Auchenblae

Auchenblae
Auchenblae
 Auchenblae shown within Aberdeenshire
OS grid referenceNO7278
Council areaAberdeenshire
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK ParliamentWest Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Scottish ParliamentAngus North and Mearns
List of places
UK
Scotland

Coordinates: 56°53′N 2°28′W / 56.89°N 02.46°W / 56.89; -02.46

Auchenblae (Scottish Gaelic: Achadh nam Blàth) is a village in the Kincardine and Mearns area of Aberdeenshire, formerly in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is featured in Lewis Grassic Gibbon's novel, Sunset Song. The name is a derivation from the Gaelic for "Field of Flowers" possibly due to the growing of flax in bygone times. The village was known for its weavers, a whisky distillery and the annual Paldie's Fair horse market. The current parish church, on the opposite side of the Luther Water was built next to an older chapel dedicated to St. Palladius and was formerly known as Fordoun Parish Church. This location, known as at Kirkton of Fordoun was the birthplace of the chronicler John of Fordun (before 1360 – c. 1384) and has been a religious site since the 7th century. St Palladius died and was reputedly buried here. There is a Pictish cross slab, the Fordoun Stone, in the kirk's vestibule. In the graveyard is the ancient ruin of St Palladius' Chapel and there is a memorial to Scotland's first Protestant martyr George Wishart, born at Mains of Pittarrow in the old parish of Fordoun and burnt at the stake under the orders of Cardinal Beaton in St Andrews.

Looking down into Auchenblae from the kirkyard

Someone from Auchenblae is referred to as an Auchenblaesian.

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Bibliography

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This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.