a large subterranean lake.

Modern history

The Jacobite rising known as the Forty-Five turned Arbroath into a Jacobite town. A high proportion of its able-bodied men joined the Jacobite army. It was one of the main ports where men and supplies could be landed from France. It and other Jacobite ports along the north-east coast collectively formed 'an asset of almost incalculable value' to the Jacobite cause. The

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

expanded Arbroath's economy and population. New housing appeared to house the influx of workers. Arbroath became known for jute and

sailcloth Sailcloth encompasses a wide variety of materials that span those from natural fibers, such as flax, hemp or cotton in various forms of sail canvas, to synthetic fibers, including nylon, polyester, aramids, and carbon fibers in a variety of wov ...

production, with 34 mills with 1,400 looms producing over a million yards of

osnaburg Osnaburg is a general term for coarse, plain-weave fabric. It also refers specifically to a historic fabric originally woven in flax but also in tow or jute, and from flax or tow warp with a mixed or jute weft. Historic osnaburg Osnaburg fab ...

cloth and 450,000 yards of sailcloth in 1875. Arbroath is believed to have supplied the sails for ''

Cutty Sark ''Cutty Sark'' is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, coming at the end of a long period ...

''. In 1867, the mills employed 4,620 people. Arbroath was also prominent in the making of shoes and lawnmowers; the local firm Alexander Shanks was founded in 1840 and based at Dens Iron Works, supplied mowers to the

Old Course at St Andrews The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under ...

and the

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London, England, is a Gentlemen's club, private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon ...

. Shanks was taken over in the 1960s by another local firm, Giddings & Lewis-Fraser Ltd., which had evolved from the business of Douglas Fraser, established in 1832 and mainly concerned with manufacturing flax and canvas. In later 19th century the firm, by then Douglas Fraser & Sons, moved its focus onto machine manufacture, after the success of a braiding machine designed by Norman Fraser. The firm had interests in South America and India. In 1959 its firms were taken over by the US company Giddings & Lewis and renamed Giddings & Lewis-Fraser. Its headquarters were Wellgate Works, Arbroath. Arbroath today is best known for its ties to the fishing industry. After the harbours of the 14th–18th centuries had given way in 1839 to a larger one, the council sought fishermen willing to migrate to Arbroath to take advantage of the facilities. It took on men in nearby Auchmithie and further afield, including Shetland. The industry grew. In peak years up to 1980 some 40 whitefish and

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or w ...

vessels worked from Arbroath, employing hundreds on board and hundreds more ashore to service vessels and process the fish. Quota cuts and decommissioning took their toll in Scotland from the 1980s to present. Arbroath remains a whitefish port open for landing shellfish. There is now only one vessel working regularly from Arbroath; a further three Arbroath-owned vessels work from

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

and ports further north. Fish processing remains a big employer, but the fish come from Aberdeen,

Peterhead Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...

and even Iceland, Norway and Ireland. The 19th century brought health-care development in Arbroath. In 1836 a dispensary was set up by subscription to give medical care to the poor. In 1842 a typhus epidemic led to a small isolation ward. The next year, subscriptions began to turn this into

Arbroath Infirmary Arbroath Infirmary is a hospital at the top of Rosemount Road in Arbroath serving the town and the greater area of Angus, Scotland. The hospital is managed by NHS Tayside. History The origins of Arbroath Infirmary can be traced back to 1836 ...

, which opened in 1845 and found new premises in 1916.

Governance

Arbroath was made a

royal burgh A royal burgh () was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

in 1178 by King

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

, when the Abbey was founded. The burgh of regality permitted monks to hold a weekly market, dispense basic justice and establish a harbour. In 1559, the town's burgh of regality was confirmed by King James VI of Scotland. A provost and town council were appointed. In 1922, Lord Inchcape became burgess. He was presented with his ticket to the office in a silver casket engraved with the burgh

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

and views of the locality. Arbroath remained controlled by Arbroath Burgh Council, which was based at Arbroath Town House, through to 1975, when Arbroath (and the

county of Angus 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 ag ...

) were amalgamated with Perthshire and Dundee City into Tayside, controlled by

Tayside Regional Council Tayside ( gd, Taobh Tatha) was one of the nine regions used for local government in Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. The region was named for the River Tay. It was created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, following rec ...

. Angus, along with Dundee City and Perth & Kinross were re-established under the

Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland. It abolished the two-tie ...

.

Local government

Arbroath is represented on

Angus Council 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 ag ...

by two wards: Arbroath West & Letham; and Arbroath East & Lunan. Four councillors are elected from each. At the 2012 local elections they were Alex King ( Scottish National Party), David Lumgair (

Scottish Conservative and Unionist The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...

), David Fairweather (Independent) and Ewan Smith (Scottish National Party). Those from the Arbroath East & Lunan ward were Donald Morrison (Scottish National Party), Bob Spink (Independent), Sheena Welsh (Scottish National Party) and Martyn Geddes (Scottish Conservative and Unionist).

