Auchtermuchty

Auchtermuchty (/ˌɒxtərˈmʌxti/ listen; Scottish Gaelic: Uachdar Mucadaidh, 'upland of the pigs/boar')[2][3] is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is beside Pitlour Hill and 9 miles (14 km) north of Glenrothes.

Auchtermuchty
Auchtermuchty is located in Fife
Auchtermuchty
Auchtermuchty
Location within Fife
Population2,070 (mid-2020 est.)[1]
OS grid referenceNO235115
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCUPAR
Postcode districtKY14
Dialling code01337
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

History

Auchtermuchty war memorial in the old market square (by Reginald Fairlie)
The former hotel in Auchtermuchty was a roadside coaching inn c.1750.
The southern part of old Auchtermuchty

Until 1975 Auchtermuchty was a royal burgh, established under charter of King James V in 1517. There is evidence of human habitation in the area dating back over 2,000 years, and the Romans are known to have established a camp in the southeast corner of the town.[4] In the past, the linen industry was a major source of work in the town, but in the early 18th century the firm of John White was established, bringing the town its first foundry (there were two eventually). The town also had a distillery - Stratheden Whisky Distillery, set in the town centre - from 1829 to 1926, but it had to close when Prohibition in the United States drastically reduced the demand for its products.[5]

As in many parts of Fife, there is much evidence of the impact of both World Wars on the village. To the north east of the town, a concrete observation platform was built on what is thought to be a long used site of strategical and defensive importance, as it overlooks the entire village and the remains of earlier walls and structures are evident. During the Second World War the flat farmland of the glacial valley in which Auchtermuchty sits made a prime target for glider landings in the event of an invasion.[6]

Buildings

The old part of the town is based around a hill. The twisting streets here have a wealth of buildings dating from the 17th and 18th century, centred on Auchtermuchty Town House (now used as the town library).[7]

The church (on the east side of the hill) is a simple Georgian box chapel, but with an interesting double bell within its western bellcote. Gravestones date back to the 17th century. A more modern cemetery dating from around 1910 lies to the south-east of the town, partly concealed by industrial units. Maps from the mid-19th century show no less than five churches in use at one time.

The war memorial, designed by the architect Reginald Fairlie, portrays a Scottish soldier with head bowed.[8]

Amenities

Auchtermuchty Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1902. The club ceased to exist following the Second World War.[9]

Cultural references

Auchtermuchty was the setting of "The Wife of Auchtermuchty", a comic Scots poem of the late Middle Ages.

The town was used as the location for Tannochbrae in the 1990s ITV series Dr. Finlay.

The town's church is mentioned in James Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, as was Herald Law, a hill to the north of the village, in an area known historically as "The Holy Land".

In The Family Ness theme song, "You'll Never Find A Nessie In The Zoo", the refrain states "You can go to Auchtermuchty and to Drumnadrochit too, but you'll never find a Nessie in the zoo".

Auchtermuchty was often referred to by John Junor in the Daily Express: "John Junor's editorial approach was simple: articulate the fears and preoccupations of Middle England and liven them up with dollops of hokey Scottish folk wisdom. In his column for the paper, Junor lit upon the small Scottish town of Auchtermuchty and made it into his own personal Brigadoon, a place of solemn courtesy to one's betters and implacable hostility to outsiders."[10][11]

Auchtermuchty is repeatedly mentioned by Power metal band Gloryhammer, especially as the fictional birthplace of keyboard player Zargothrax (played by Christopher Bowes).[12][13][14]

Notable people

Statue of Jimmy Shand in Auchtermuchty

See also

References

  1. "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. "Gaelic Placenames collected by Iain Mac an Tailleir" (PDF). 2003.
  3. "Auchtermuchty". Fife Place-name Data. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. "Auchtermuchty". canmore.org. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  5. "Stratheden Whisky Distillery". lost-distillery.com. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  6. "World War 2 Anti-glider posts in the Dornoch Firth". History Links Archive. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  7. Historic Environment Scotland. "Auchtermuchty Town House and Council Chambers, High Street (LB21372)". Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  8. "Auchtermuchty". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  9. "Auchtermuchty Golf Club". Golf’s Missing Links.
  10. Preston, John (6 July 2002). "Mr Angry of Auchtermuchty" via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  11. "FindArticles.com | CBSi".
  12. Kennelty, Greg (13 April 2019). "You're Damn Right GLORYHAMMER Wrote A Glorious Power Metal Song About A Glory F'n Hammer!". Metal Injection. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  13. "Gloryhammer, euforia en el pecho". El Correo (in Spanish). 16 January 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  14. "Retour sur Heavy Montréal – Jour 2 avec Voïvod et Gojira". Voir.ca (in Canadian French). 3 August 2018. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  15. "Dictionary of Irish Biography - Cambridge University Press". dib.cambridge.org. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  16. "FERRIE - Dunshalt, Écosse, Grande-Bretagne" (PDF). www.mairesduquebec.com.
  17. "John Glas | Scottish minister". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  18. "Stark Talk: Marian Leven and Will Maclean". BBC News. BBC. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  19. "Captain George Moodie from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  20. "Haverin Next to You". www.scotsman.com. 4 August 2005. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  21. "Jimmy Shand Statue". Welcome to Fife. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  22. "Shoolbred Genealogy". kittybrewster.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. "WALKER, James Campbell (Architect-Edinburgh)". onFife. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
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