Rosehearty ( gd, Ros Abhartaich) is a settlement on the
Moray Firth coast, four miles west of the town
Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh (; sco, The Broch or ; gd, A' Bhruaich) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, about north of Aberdeen, and north of ...
, in the historical county of
Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The burgh has a population of approximately 1,300 with about 25 per cent of pensionable age.
Etymology
The name ''Rosehearty'' was documented in 1508 as Rossawarty and is derived from
Gaelic ''ros'', meaning "cape, headland", and the personal name ''Abhartach''.
History
The settlement which is now Rosehearty was founded by a group of shipwrecked Danes in the 14th century.
[''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland'']
Frances Hindes Groome (1901), p. 1383 In 1424 the Fraser family built
Pitsligo Castle
Pitsligo Castle is a ruined castle half a mile east of Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Modified in the 1570s by the Forbes of Druminnor, it was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rock ...
a few hundred yards inland at
Pitsligo; the castle was enlarged by the Forbes family in 1570. The remains of the castle are visible from Rosehearty.
Alexander Forbes, 1st Lord Forbes of Pitsligo
Lord Forbes of Pitsligo was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created on 24 June 1633 for Alexander Forbes. He was a descendant of Sir William Forbes, brother of Alexander Forbes, 1st Lord Forbes (see the Lord Forbes). In 1746, the fourth ...
re-founded the settlement to encourage fishing, on the condition he was given one-fifth of the catch.
Rosehearty did not officially exist until it was granted a charter in the 1680s by
King Charles II.
[
The town thrived from the fishing boom and, prior to the arrival of railways at the Broch, "was set fit to rival it". Ultimately, however, the railway gave Fraserburgh the edge, and Rosehearty's fishing industry ended.]
Geography
Rosehearty Beach forms a crescent shape stretching east from the harbour to a group of rocky outcrops.
Architecture
The Lodging House, on the south side of the Square, was built in 1753 for the dowager
A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property—a " dower"—derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles.
In popular usage, the noun ...
Lady Pitsligo,Rosehearty The Lodging House
- Canmore.org.uk while another old house, the "Jam", bears the date 1573.
[
The Hill of Rosehearty Church, constructed in 1890,]Alexander Marshall Mackenzie
Alexander Marshall MacKenzie (1 January 1848 – 4 May 1933) was a Scottish architect responsible for prestigious projects including the headquarters of the Isle of Man Banking Company in Douglas, and Australia House and the Waldorf Hotel in ...
, features a loft that was formerly installed in the church of Pitsligo in 1634. Described by Charles McKean
Charles McKean FRSE FRSA FRHistS FRIBA (16 July 1946 – 29 September 2013) was a Scottish historian, author and scholar.
Biography
McKean was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 16 July 1946. He was educated at Fettes College, the University of P ...
as "magnificent", it was later moved and installed in the Hill Church.
Facilities
There is one shop, a butcher, a hairdresser and two hotels in the village.
A new modern Rosehearty Primary School was built in 2007 and accommodates seven classrooms, an ICT computer suite and a games hall with retractable theatre seating and complementary acoustics and lighting. The school caters for approximately 140-160 pupils in total.
Notable people
Rosehearty is the birthplace of:
* Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer (16 January 1726 – 12 January 1777) was a Scottish-born American military officer and physician who participated in the Seven Years' War and Revolutionary War. Born in Pitsligo, Scotland, he studied medicine in his home country ...
(1726–1777), British/American soldier and physician
* Sir Walter Murdoch (1874–1970), Australian essayist and academic
* Lawrence Ogilvie (1898–1980), plant pathologist
Gallery
File:Rosehearty c 1905.jpg, Reproduction of a watercolour painting of Rosehearty, 2 September 1905 (Robert Weir Allan)
Image:Rosehearty pier before 1895.JPG, ''The Grey North Sea'' oil painting by Archibald Reid (1844–1908) of Rosehearty's pier ''before'' the pier extension in about 1895 that included the new lighthouse known as ''Tam Hied''
References
External links
Community website
Towns in Aberdeenshire
Populated places established in the 14th century
Populated coastal places in Scotland
{{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub