Tarves (; gd, Tarbhais), Aberdeenshire, is a small village, situated in the

Formartine Formartine ( gd, Fearann Mhàrtainn meaning "Martin's land") is a committee area in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This district extends north from the River Don to the River Ythan. It has a population of 36,478 (2001 Census). The committee area wa ...

area of North East Scotland and lies between

Oldmeldrum Oldmeldrum (commonly known as Meldrum) is a village and parish in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, not far from Inverurie in North East Scotland. With a population of around 2,187, Oldmeldrum falls within Scotland's top 300 centres of popu ...

and

Methlick Methlick (Scottish Gaelic language, Gaelic: ''Maothulach'') is a village in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated on the River Ythan north-west of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Ellon. Services Methlick is served by a parish church, ...

History

Much of the village was planned and laid out by the Marquess of Aberdeen in the 19th century but the history of the parish goes back considerably earlier. The place name and those of locations nearby show evidence of Brythonic roots. A derivation from a cognate of the Welsh word ''tarw'', 'bull' would seem possible (see

Thurso Thurso (pronounced ; sco, Thursa, gd, Inbhir Theòrsa ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great ...

). A

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

hoard of weapons was found near Tarves in the nineteenth century and was donated by the Earl of Aberdeen to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in 1858. Dating to between 1000 and 850 BC, the hoard was made entirely from bronze and consists of three swords, a pommel, a

chape Chape has had various meanings in English, but the predominant one is a protective fitting at the bottom of a scabbard or sheath for a sword or dagger (10 in the diagram). Historic blade weapons often had leather scabbards with metal fittings a ...

and two pins (two items of which were not part of the original gift and are now lost).

Notable residents

Alexander Forbes Irvine Alexander Forbes Irvine, 20th Laird of Drum FRSE JP DL LLD (1818–1892) was a Scottish landowner, advocate, philosopher and amateur astronomer. He was a prominent member of Clan Irvine and held the family seat of Drum Castle until his death. Life ...

of Drum

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1818–1892) advocate and philosopher * Duncan Mearns

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

in 1821.,''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'': Duncan Mearns minister of Tarves 1799 to 1816

Tarves today

The community has a heritage group that provides a registered museum and heritage centre. The village is situated very close to

Haddo House Haddo House is a Scottish stately home located near Tarves in Aberdeenshire, approximately north of Aberdeen (). It has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 1979. The Gordons, who later became the Earls of Aberdeen and Marques ...

and

Tolquhon Castle Tolquhon Castle (pronounced: "toh-hon", and sometimes spelt 'Tolquhoun') is located in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland. It lies about north-west of Pitmedden, and south of Tarves. The castle was built by William Forbes, 7th Laird of Tolquhon, ...

References

External links

Tarves.org.ukTarvesheritage.org.uk
Villages in Aberdeenshire {{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub