Scotland > 1868, 1878 - Slater's (late Pigot & Co.'s) Royal national commercial directory and topography of Scotland > 1878 > Part 1

FORFARSHIRE.
SLATER'S
ARBROATH,
WITH THE PARISHES AND VILLAGES OF ST. VIGEANS, ARBIRLOT, MARYWELL, AtJCHMITHIE AND COLLISTON'.
Ai
LRBROATH, formerly called Aberbrothoclc, ig a royal burgh, a sea
poi-t. and the seatof a presbytery, 60 miles n.n.e. from Eciinburgh, 17
N.E. from Dunilee, 15 s E. from Forfar, and 12 s. from Montrose, situated
on a small plain, on the coast of the German ocean, and surroxnded
on the north-^*est,and east by eminences, in an amphitbeatiic form.
About a mile north-east, but locaily in the parish of St. Vigeftns,the
coast becomes very bold, rocky, and perpeudicalar. In the face of
these cliffs are a number of caves and arches perforated by the
action of the waves. Tht-y are a great attraction to visitors, having
been rendered famous by Sir Walter Scott in his " Antiquary." This
is a town of early oiigin, owing its rise to an important monastic
institution, founded nere by William tbe Lion, about the year 1178 ;
the remains of this edifice are strikingly picturesque, and consist
of ruinous towers of the most solid construction, columns over-
thrown and broken in pieces, Gothic windows, cloisters, staircases,
&c., all exhibiting the ravages of time. The church of this abbey has
been a most majiuiticent fabric; a part of the abbot's lodgings,
which stands a little distance from the church, still remains. The
monks first came from Kelso, and Reginaldus (a monk of Tyron),
was its first abbot. It was very extensively endowed with lands and
other gilts by Kings WiUiam I., Alexander II.. and Robert I., and
their nobility. It possessed forty-six parish churches, and extensive
lands in several counties, particularly in the north of Scotland, with
privileges of regality, &c. The abbots of this foundation had pri-
vileges which others did not enjoy— they were exempt from assist-
ing at the yearly synods, and had the distinction of making use of
and wearing tbe pontifical ormmente. King John conferred on the
inhabitants of tbe place the same privileges that his subjects enjoyed
throughout all England, except in his city of London. The town is
situated on both banks of the river Brothock, and in tbe parishes
of Arbroath and St. Vigeans. It contains several elegant streets,
the principal business street being the High street, with churches,
flax mills, and numerous factories. In 1813 a town house was erec-
ted, and in 1855, at thf rear of it in an open space, a very handsome
and commodious market house -n-as built by the magistrates and
town council, at an outlay of about ^7,000; these, together with
several other buildings, numerous new cburclies and places of -wor-
ship, add much to the appearance of the town ; the streets have also
been greatly improved, and are daily improvlug, by superior paving
and sewerage, and by the addition of elegantly fitted and well sup-
plied shops. At the commencement of the eighteenth century
Arbroath had but little trade, nor did it claim any notice as a place
of manufacture. Nothing was then directly imported, except a
Bmall cargo of wood occasionally from Norway ; flax, iron, and other
useful commodities were purchased from the merchants in Dun-
dee and Montrose. About the year 1738, the manufacture of coarse
linens was introduced by the following accident :— a weaver in the
town having a small quantity of flax, unfit for the kind of cloth then
usually brouglit to market, made it into a web, and offered it to
another of the inhabitants at a price by which he was willing to be
a loser; the purchaser, who had previously been in Germany, re-
marked a similarity b^^.tween this piece of cloth and the manufacture
of Osnaburg, and prevailed upon the weaver to make trial of oiber
webs of tho same texture ; the experiment succeeded — a company
was established, and other parts of the county soon availed them-
selves of the discovery. The staple trade of Arbroath, at the present
day, is the manufacture of sail cloth, and other coarse linens; the
prepiration and spinning of the yarns of these productions of the
loom is carried on extensively, and chitfflyby steam power, by many
firms and individuals of the lirst respectability. Jute spinning has
recently been introduced, but as yet it is of small extent compared
with flax spinning. The staple manufacture has been much de-
veloped during tbe last twelve years. In addition to the linen trade
there are various concerns of magnitude, including iron foundries,
a shipbuilding yard {a patent slip), extensive tanneries, roperies,
&o., and a considerable trade exists in the exportation of grain antl
potatoes. The num her of vessels belonging to the port in 1876, was Go,
with a tonnage of ll,l)Oo. For the year ending 31st March, 1877, the
customs revenue was £2"2,8'^7 3s. lud. Considerable improvements
are being made on one harbour, the principal being the conversion
of the inner harbour into a wet dock. For these works a loan of
jE20,OU0 was obtained from government, but much more than that
sum has been expended. The improvements are now (1877) about
completed, and already as a result a large class of vessels, includ-
ing steamers, are frequently in port. There is a neat signal tower
for communication with the Bell {or Inch Cape) Rock, rising from
the German Ocean, about twelve miles in a south eastern direction
from Arbroath. Of this rock, and the tradition attached to it, a
most entertaining account will be found in Chamber's" Gazetteer.":
On " the rock ' is a lighthouse, the first stone of which was laid in ;
July, 18D3, and the beacon first gloomed over the deep on the 1st'
of February, I8ll. At the lighthouse there are a principal light-
keeperand'lbree assistants ; each, in his turn, goes on the shore at
the end of every six weeks, with liberty to remain a fortnight. In
the town ara buildings erected, where each keeper has appartmeuts
for the accommodation of his family; and connected with the
establishragnt is a very neat signaltower situated near the liarbour;
this structure, about eighty feet in height, is furnished with an cx-
sCellent telei^cope ; and signals are urmuged wifcb the persons at the
lighthouse on the rock, by the lightkeeper on shoro, daily, at nine
moruiag, weather permitting. There is an atLcndant vessi;! from
Arbroath engaged to and fro in tha summer time in charge of a
master, but in -winter it is by steamer from Granton. The monetary
transactions of the town are facilitated by six banking estalihsh-
jnents— branches respectively of the British Linen Company, the
City of Glasgow Bank, the Clydesdale Banking Company, the
Commercial Bank of Scotland, the Royal Bank, and the Bank of
726
Scotland, all accommodated in handsome buildings; there is a bank
for savings, well sustained by many provident depositors. There
arti numerous inns, and several newsl^ooms and libraries. A large
public hall, with subsidiary rooms, &c., in the High-street, was
erected in 18()6, by an incorporated company; and the parishes ol
Arbroath and Saint Vigeans have also erected a handsome combi-
nation poorhouse in an elevated and healthy suburb of tbe town
Arbroath is a very ancient burgh of regality, being founded at the
same time with the abbey. It was then made a free burgb, and
ultimately a burgh royal by crown charter in 1599. It is coveraed
by a provost, three bailies, a dean of guild, treasurer, and thirteen
town councillors, and it has seven incorporated trades, viz., ham-
mermen, glovers, shoemakers, weavers, tailors, wrigbts, and bakerSe
besides two incorporations of seamen, and brewers, and tbe
Guildry Incorporation. It unites with Forfar, Montrose, Brechin,
and Inverbervie in sending one member to tho Imperial Parlia-
ment. TheRigbtHon. W.E.Baxter, of Kincaldrum, Forfarshire,
is the present member. Number of registered electors in 1876,
3,094, Burgh, police and justice of the peace courts are held
statedly in the police court once a week, or oftner if necessary,
and a sheriff's court every alternate month, for the recovery of
debts not exceeding ^12. The annual valuation of the parliamen-
tary burgh amounted in 1876 to £75,598. There are no fewer than
twenty-one places of worship in the town and suburbs of Arbroath ;
their names, denominations, and respective sites with tbe ministers
officiating are given at a subsequent page. An elegant steeple, one
hundred and fiftv foefc in height, was a number of years since
added to the parish church. There are several excellent public
educational establishments in Arbroath, including the Arbroath
High School, and several large and elegant public schools recently
erected by the Burgh School Board. There are two newspapers
published in Arbroath, viz., "The Arbroath Guide," and "The
Saturday Evening Guide and People's Penny Paper." both of which
are conducted upon Liberal principles. The local charities of the
tovm include the infirmary and dispensary, a neat handsome stone
building situated on the high ccmmon, and two destitute sick
societies ; also nine mortifications, viz., Carmichael's, founded
1738, out of which the widows of seven shipmasters get a division
half-yearly; ColvilVs, founded 1812, out of which £6(J annually is
expended on the education of ten poor children; ^10 to the Scotch
Episcopal clergyman ; jglO to the poor of Arbroath ; the Uke sum to
the poor of St. Vigeans, and the residue to twenty poor house-
holders; Dove's, founded in 18il, for the education of "n^^tive
born boys," of poor parentage ; Mrs. Renny Strachan's, which
amounts to £50 yearly, to be expended in purchasing coals and oat-
meal for distribution at Christmas amongst the most necessitous poor.
