The provinces of Scotland were the primary subdivisions of the early Kingdom of Alba , first recorded in the 10th century and probably developing from earlier Pictish territories. Provinces were led by a mormaer , the leader of the most powerful provincial kin-group, and had military, fiscal and judicial functions. Their high degree of local autonomy made them important regional powerbases for competing claimants to the throne of Alba.
54-554: Camuston was a village that once existed in Angus, Scotland , until the late 18th/early 19th centuries. No trace of it can be found today, but its former location on land between Panmure House and Camustane Hill can be seen for example in the 1794 map by Ainslie, about half a mile to the East of the Camus Cross . Camuston can be found with earlier spelling variations, for example, 'Cambistown' as it
108-487: A hereditary legal expert charged with upholding the laws, appointed not by the king but locally from within the province. A province's brithem made and transmitted new law in accordance with local custom; settled cases, particularly land disputes, witnessed charters and witnessed and took part in the perambulation of boundaries. Minor legal disputes were settled at local cuthill courts , but major disputes were settled by summoning provincial assemblies that also included
162-462: A majority language in the Highlands and Hebrides until the 19th century. Angus Council are planning to raise the status of Gaelic in the county by adopting a series of measures, including bilingual road signage, communications, vehicle livery and staffing. Angus Council is the local authority for the area. The first election to Angus District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as
216-500: A mile to the North of the town. These burials included pottery urns, a pair of silver discs and a gold armlet. Iron Age archaeology is also well represented, for example in the souterrain nearby Warddykes cemetery and at West Grange of Conan, as well as the better-known examples at Carlungie and Ardestie. The county is traditionally associated with the Pictish territory of Circin , which
270-482: A number of villages immediately north of Dundee were transferred to an enlarged City of Dundee district, and Kettins was transferred to Perth and Kinross . Angus District Council was a lower-tier district level authority subordinate to the Tayside Regional Council . A lieutenancy area covering the same area as the new district was created at the same time. Further local government reforms in 1996 under
324-577: A shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the change to council areas which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control since 1975 has been as follows: The council's civic head is the Provost of Angus. There have been seven Provosts since its establishment in 1996 – Frances Duncan, Bill Middleton, Ruth Leslie-Melville, Helen Oswald, Alex King, Ronnie Proctor and Brian Boyd. The role of provost
378-553: A significant presence in Montrose in the east of the county. Angus was historically a province , and later a sheriffdom and county (called Forfarshire or the County of Forfar until 1928), bordering Kincardineshire to the north-east, Aberdeenshire to the north and Perthshire to the west; southwards it faced Fife across the Firth of Tay . The county included Dundee until 1894, when it
432-401: A wide range of men from a province with the mormaer as only one of a number of influential local figures. The position of mormaer does not appear to have been hereditary before the late 12th century, instead being held by the most powerful head of kin within a province and sometimes alternating between different kin-groups. Provinces could also function without mormaers : King Edgar took
486-525: Is a small airport at Dundee, which at present operates flights to London and Belfast. Arbroath is the largest town in the modern county, followed by Forfar , the county town and administrative centre, and Montrose . Largest settlements by population: 23,500 14,120 11,730 11,310 8,860 7,230 6,060 Provinces of Scotland Provinces declined in importance during the late 12th and early 13th centuries as expanding royal power saw feudal landholding rather than local kinship established as
540-632: Is an area of rich history from Pictish times onwards. Notable historic sites in addition to Arbroath Abbey include Glamis Castle , Arbroath Signal Tower museum and the Bell Rock Lighthouse , described as one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World . Angus was one of the ancient provinces of Scotland, under the authority of the Mormaer or Earl of Angus . From at least the thirteenth century
594-537: Is called in documents from 1425–26, and has a Celtic rather than Scandinavian etymology. This Angus location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Angus, Scotland Angus ( Scots : Angus ; Scottish Gaelic : Aonghas ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland , and a lieutenancy area . The council area borders Aberdeenshire , Dundee City and Perth and Kinross . Main industries include agriculture and fishing . Global pharmaceuticals company GSK has