Parliamentary representation

For the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

, Arbroath forms part 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 ...

constituency. Since 2001 the seat has been held by Michael Weir ( SNP), who increased his majority of 3,800 votes at the 2010 General Election. Arbroath falls in the Angus South constituency of the Scottish Parliament (having been in the

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 ...

constituency until its abolition in 2011), which has different boundaries from the Westminster one. It returns a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) to Holyrood directly and is part of the North East Scotland electoral region with regard to additional Members of the Scottish Parliament. The current MSP is

Graeme Dey Graeme James Dey (born 29 October 1962) is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Transport from 2021 to 2022, having previously served as Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Scottish Nat ...

of the Scottish National Party.

Geography

At , Arbroath lies on the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

coast, north-east of Dundee, within the

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 ...

region. Geologically, it sits predominantly on

Old Red Sandstone The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...

. Lower-lying parts were below sea level until after the last Ice Age. Arbroath lies north-east of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, south-west of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

and from

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. Neighbouring villages of

St Vigeans St Vigeans is a small village and parish in Angus, Scotland, immediately to the north of Arbroath. Originally rural, it is now more or less a suburb of the town of Arbroath. History The name St Vigeans is derived from ''Vigeanus'', a Latinised ...

, Carmyllie,

Friockheim Friockheim is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose. History The name 'Friockheim', literally translated, means 'Heather Home', with Friock being a derivative from t ...

, Colliston and

Inverkeilor Inverkeilor is a village and parish in Angus, Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast, midway between Arbroath and Montrose. The A92 road now bypasses the village. The population of Inverkeilor parish in the United Kingdom Census 2001 was ...

are taken as part of Arbroath for council representation, and along with

Carnoustie Carnoustie (; sco, Carnoustie, gd, Càrn Ùstaidh) is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast. In the 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of 1 ...

share its 01241 telephone area code.

Climate

Arbroath has a typical British marine climate influenced by its seaside position. There are narrow temperature differences between seasons. January has an average high of and July of . The climate is somewhat dry and sunny for Scotland, with of precipitation and 1538.4 hours of sunshine. The data are sourced from the 1981–2010 averages of the Met Office weather station in Arbroath.

Demography

Residents of Arbroath are called Arbroathians but often call themselves ''Red Lichties'' after the red lamp that shone from the harbour light and foghorn tower at the harbour entrance, as an aid to shipping entering the harbour. At the 2001 census, the population of Arbroath was 22,785. About 88.9 per cent were born in Scotland 97.7 per cent in the United Kingdom as a whole. Most Arbroath residents are between 16 and 65, with 19.8 per cent under 16, 59.5 per cent between 16 and 65, and those over 65 making up 20.7 per cent. There are 47.1 per cent males to 52.9 per cent females. Arbroath has a moderate unemployment – some 2.7 per cent claim job-related

social welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

benefits.

Economy

Arbroath has no sizeable employers outside of the public sector; most workers commute to Dundee. Arbroath itself has an economically active population of 9,192, with the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, inf ...

(21.8%) the largest employer of town residents, followed by

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

(16%) and retail (15.4%). The fishing industry accounts for 0.4 per cent (fewer than 50 people), although the processing sector is counted separately under manufacturing and the figure of 50 relates directly to the catching and support sectors.

History

Arbroath's prospects originally revolved around the harbour. The original harbour was constructed and maintained by the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

within the terms of an agreement between the burgesses and John Gedy, the abbot in 1394 AD. This gave way to a more commodious port in 1725, which in turn was enlarged and improved in 1839, when the sea wall, quay walls and breakwater were added to the old inner harbour, at a cost of £58,000. Arbroath became a major coastal shipping port and in 1846 there were 89 Arbroath-registered vessels, totalling 9,100 gross tons. In the same year, 599 vessels docked at Arbroath, 56 from foreign ports (mainly

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

ports) and the remaining 543 employed on the coastal trade. Bark, flax, hemp, hides, oak and fir timber, and guano for manure, groceries from London, and numerous articles of Baltic produce were imported via Arbroath, with manufactured goods (mainly sailcloth) exported. Arbroath Harbour

Driven by the needs of the fishing and sailing industry, Arbroath-based

sailmaker A sailmaker makes and repairs sails for sailboats, kites, hang gliders, wind art, architectural sails, or other structures using sails. A sailmaker typically works on shore in a sail loft; the sail loft has other sailmakers. Large ocean-going sa ...

Francis Webster Ltd perfected in 1795 the art of adding linseed oil to flax sails, creating an oiled flax. This developed in the late 19th century into waxed cotton, which drove Arbroath as a manufacturing centre until the early 1970s, when it began to decline. A major employer, Keith & Blackman, closed in 1985 and Giddings and Lewis-Fraser wound down about the same time, with the whole plant later demolished to make way for a supermarket.

Alps Electric Co. is a Japanese multinational corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, producing electronic devices, including switches, potentiometers, sensors, encoders and touchpads. The company was established in 1948 as Kataoka Electric Co., Ltd. and ch ...

was a large employer in Arbroath from 1990 to 2001, employing 180. All were made redundant when the plant closed.