Forbes Fund founded 1864, from which sums of not less than £8 nor
more than £10 yearlj', given for the relief of destitute widows and
old unmarried females in the town of Arbroath; Gibson Fund,
founded 1868, annual produce of residue of trust estate of the late
William Gibs(m, applied as follows:— £10(J to rector of High School
for the education of eight boys, and the remainder divided yearly
in sums not less than £20 and not more than £25 among poor
householders of the town of Arbroath, preference being given to
respectable worthy people of fallen fortunes; Gibson Christmas
Charity, 1863, annual revenue of £2,000, applied one half in purchase
of coas, other half in groceries, oatmeal, and clothes for distribu-
tion among the necessitous poor of the town ; Gibson Mortification,
1HG8, annual revenue of a sum of £i,000, divided yearly among six-
teen poor householders of the town ; a fund, supposed to amount to
about £2,000, bequeatned in 1875 by Mr. William Petrie, manufac-
turer, to be distributed in £10shares among "poor deserving women
of respectable character being in and belonging to, and at the time
resident in, the parish of St. Vigeau's, and who have not been in
receipt of parochial relief for the preceding five years at least; "
and Duncan Charity, 1SG9, annual profits of three-eighths of residue
of tbe cstate^of the" late David Duncan for behoof of poor aged and
reduced persons, not being objects of parochial relief. The market
is held on Saturday, and the fairs on the last Saturday in January,
for general business and hiring servants; on the first Saturday after
Whit-Sunday for hiring; July 18th (if it fall on a Saturday, if not,
on the following Saturday), for general business and hiring; and
the first Saturday after Martinmas for hiring. By the census
returns for 1871 the parliamentary burgh of Arbroath contained a
population of 19,973.
St. Vigeans is a parish, extending eight and a half miles from
east to west by four and a half in breadth, and contains tho small""
village of St.'Vigeans, Marywell, Auchmithie, and Colliston,
or GowAN Bank, also a part of the town of Arbroath. The first
named contains the Parish church, situated about one mile from
Arbroath, the others varying in distance from two to three and a
half miles from the same town. The parish is bounded on the north
and east by Inverkeilor, on the west by Arbroath, Arbirlot, and Car-
niyllie, and on the south by tbe German Ocean. Originally it in-
cluded the parish of Arbroath, disjoined after the Reformation. It-
was itself formerly termed Aberbrothock, and now bears the name
of a famous hermit who had his chapel and hermitage at tbe Grange
of ConaL*, near to wliich was a baronial castle, named Gory or
Gregory. From ^\';hiting Ness, and as far as Auchmithie, the coast
is very rugged and precipitous (gradually rising to Dickmountlaw
I Hill, 250 feet above sea level), containing a number of caves and
i arches, some of which may be passed through in boats and others
: on foot; they are a great attraction, and much visited. The stream
; of the BrotlioGk flows through the parish and passes through tho
, town of Arbroath, entering the sea at its harbour. The parish of
St. Vigeans ouclosea an area of 12.731 acres, and in 1871 had a popu
lation of 12,805.
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