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#1732880545565648-608: Is divided into 8 wards: Council meetings are generally held at Forfar Town and County Hall at The Cross in the centre of Forfar. In 2007 the council moved its main offices to a new building called Angus House on Silvie Way in the Orchardbank Business Park on the outskirts of Forfar. The council also has offices in Arbroath . Previously the council's main offices had been at County Buildings , on Market Street in Forfar. When
702-612: Is first recorded as one of the provinces of Scotland in 937, when Dubacan , the Mormaer of Angus , is recorded in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba as having died at the Battle of Brunanburh . The signing of the Declaration of Arbroath at Arbroath Abbey in 1320 marked Scotland's establishment as an independent nation. Partly on this basis, Angus is marketed as the birthplace of Scotland. It
756-563: Is largely ceremonial in Angus. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 1996 have been: Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to April 2024, the composition of the council was: Two of the independent councillors form part of the council's administration with the SNP. The next election is due in 2027. Election results since 1995 have been as follows: Angus
810-585: Is represented by two MPs for the UK Parliament . Angus is represented by two constituency MSPs for the Scottish Parliament . In addition to the two constituency MSPs, Angus is also represented by seven MSPs for the North East Scotland electoral region. The Edinburgh-Aberdeen railway line runs along the coast, through Dundee and the towns of Monifieth, Carnoustie, Arbroath and Montrose. There
864-613: Is spoken by 0.45% of the Angus population. This, similar to other lowland areas, is lower than the national average of 1.16%. These figures are self-reported and are not broken down into levels of fluency. Meanwhile, the 2011 census found that 38.4% of the population in Angus can speak Scots , above the Scottish average of 30.1%. This puts Angus as the council area with the sixth highest proficiency in Scots, behind only Shetland , Orkney , Moray , Aberdeenshire , and East Ayrshire . Historically,
918-605: Is thought to have encompassed Angus and the Mearns . Bordering it were the kingdoms of Cé (Mar and Buchan) to the North, Fotla (Atholl) to the West, and Fib (Fife) to the South. The most visible remnants of the Pictish age are the numerous sculptured stones that can be found throughout Angus. Of particular note are the collections found at Aberlemno , St Vigeans , Kirriemuir and Monifieth . Angus
972-457: The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947 . Angus County Council was abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , which replaced Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts with a two-tier structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts . A new Angus district was created covering most of the pre-1975 county, with the exceptions being that Monifieth and
1026-423: The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the regions and districts created in 1975 abolished and replaced with council areas providing all local government services. Angus district became one of the new council areas, taking on the functions of the abolished Tayside Regional Council. The council area regained Monifieth and the villages north of Dundee as part of the same reforms. The Angus lieutenancy area
1080-494: The Neolithic period . Material taken from postholes from an enclosure at Douglasmuir, near Friockheim , about five miles north of Arbroath has been radiocarbon dated to around 3500 BC. The function of the enclosure is unknown, but may have been for agriculture or for ceremonial purposes. Bronze Age archaeology is to be found in abundance in the area. Examples include the short-cist burials found near West Newbigging, about
1134-525: The Sidlaws ) bordering the sea; this area is well populated, with the larger towns. In between lies Strathmore ( the Great Valley ), which is a fertile agricultural area noted for the growing of potatoes, soft fruit and the raising of Aberdeen Angus cattle. Montrose in the north east of the county is notable for its tidal basin and wildlife. Angus's coast is fairly regular, the most prominent features being
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#17328805455651188-658: The mormaer within Angus , possibly as a result of conflict between the Mormaers of Angus and the kings Kenneth II and Malcolm II , and the Mearns was taken entirely into royal hands by King Edgar in response to the killing of his father Duncan II by the Mormaer of Mearns in 1094. De Situ Albanie , a document written between 1202 and 1214, envisaged Scotland north of the Forth being made up entirely of provinces, mentioning no other contemporary land units, but in reality this structure