Armed forces

Arbroath is home to

45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of the ...

of the Royal Marines, which has been based at RM Condor since 1971. The barracks were built in 1940 and commissioned as RNAS Arbroath/HMS Condor, a Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) until 1971. The Royal Marines moved to Arbroath in 1971 and remain a contributor to the local economy; in addition to the Marines stationed at Arbroath, some 600 residents are employed by the Ministry of Defence. In 2004, there was speculation that RM Condor would be transferred to the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

as a replacement for Fort George and the barracks become a permanent base for a battalion of the

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an indiv ...

. This went on further than the planning stage. In 2005 it was confirmed the Marines would remain.

Housing

House prices in Arbroath in April–June 2006 were just £99 below national average: £113,646 compared to a national £113,745. The average house price across Angus rose by 14.9 per cent to £124,451 in the year up to November 2006. Angus Council suggests the upgrading of the A92 between Arbroath and Dundee to a dual carriageway has lured Dundonians to Arbroath, which may be boosting house prices.

Tourism

Tourism plays some part in the Arbroath economy, with

Arbroath Abbey Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, who ...

attracting over 14,000 visitors a year. Attractions in the summer months include the Seafront Spectacular, which includes an airshow, and the Seafest, themed around Arbroath's maritime heritage. There is also a re-enactment of the signing of the

Declaration of Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath ( la, Declaratio Arbroathis; sco, Declaration o Aiberbrothock; gd, Tiomnadh Bhruis) is the name usually given to a letter, dated 6 April 1320 at Arbroath, written by Scottish barons and addressed to Pope John ...

(the declaration of Scottish independence) and in past years a mock

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

invasion, culminating in the burning of a

longship Longships were a type of specialised Scandinavian warships that have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by the Nors ...

.

Arbroath was home to Kerr's Miniature Railway, the oldest miniature railway in Scotland, which had been operating since 1935 and at its height, in 1955, saw 60,000 visitors. The railway was operated as a hobby by a group of volunteers and remained popular with locals, tourists and railway enthusiasts until its closure in October 2020. The town features a multimillion-pound Harbour Visitor Centre close to the Town Quay. This multimedia experience for visitors is maintained by the Scottish tourist company

VisitScotland VisitScotland, formerly the Scottish Tourist Board, is a national tourism organisation for Scotland. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, and other ...

. It explains the town's fishing history and hosts a restaurant and gift shop.

Transport

The

A92 road The A92 is a major road that runs through Fife, Dundee, Angus, Aberdeenshire, and Aberdeen City in Scotland. From south to north, it runs from Dunfermline to Blackdog, just north of Aberdeen. History The A92's original route in southern ...

connects Arbroath to Dundee and Fife to the south-west, and

Stonehaven Stonehaven ( , ) is a town in Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 11,602 at the 2011 Census. After the demise of the town of Kincardine, which was gradually abandoned after the destruction of its royal cast ...

in the north-east. The A92 joins the A90 north of Stonehaven and leads to

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

further north. The A92 is dual carriageway from the southern outskirts of Arbroath to the northern outskirts of Dundee. It then proceeds through Dundee before crossing the Tay estuary into Fife via the

Tay Road Bridge The Tay Road Bridge ( gd, Drochaid-rathaid na Tatha) carries the A92 road across the Firth of Tay from Newport-on-Tay in Fife to Dundee in Scotland, just downstream of the Tay Rail Bridge. At around , it is one of the longest road bridges in E ...

. The A90 can also be reached at Dundee heading both north (to Aberdeen) and south (to Perth and Edinburgh). Arbroath has a modest public bus system, with Arbroath Bus Station as its main terminus. Stagecoach Strathtay and Wisharts Friockheim operate most local services and Stagecoach Strathtay most rural services. Arbroath has a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

, a short walk from the bus station, with regional services to the east coast of Scotland, Edinburgh, Perth and Glasgow. Intercity trains reach English destinations such as

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, Birmingham,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and London. Passenger services at Arbroath are provided by ScotRail, CrossCountry,

Caledonian Sleeper ''Caledonian Sleeper'' is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom, the other b ...

and London North Eastern Railway. Dundee has a regional airport with flights to

London City Airport London City Airport is a regional airport in London, England. It is located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham, approximately east of the City of London and east of Canary Wharf. These are the twin centres of London's financial ...

five times a week. The airport has a 1,530-yard runway capable of serving small aircraft and lies 1.8 miles west of the city centre, adjacent to the River Tay. The nearest international airports are in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

and

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. Arbroath has a sizeable airfield at the Royal Marines military base on the western outskirts of the town, but this remains a dedicated military airfield.

Education

Arbroath has a further education college,

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

, based in the former

Arbroath High School Arbroath High School is a six-year, all-through comprehensive school situated on the west side of Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. It moved into its present building in 1985. Accommodation The new building was opened in 1985 to serve the west side of ...

buildings. There are two secondary schools and 11 primary schools. One primary school is Roman Catholic, the remainder non-denominational. There were 2,260 pupils in primary-school education in Arbroath and 1,720 pupils in secondary education in 2007.

