Tarves () is a small village in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, Scotland, situated in the

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

area between

Oldmeldrum Oldmeldrum (commonly known as Meldrum) is a village and Civil parish, parish in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, not far from Inverurie in North East Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region), North East Scotland. With a population of ...

and

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

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 ; , ) 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 Britain. From a latitudinal s ...

). A

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

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 Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

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. Li ...

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 Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

(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 minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...

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, Aberdeenshire, Tarves in Aberdeenshire, approximately north of Aberdeen (). The former seat of the Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, Earls and Marquesses of Aberdeen and Temair, Haddo Ho ...

and

Tolquhon Castle Tolquhon Castle ( ) 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, between 1584 and 1589 as an extension to the ear ...

References

External links

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