1242-509: The mormaership of Mearns directly into his own hands in 1097, and the mormaership of Gowrie was in the hands of the crown by the reign of Alexander I , though as late as the reign of Malcolm IV charters were still distinguishing between manors within Gowrie held by the king in his capacity as king and those held by virtue of his control of the mormaerdom . Each province had at least one Brithem ( Latin : Iudex , Scots : Dempster )
1296-483: The topography is mountainous. This is the area of the Grampian Mountains , Mounth hills and Five Glens of Angus , which is sparsely populated and where the main industry is hill farming . Glas Maol – the highest point in Angus at 1,068 m (3,504 ft) – can be found here, on the tripoint boundary with Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. To the south and east the topography consists of rolling hills (such as
1350-410: The 1180s sheriffs had authority over defined geographical areas and were expected to hold regular courts, as well as having the right to attend the courts of all nobles, including earls, within their area. By the mid 13th century a uniform system of sherriffdoms covered the country, supervised by a Justiciar of Scotia , unlike the brithem explicitly an agent of the king. By the 1260s the sheriffdom
1404-437: The 2001 census, the population of Angus was recorded as 108,400. 20.14% were under the age of 16, 63.15% were between 16 and 65 and 18.05% were aged 65 or above. Of the 16 to 74 age group, 32.84% had no formal qualifications, 27.08% were educated to 'O' Grade/Standard Grade level, 14.38% to Higher level, 7.64% to HND or equivalent level and 18.06% to degree level. The most recent available census results (2001) show that Gaelic
1458-500: The area formed the basis for a shire (the area administered by a sheriff ) based in Forfar: the Sheriff of Forfar . Over time, Scotland's shires became more significant than the old provinces, with more administrative functions being given to the sheriffs. The older territory called Angus was therefore gradually eclipsed in legal importance by the shire of Forfar (or Forfarshire) which covered
1512-501: The army from their own territories. The provincial brithem , who had been prominent in legal documents in the 12th century, appears in a much more subordinate position by the end of the 13th century, eventually sinking to the point of virtual insignificance. A law enacted under David I required every brithem in a province to attend when the king entered that province and between the reigns of David I and William I kings sought to link brithem more closely to their authority. By
1566-478: The case of Atholl , which is recorded having a king in 739, but a mormaer in 965. The mormaer of a province raised and led the army of the province in battle, oversaw the exercise of justice within the province, and was supported by tribute raised from defined areas within the province. Although the mormaer was the ultimate head of a provincial community their power was only exercised in conjunction with other local potentates. Provincial assemblies would include
1620-430: The county council resolved to use the name 'Angus' for the area rather than the 'County of Forfar'. The council petitioned the government to officially change the name too. The government responded by directing all departments to use Angus, but noted that the legal name would remain Forfar until such time as it could be changed by statute. The statutory change of name from Forfar to Angus eventually took place in 1947 under
1674-476: The county council was established in 1890 the name County Buildings was used for the Forfar Sheriff Court , built 1871, which was the council's first meeting place. The council later moved its main offices into the adjoining converted former prison of 1843, which subsequently became known as County Buildings instead. County Buildings continued to serve as the headquarters of the county council until 1975 and
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1728-434: The county's main courthouse, which also served as the meeting place for the commissioners of supply. Robert Haldane-Duncan, 3rd Earl of Camperdown , a Liberal peer, was appointed the first chairman of the county council. The 1889 Act also led to a review of boundaries, with exclaves being transferred to a county they actually bordered, and parishes which straddled more than one county being adjusted such that each parish
1782-494: The dominant basis of secular authority. The power of mormaers became increasingly focused on their earldom, the territory that they controlled directly, rather than their leadership of the broader provincial community, and large provincial lordships were established that often rivalled earldoms in size and were granted to loyal supporters of the king. Local justice and administration became increasingly dominated by sheriffdoms , which were more directly under royal control. Before