Secondary schools

The two secondaries are

Arbroath High School Arbroath High School is a six-year, all-through comprehensive school situated on the west side of Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. It moved into its present building in 1985. Accommodation The new building was opened in 1985 to serve the west side of ...

and Arbroath Academy. The high school (the older of the two), was originally a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

and the academy a comprehensive. The Academy is near the Mayfield area and the High School near Keptie Pond. Both are well regarded, with exam results and reading and writing performance indicators above the national average. Arbroath High is the larger with some 1,200 pupils. The Academy has around 600 pupils. Noted alumni of Arbroath High School include Michael Forsyth, former Scottish Secretary and Andrew Webster, a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays for St Mirren.

Further education

Angus College, a further education college, has around 8,500 students, with 80 per cent passing the course for which they enrol. There are about 1,700 full-time students, with part-time students making up the majority. Arbroath is not a student town and there are no student residences. The student population is solely local students living within commuting distance of the college. Angus College offers courses up to

Higher National Diploma Higher National Diploma (HND), part of the Higher Nationals suite of qualifications, is an academic higher education qualification in the United Kingdom and various other countries. They were first introduced in England and Wales in 1920 alongsi ...

(HND) level in a variety of trade-related and academic disciplines from construction to social sciences, and a large number of programs relating to computing, information technology and office administration. Many of the student body are

mature student An adult learner or, more commonly, a mature student, is a person who is older and is involved in forms of learning. Adult learners fall in a specific criterion of being experienced, and do not always have a high school diploma. Many of the adult ...

s taking evening classes in computing, digital photography and various software packages. School leavers going on to study at university have the choice of several local institutions – the

University of Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , ...

, the

University of Abertay Dundee , mottoeng = "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom." , established = 1994 – granted University Status 1888 – Dundee Institute of Technology , type = Public , chancellor = Alice Brown , principal = Liz Bacon , head_label = Chair of Co ...

, the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

and the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

all within around one hour's travel from Arbroath.

Places of worship

The neighbouring villages of St Vigeans, Carmyllie, Friockheim, Colliston and Inverkeilor are considered part of Arbroath for the purposes of council representation. The

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

has a number of congregations that meet in Arbroath. The Old and Abbey Church is located in the centre of town at West Abbey Street and will shortly welcome Rev. Dolly Purnell as its minister. St Andrews Church, Arbroath is located in Hamilton Green, and the minister is Rev. Dr.

Martin Fair W. Martin Fair (born 1964) is a minister of the Church of Scotland and was Moderator of its General Assembly from May 2020– May 2021. He has also served as the minister at St Andrews Parish Church in Arbroath, Angus since 1992. Early life a ...

with associate minister Rev. Stuart Irvin. Knox's Church is located in Howard Street and the minister is Rev Dr Nelu Balaj. The West Kirk is located in Keptie Street and the minister is Rev. Alasdair Graham. Dr Fair has been nominated serve as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2020–2021 – the first time that a minister of a congregation in Arbroath will have served as Moderator. There are also a number of Church of Scotland kirks in the surrounding villages.

St Vigeans Church St Vigeans Church is a Church of Scotland parish church, serving the parish of the ancient village of St Vigeans on the outskirts of Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. The church was rebuilt in the 12th century but not consecrated until 1242 by David de ...

,

St Vigeans St Vigeans is a small village and parish in Angus, Scotland, immediately to the north of Arbroath. Originally rural, it is now more or less a suburb of the town of Arbroath. History The name St Vigeans is derived from ''Vigeanus'', a Latinised ...

is linked with Knox's Church in Arbroath and services are led by Rev Dr Nelu Balaj. Arbirlot Church is linked with Carmyllie Church. Colliston Church is linked with Friockheim and Kinnell Church and Inverkeilor and Lunan Church. The minister of these three churches is Rev. Peter Phillips. There is an Episcopalian congregation based at St Mary the Virgin Church in Springfield Terrace. The minister is Rev. Peter Mead. St Mary's Church evolved from a meeting house set up in 1694 by Episcopalians forced out of Arbroath Parish Church. The present church building dates from 1854. The Scottish Episcopal Church in Arbroath is part of the Diocese of Brechin. There is also a Scottish Episcopal Church in Auchmithie: St Peter's. The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

meets at St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Dishlandtown Street. The priest is the Rev. Fr. Andrew Marshall. The church is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld ( la, Dioecesis Dunkeldensis) is one of eight dioceses of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Scotland. On 28 December 2022, the Diocese became sede vacante following the resignation of Bishop Step ...

. The parish includes a primary school and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998. The Methodist Church has one of its earliest established churches in Arbroath, St John's in Ponderlaw, which opened in 1772. Services are led by David Nicoll. Other groups that worship in Arbroath include the Arbroath Corps of the Salvation Army, which meets in Marketgate, the Elim Pentecostal Church, led by Alan Herd, which meets in Ogilvy Place; the independent, non-denominational church who meet at Life Church Arbroath in James Street, the Jehovah's Witnesses, who meet at the Kingdom Hall in Lindsay Street, the Springfield Christian Assembly, which meets in the Gospel Hall in Ponderlaw Lane; and the Arbroath Town Mission, an interdenominational group led by Dr Robert Clapham, which meets in Grant Road. Followers of other faiths and denominations travel further afield to worship.

Culture

Arbroath's Webster Theatre has featured among others

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

,

Jimmy Tarbuck James Joseph Tarbuck (born 6 February 1940) is an English comedian, singer, actor, entertainer and game show host. He was a host of ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' in the mid-1960s, and hosted numerous game shows and quiz shows on ITV ...

, Charlie Landsborough, the Illegal Eagles,

the Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...

and the

Chuckle Brothers The Chuckle Brothers were an English comedy double act comprising Barry David Elliott (24 December 1944 – 5 August 2018) and Paul Harman Elliott (born 18 October 1947). They were known for their BBC children's programme ''ChuckleVision'', w ...

and was the first venue the Alexander Brothers, a Scottish easy listening act, performed in as a professional duo. The Webster Theatre went through a multi-million-pound refurbishment and opened in February 2008. There are several amateur theatre and musical societies based in and around Arbroath, the best known being the Angus Minstrels group, the last group in Britain to regularly perform blackface. In 2005, after pressure from Angus Council, which feared legal action, the show began with normal stage makeup and the group changed name from "The Angus Black and White Minstrels" to "The Angus Minstrels". The move to stop performing in blackface received wide UK press coverage. Beginning in 1947, a pageant commemorating the signing of the Declaration has been held within the roofless remains of the abbey (last full-scale event 2005). This was run by the local Arbroath Abbey Pageant Society, now Arbroath Abbey Timethemes, a registered charity, and re-enacts the story and history of the signing. The group also spearhead Scotland's Tartan Day celebrations on 6 April in association with Angus Council as well as educational visits to local schools. Arbroath Male Voice Choir was founded in 1934 and is now one of only a few male voice choirs left in Scotland. At 2012 the choir has over 45 members drawn from Arbroath, Angus and Dundee. The musical director is Sheena Guthrie. The choir sings a mix of songs from classical, through Scottish, show tunes and pop. It performs two main concerts each year, one at Christmas, another in spring, and offers several smaller events for good causes. The choir is notable for attracting well known, often international singers to its annual spring concert as guests. In recent years they have included, Jamie McDougall, Karen Cargill, Gordon Cree, Cheryl Forbes and Colette Ruddy. March 2012 saw the international diva

Lesley Garrett Lesley Garrett, CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano singer, musician, broadcaster and media personality. She is noted for being at home in opera and "crossover music". Early life Garrett was born in the town of Thorne, near Donc ...

as the choir's special guest. The author Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's famous ''

Waverley Waverley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott ** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel * Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...

'' series of novels includes '' Rob Roy'' and '' Ivanhoe''. Scott is known to have visited Arbroath three times, and his personal favourite in the series, ''

The Antiquary ''The Antiquary'' (1816), the third of the Waverley novels by Walter Scott, centres on the character of an antiquary: an amateur historian, archaeologist and collector of items of dubious antiquity. He is the eponymous character and for all p ...

'' (1816), features fictionalised versions of Arbroath ("Fairport") and Auchmithie ("Musselcrag"). In the third series of ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

'' (known as '' Children of Earth'' (2009)), an orphanage was situated in Arbroath called Holly Tree Lodge, where 12 orphans in 1965 were abducted by an alien race known as the 456. Arbroath has one museum, the former Bell Rock Lighthouse ''Signal Tower''. In 1807 Arbroath became the base of operations for the building of the

Bell Rock Lighthouse The Bell Rock Lighthouse, off the coast of Angus, Scotland, is the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse. It was built between 1807 and 1810 by Robert Stevenson on the Bell Rock (also known as Inchcape) in the North Sea, east of the ...

. The shore station for the lighthouse – the Bell Rock Signal Tower – was completed in 1813 and acted as a lifeline for the keepers offshore. Signal Tower Museum was opened in 1974 as a visitor centre, detailing the history of the lighthouse and the town of Arbroath. Arbroath Art Gallery occupies two galleries above Arbroath Library. It hosts changing displays of artworks from the collection of Angus Council and elsewhere. Highlight of the collection include two large oil paintings by

Pieter Brueghel the Younger Pieter Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger (, ; ; between 23 May and 10 October 1564 – between March and May 1638) was a Flemish painter, known for numerous copies after his father Pieter Bruegel the Elder's work as well as h ...

, ''The Adoration of the Magi'' and ''Saint John Preaching in the Wilderness''.

Hospitalfield House Hospitalfield House is an arts centre and historic house in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland, regarded as "one of the finest country houses in Scotland". It is believed to be "Scotland's first school of fine art" and the first art college in Britain. ...