1836-518: The dominant language in Angus was Pictish until the sixth to seventh centuries AD when the area became progressively gaelicised, with Pictish extinct by the mid-ninth century. Gaelic/ Middle Irish began to retreat from lowland areas in the late-eleventh century and was absent from the Eastern lowlands by the fourteenth century. It was replaced there by Middle Scots , the contemporary local South Northern dialect of Modern Scots , while Gaelic persisted as
1890-534: The early 13th century " Scotland " ( Latin : Scotia , Old Irish : Alba ) was considered to extend only between the Firth of Forth and the River Spey . Within this area the provinces directly subject to the kings of Alba by the 12th century were Fife , Strathearn , Atholl , Gowrie , Angus , the Mearns , Mar , and Buchan . To the north of the Spey were territories also referred to as provinces, but whose status
1944-402: The end of the 12th century kings increasingly saw themselves rather than brithem as the main source of lawmaking. Sheriffs are recorded in the former Northumbrian areas south of the Forth from the 1120s, spreading north of the Forth over the following century. The role of the sheriff seems initially to have been limited to the collection of revenue from burghs and other royal lands, but by
1998-490: The functions of the commissioners (which were eventually abolished in 1930). The county's five largest burghs , being Arbroath , Brechin , Dundee , Forfar , and Montrose , were deemed capable of managing their own affairs and so were excluded from the administrative area of the county council. The county council held its first official meeting on 22 May 1890 at the County Buildings (now known as Forfar Sheriff Court),
2052-420: The headlands of Scurdie Ness and Buddon Ness . The main bodies of water in the county are Loch Lee , Loch Brandy , Carlochy , Loch Wharral , Den of Ogil Reservoir , Loch of Forfar , Loch Fithie , Rescobie Loch , Balgavies Loch , Crombie Reservoir , Monikie Reservoirs , Long Loch , Lundie Loch , Loch of Kinnordy , Loch of Lintrathen , Backwater Reservoir , Auchintaple Loch , Loch Shandra . In
2106-413: The king. By the early 13th century the earl's power had become increasingly focused on this territorial earldom rather than on their leadership of the wider province, and the earldom became a position that was directly inherited in the male line, as landholding replaced kinship as the dominant basis for secular power. Royal thanages , landholdings held by a thane directly of the king and independently of
2160-510: The late 12th century and were always explicitly feudal landholdings. The names of provinces begin to appear in contemporary records of events in the Kingdom of Alba from about 900; before this date sources instead refer to earlier Pictish territories such as Fortriu , Circin and Cé . The degree of continuity between provinces and these earlier territories is uncertain. Some names of earlier units such as Cait , Fife and Atholl survived as
2214-455: The names of later provinces, and it is possible that some of the other provinces had existed before 900 as subdivisions of wider territories, but increased in prominence as the importance of these wider territories declined. By the late 10th century the Mormaer ( Latin : Comes , Scots : Earl ) was established as the leading figure in each province. This transition is most clearly seen in
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2268-546: The provincial army. Each province also had a specific location where stolen property and warrantors could be taken for hearings, and at least one toiseachdeor , whose job was to be the custodian of holy objects for the swearing of oaths. At this stage the provinces of Alba retained many "national" characteristics, with their own networks of clientage and kinship, their own assemblies and their own ecclesiastical hierarchies. Although kings of Alba maintained extensive royal territory within provinces, control of provinces by kings
2322-473: The provincial community, appear within provinces from the early 13th century, and royal control within provinces was further strengthened by the alienation of royal land to a king's supporters, including large provincial lordships such as Garioch that rivalled earldoms in size. By 1221 earls were forbidden from entering the land of any other lord and had lost control over raising the provincial army, with individual landowners having responsibility for raising
2376-600: The reign of Malcolm III , remaining an area of fluctuating royal control until 1215. Caithness remained under the control of the Norse earls of Orkney , who were subject to the king of Norway , until 1231. To the south of the Forth, in formerly Northumbrian or British areas controlled by the kings of Alba but still administered as separate territories, the Earldoms of Dunbar , The Lennox and Carrick were also sometimes referred to as provinces, but were much later creations of