, a baronial mansion to the west of the town, houses an educational charity promoting contemporary arts.

Arbroath smokies

Arbroath smokies, known nationally and internationally, have been made solely in Arbroath since the award of Protected Geographical Indication in 2004, which limits their production to within 4 km of Arbroath. Smokies are made from

haddock The haddock (''Melanogrammus aeglefinus'') is a saltwater ray-finned fish from the family Gadidae, the true cods. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Melanogrammus''. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean and associated seas wher ...

by traditional methods dating back to the late 19th century. The fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, then left tied in pairs to dry. Next, the dried fish are hung in a covered barrel containing a hardwood fire. After about an hour of smoking, the fish are golden brown and ready to eat. The preparation of smokies remains a cottage industry in Arbroath, centred almost exclusively on the harbour area. However, one larger processor, RR Spink, supplied Arbroath smokies to several UK supermarket chains. It appears that, nowadays, the firm concentrates on smoking other fish such as salmon or trout and no longer supplies the Arbroath Smokie. The company holds the Royal Warrant as a fishmonger to the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

.

Sport

Arbroath has one professional football team, Arbroath, who play in

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...

, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Arbroath plays its home matches at

Gayfield Park Gayfield Park, commonly known as Gayfield, is a football stadium in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League team Arbroath F.C. The club have played at Gayfield since 1880, although the pitch has ...

, which holds the record for being the closest stadium to the sea in European football (around 5½ yards from the high tide line). Arbroath holds the world record for the largest winning margin in a senior football match, 36–0, in their Scottish Cup match against Bon Accord (a

scratch team A scratch team is a team, usually in sport, brought together on a temporary basis, composed of players who normally play for different sides. A game played between two scratch teams may be called a scratch match. The earliest instance of the term ...

from Aberdeen) on 12 September 1885. Further goals were disallowed either for offside or because it was unclear whether the ball had gone into the goal. For this reason the AFC supporters' club is called the ''36–0 club'' in memory of the event. Arbroath are nicknamed ''the Red Lichties'', after the red light used to guide fishing boats back from the North Sea to the harbour (''lichtie'' being a Scots word for light). Arbroath and the surrounding areas are home to several amateur senior and

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

teams competing in the various amateur leagues, such as Arbroath Victoria and Arbroath SC. Arbroath has an outdoor Arbroath Lawn Tennis Club. It was upgraded in 2014–2015 from fundraising and a grant from

Sportscotland Sportscotland (officially styled sport), formerly the Scottish Sports Council, is the national agency for sport in Scotland. The Scottish Sports Council was established in 1972 by royal charter. The body works in partnership with public, pri ...

. Arbroath has a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

club,

Arbroath RFC Arbroath RFC is a rugby union club based in Arbroath, Scotland. The Men's team currently plays in . History There was originally a rugby union club in Arbroath in the 19th century, and although this club was first known as Arbroath RFC, the sid ...

, and several bowls clubs, with former World, British and current Commonwealth Games singles champion Darren Burnett a native of Arbroath. Arbroath has a successful

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 str ...

club. It won the CSL Eastern Premiership in 2013 and the Scottish Cup in 2015. Arbroath is a popular location for angling.

Public services

Arbroath and the surrounding area are supplied by

Scottish Water Scottish Water is a statutory corporation that provides water and sewerage services across Scotland. It is accountable to the public through the Scottish Government. Operations Scottish Water provides drinking water to 2.46 million household ...

. Along with Dundee and parts of Perthshire, Angus receives water from Lintrathen and Backwater reservoirs in

Glen Isla The River Isla ( gd, Abhainn Ìle) is a tributary of the River Tay in Angus and Perthshire, Scotland. It runs for 46 miles (74 km) through the Kirkton of Glenisla (Clachan Ghlinn Ìle) and Strathmore (An Srath Mòr). Gallery File:Fo ...

. Electricity distribution is by Scottish Hydro Electric plc, part of the

Scottish and Southern Energy SSE plc (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy plc) is a multinational energy company headquartered in Perth, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. SSE operates in the United Kingdom and ...

group. Waste management is handled by

Angus Council 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 ag ...

. There is a kerbside

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

scheme that has been in operation since May 2004. Cans, glass, paper and plastic bottles are collected on a weekly basis. Compostable material and non-recyclable material are collected on alternate weeks.Angus Council kerbside Recycling Scheme
angus.gov.uk; retrieved 7 September 2008. Roughly two-thirds of non-recyclable material is sent to landfill at Angus Council's site at Lochhead, Forfar and the remainder sent for

incineration Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high ...

(with

energy recovery Energy recovery includes any technique or method of minimizing the input of energy to an overall system by the exchange of energy from one sub-system of the overall system with another. The energy can be in any form in either subsystem, but mos ...

) outside the council area. There is a recycling centre at Cairnie Loan. Items accepted include, steel and aluminium cans, cardboard, paper, electrical equipment, engine oil, fridges and freezers, garden waste, gas bottles, glass, liquid food and drinks cartons, plastic bottles, plastic carrier bags, rubble, scrap metal, shoes and handbags, spectacles, textiles, tin foil, wood and yellow pages. Angus council publishes details of where and how each product is processed. There are also glass banks at Timmergreens Shopping Centre, the Abbeygate Car Park, Morrisons Car Park and East Muirlands Road. The Angus Council area had a recycling rate of 34.7 per cent in 2007/2008. Healthcare is supplied 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, the City of Dundee and Perth and Kinross. NHS Tayside is headquartered at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee; one of the la ...

.

Arbroath Infirmary Arbroath Infirmary is a hospital at the top of Rosemount Road in Arbroath serving the town and the greater area of Angus, Scotland. The hospital is managed by NHS Tayside. History The origins of Arbroath Infirmary can be traced back to 1836 ...

can be found at Rosemount Road, at the top of the hill and

Ninewells Hospital Ninewells Hospital is a large teaching hospital, based on the western edge of Dundee, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland ...

, Dundee. Primary Health Care in Arbroath is supplied by Abbey Health Centre in East Abbey Street and Springfield Medical Centre in Ponderlaw Street. Arbroath, along with the rest of Scotland is served by the

Scottish Ambulance Service The Scottish Ambulance Service ( gd, Seirbheis Ambaileans na h-Alba) is part of NHS Scotland, which serves all of Scotland's population. The Scottish Ambulance Service is governed by a special health board and is funded directly by the Healt ...

. Policing is provided by

Police Scotland Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...

, with the police station located in Gravesend, and Arbroath is served by

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS; gd, Seirbheis Smàlaidh agus Teasairginn na h-Alba) is the national fire and rescue service of Scotland. It was formed by the merger of eight regional fire services in the country on 1 April 2013. ...

. Arbroath has had its own lifeboat since 1803 and is currently the last remaining slipway-launched lifeboat in Scotland. The lifeboat station houses two RNLI lifeboats, an inshore D-Class IB1 lifeboat, the ''Duncan Ferguson'', and an all-weather Mersey Class Lifeboat, the ''Inchcape'', named after the rock that the Bell Rock Lighthouse is on.

Notable people

In alphabetical order: * Gus Alexander (1934–2010), footballer * Marion Angus (1865–1946), poet *

Neil Arnott Dr Neil Arnott FRS LLD (15 May 1788March 1874) was a Scottish physician and inventor. He was the inventor of one of the first forms of the waterbed, the Arnott waterbed, and was awarded the Rumford Medal in 1852 for the construction of th ...

FRS LLD (1788–1874) invented the waterbed and the hot air stove. *

David Dunbar Buick David Dunbar Buick (September 17, 1854 – March 5, 1929) was a Scottish-born American Detroit-based inventor, best known for founding the Buick Motor Company. He headed this company and its predecessor from 1899–1906, thereby helping to ...

(1854–1929), founder of the

Buick Motor Company Buick () is a division (business), division of the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American Brand, marques of automobiles, and w ...

. Inventor of the enamelled

bathtub A bathtub, also known simply as a bath or tub, is a container for holding water in which a person or animal may bathe. Most modern bathtubs are made of thermoformed acrylic, porcelain-enameled steel or cast iron, or fiberglass-reinforced ...

and the

overhead valve An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located b ...

engine * James Chalmers (1782–1853), inventor of the adhesive postage stamp and promoter of the

Penny Post The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny. Five such schemes existed in the United Kingdom while the United States initiated at least three such simple fixed rate postal arrangements. U ...

*

Dominik Diamond Paul Dominik Diamond (born 31 December 1969) is a Scottish television and radio presenter and newspaper columnist. He is best known as the original presenter of Channel 4's video gaming programme '' GamesMaster'', as host of ''The Dominik Diamo ...

(born 1969), TV presenter *

Ned Doig John Edward Doig (29 October 1866 – 7 November 1919) was a Scottish footballer, who played as a goalkeeper. He played the peak of his career for Sunderland, in a period of time in the club's history where they were dubbed the 'team of all tale ...

(1866–1919), Scottish footballer *

Martin Fair W. Martin Fair (born 1964) is a minister of the Church of Scotland and was Moderator of its General Assembly from May 2020– May 2021. He has also served as the minister at St Andrews Parish Church in Arbroath, Angus since 1992. Early life a ...

(born 1964), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2020–2021 and minister at St Andrew's Parish Church, Arbroath *

John Ritchie Findlay John Ritchie Findlay (21 October 1824 – 16 October 1898) was a Scottish newspaper owner and philanthropist. Life John Ritchie Findlay was born at Arbroath, Angus, son of Peter Findlay and was educated at Edinburgh University. In 1842, fo ...

(1824–1898), proprietor of ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'' newspaper and philanthropist. *

Graham Gano Graham Clark Gano (born April 9, 1987) is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free age ...

(born 1987), American football placekicker for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

of the NFL *

James Glen Sivewright Gibson James Glen Sivewright Gibson (23 November 1861 – 27 March 1951) was a British architect active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Life and career Gibson was born in Arbroath the son of William Gibson and Elizabeth Sivewright ...