2430-424: The role of the mormaer , increasingly called an earl as Scots replaced Gaelic as the dominant vernacular language. During the late 12th century an explicit distinction began to made between the provincia or province, the broad territory and community from which an earl took their name, and the comitatus or earldom, the smaller landholdings within the province that the earl directly controlled and held from
2484-530: The same area. In 1667 Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890. Following the Acts of Union in 1707, the English term 'county' came to be used interchangeably with the older term 'shire'. Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 , taking most of
2538-841: The successor Angus District Council from 1975 to 1996. County Buildings continues to be used as secondary offices by the modern Angus Council. As of 2018 Angus is divided into 25 community council areas and all apart from Friockheim district have an active council. The areas are: Aberlemno ; Auchterhouse ; Carnoustie ; City of Brechin & District ; Ferryden & Craig ; Friockheim & District ; Glamis ; Hillside, Dun, & Logie Pert ; Inverarity ; Inveresk ; Kirriemuir ; Kirriemuir Landward East ; Kirriemuir Landward West ; Letham & District ; Lunanhead & District ; Monifieth ; Monikie & Newbigging ; Montrose ; Muirhead , Birkhill and Liff ; Murroes & Wellbank ; Newtyle & Eassie ; Royal Burgh of Arbroath ; Royal Burgh of Forfar ; Strathmartine ; and Tealing . Angus
2592-399: Was adjusted to match the new council area in 1996. The Lord Lieutenant of Angus is appointed by the monarch. The boundaries of the historic county of Angus (as it was prior to the removal of Dundee in 1894) are still used for some limited official purposes connected with land registration, being a registration county . Angus can be split into three geographic areas. To the north and west,
2646-471: Was already beginning to fragment by this date. From the 1160s onwards aristocratic power and jurisdiction moved away from being seen as having a provincial and social basis, instead coming to be seen within a framework of individual territorial landholdings, while centralised royal power over territory increased and came to be exercised through formal institutions of local government known as sheriffdoms . The 12th and early 13th centuries saw major changes to
2700-512: Was entirely in a single county. There were several such changes affecting the boundaries of Forfarshire. Dundee was subsequently made a county of itself in 1894, also removing the city from Forfarshire for judicial and lieutenancy purposes. Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose were brought within the administrative area of the county council in 1930, although Arbroath was classed as a large burgh , allowing its council to continue to deliver most local government functions itself. In May 1928
2754-520: Was made a county of a city . The pre-1894 boundaries of Angus continue to be used as a registration county . Between 1975 and 1996 Angus was a lower-tier district within the Tayside region. The district took on its modern form and powers in 1996, since when the local authority has been Angus Council . The name "Angus" indicates the territory of the eighth-century Pictish king, Óengus I . The area that now comprises Angus has been occupied since at least
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#17328805455652808-498: Was more uncertain. Moray may at times during the 11th century have operated as a separate kingdom or as a base for competing claimants for the throne of Alba, and control by the kings of Alba remained variable until 1230. Ross occupied an ambiguous and shifting status between the Gaelic -speakers to the south and the Norse inhabitants to the north until it was established as an earldom in
2862-630: Was on the basis of reciprocal relationships and accommodations with local power-groups. Provinces could form the basis for powerful regional hegemonies, often varying in their support for different royal lines. This system of competing royal lineages with different provincial powerbases led to a pattern of violent royal succession, with twelve of the twenty kings ruling between 858 and 1093 being killed in internal violence by their own subjects. In turn kings defeating mormaer -led provincial rebellions could respond by taking more provincial territory into their own direct control. The crown held far more land than
2916-445: Was the cornerstone of Scottish government, collecting the revenue that funded central royal government and extending the reach of royal power into aristocratic jurisdictions, while over the course of the 14th and 15th centuries the role of the earl became increasingly honorific, with many having even fewer direct associations with the provinces after which they were named. The provinces did not become obsolete, however, retaining at least
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