(1861–1951), architect * Robert Pearse Gillies (1789–1858), poet and writer, born near or at Arbroath * George Gordon (1829–1907), civil engineer working in the Netherlands, India and Australia * Patrick Hennessy (1915–1980), realist painter *

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

(1870–1950), Scottish singer and comedian. He lived in Arbroath until age of 14 *

Durward Lely Durward Lely (2 September 1852 – 29 February 1944) was a Scottish opera singer and actor. Although he had an extensive opera, concert and acting career, he is primarily remembered as the creator of five tenor roles in Gilbert and Sullivan's comi ...

(1852–1944), opera singer, especially Gilbert and Sullivan * Bernard de Linton (died c. 1331), Abbot of Arbroath, Chancellor of Scotland and Bishop of the Isles (also known as Bernard of Kilwinning) widely credited since the 18th century as the author of the

Declaration of Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath ( la, Declaratio Arbroathis; sco, Declaration o Aiberbrothock; gd, Tiomnadh Bhruis) is the name usually given to a letter, dated 6 April 1320 at Arbroath, written by Scottish barons and addressed to Pope John ...

; Abbot at Arbroath Abbey from 1309 and immortalised in the town in a statue with

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

holding aloft the Declaration sited at the West (or Cricket) Common * David Nicoll Lowe FRSE (1909–1999) botanist *Landles Nicoll (1889 - 1940), captain of the ill-fated SS ''City of Benares'' which was torpedoed and sunk in the Second World War with the loss of 258 people including 81 children. Nicoll was a hero of the night, but he went down with his ship *

James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape James Lyle Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape, (11 September 1852 – 23 May 1932), known as Sir James Mackay from 1894 to 1911, was a British businessman and colonial administrator in India who became Chairman of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navig ...

(1852–1932), Chairman of the P&O Line and the British India Company *

Gareth Murray Gareth Murray (born 23 September 1984) is a Scottish former professional basketball player and head coach for Caledonia Gladiators, born in Arbroath. He also serves as the Gladiators current head coach. Professional career Murray started his ...

(born 1984), player/coach of

Glasgow Rocks The Caledonia Gladiators are a professional basketball club in Glasgow, Scotland. The Gladiators compete in the British Basketball League, the top tier of British basketball. Since 2012, the team have played their home games at the Emirates A ...

, represented Great Britain at seven or more major tournaments. Grew up in Arbroath. *

Morris Pert Morris David Brough Pert (8 September 1947 – 27 April 2010) was a Scottish composer, drummer/percussionist, and pianist who composed in the fields of both contemporary classical and jazz-rock music. His compositions include three symphonies, p ...

(1947–2010), Scottish composer, drummer, percussionist, and pianist. Recorded with many musical artists including Phil Collins *

George Scott Railton George Scott Railton (6 July 1849 – 19 July 1913) was a Scottish-born Christian missioner who was the first Commissioner in The Salvation Army, Commissioner of The Salvation Army.Railton on the Salvation Army International Heritage Centre ...

(1849–1913), Scottish missionary, first commissioner of The Salvation Army and 2nd in Command to William Booth * Ally Riddle (born 1941), footballer * Alexander Ross (1895–1972), first-class cricketer * Robert Sievwright (1882–1947), international cricketer for Scotland * David Frederick Skea (1871–1950), was a Scottish association football player (1890s). * Andy Stewart, (1933–1993), musician and entertainer, lived in Arbroath as a boy and retired to Arbroath. * Gavin Swankie (born 1983), footballer *

Paul Tosh Paul James Tosh (born 18 October 1973 in Arbroath) is a Scottish footballer. He started his career with his local club Arbroath before a move in 1993 to Tayside neighbours Dundee who paid an Arbroath club record fee of £120,000 to take Pa ...

(born 1973), footballer * Kerr Waddell (born 1998), footballer for

Dundee F.C. Dundee Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland, founded in 1893. The team are nicknamed "The Dark Blues" or "The Dee". The club plays its home matches at Dens Park. The club was formed after a merg ...

* Andy Webster (born 1982), footballer and Scotland international with 22 caps to date; he captained Dundee United to Scottish Cup victory in May 2010.

References

External links

BBC History entry
from Angus Council
Documentary film about the history of the Arbroath SmokieChurch of St Mary the Virgin, Arbroath
*A collection o

from the 1660s onward at National Library of Scotland
Engraving of Arbroath in 1693
by John Slezer at National Library of Scotland {{Authority control Towns in Angus, Scotland Large burghs Ports and harbours of Scotland Port cities and towns of the North Sea Royal burghs Fishing communities in Scotland Populated coastal places in Scotland

History

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Early history

Medieval history

Modern history

Governance

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Geography

Climate

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History

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Housing

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Transport

Education

Secondary schools

Further education

Places of worship

Culture

Arbroath smokies

Sport

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Notable people

See also

References

External links