Drumlithie
Encyclopedia
Drumlithie is a village in the northeast of Scotland
in the area known as the Howe o' the Mearns. Situated seven miles south of Stonehaven
in Aberdeenshire
, it is affectionately known by locals as 'Skite', although the origin of this name remains disputed.
Previously a weaving village, Drumlithie has a small steeple at its heart which was rung to signal the start and end of the working day. Ask a local what happens to the steeple when it rains and it is sure to raise a smile. Story has it that villagers are so proud of it that they take it in when it rains. These days the only time the bell can be heard ringing round the village is to welcome in the New Year.
Drumlithie is noted for its appearance in the classic Lewis Grassic Gibbon
novel, 'Sunset Song
', while neighbouring Glenbervie
is the final resting place of the great grandparents of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns
. Drumlithie is also twinned with Couture D'Argenson in France.
The village school is called Glenbervie Primary, and is attended by local children from the village and surrounding area. Other amenities include a pub, bowling green, two parks and a village hall. The larger of the two parks contains a football pitch and tennis court, and serves as the school playing field. It also plays host to the annual Drumlithie Gala, which is held on the second Saturday of June each year. The finale of the gala is the Single vs Married Men's football match, which is a good humoured, but fiercely contested game.
Drumlithie has two church services every month. On the first Sunday, there is a Church of Scotland meeting at Glenbervie Parish Church just outside the village and on the fourth Sunday, Drumlithie Community Church meets either at the village hall or Bowling club.
archaeological recoveries are situated somewhat to the north near Stonehaven
at the Fetteresso
and Spurryhillock
sites. Drumlithie is located near the marching course of Roman Legions that may their way north on explorations and invasion of northern Scotland in the first two centuries AD. These marches connected a series of Roman Camps including Stracathro
to the south and Raedykes
to the north.
Mention must be made of one son of Glenbervie whose fame is known "the warld ower".... Our national bard, Rabbie Burns, whose forbears farmed on the braes of Brawliemuir. It was from the farm of Clochnahill, just off the main Laurencekirk to Stonehaven road, that Rabbie's father left the howe to seek a better livelihood in other airts.
The old Churchyard at Glenbervie is where many of the Burns ancestors are buried, and it was one of the places visited by the Bard when he came to the Mearns.
In the 12th Century much of Glenbervie was owned by the Melville family, one of whom was the hated John Melville, Sherrif of Kincardine, who is purported to have met a rather gruesome end! But more of him when we reach the Garvock Hill.
Fiddes Castle
is situated in the surrounding area. Slightly more distant castles in the general area are Dunnottar Castle
, Drumtochty Castle
, Fetteresso Castle
and Muchalls Castle
.
Near the "new" Parish Church, which was built in 1826, stands Glenbervie House, parts of which date back to the 17th Century.
Drumlithie is the only village in the Parish and, rather like Marykirk, its original layout tends to be clustered near the churches and the hostelry. Because of its situation, which is well removed from the main North-South highway, it has retained much of its yesteryear charm. A considerable amount of new housing has sprung up on the periphery and increased the local population, but the heart remains much as before.
The Drumlithie steeple
has to be one of the most famous landmarks of the entire area and the story goes that when it was first built in 1770 the inhabitants were so proud of it that they took it indoors in inclement weather. In fact the tall free-standing Steeple of Bell Tower, complete with its weather-vane, was built as a means of "clocking on and off" for the members of the local weaving community. So here again we find that in years gone by weaving was one of the main occupations of the inhabitants of the Howe o' the Mearns.
Drumlithie Village is the site of the Glenbervie Parish School, a very well attended establishment which caters for pupils from a wide area of the district.
The name Drumlithie is thought to be derived from the old meaning of a Drum, being the ridge of a slope or hillside, and Lithie could possibly mean "Grey Place".
Close to Drumlithie is the land of Mondynes, and here again springs the history of Scottish kings and their battles. It was here that King Duncan the Second is thought to have been slain, and the spot where he fell, in a field at Mill of Mondynes, is marked by a large standing stone which, legend has it, must be kept whitewashed at all times.
Across the dual carriageway from Mondynes is the road which leads over the Hill of Gyratesmyre and Alpity to Arbuthnott
.
Broadcasting from nearby Stonehaven in the Townhall, Mearns FM helps to keep Drumlithie up to date with local and charity events, as well as playing a wee bit of music. Staffed completely by volunteers, Mearns FM is run as a not for profit organisation, broadcasting under a Community Radio licence, with a remit to provide local focus news events and programming. Jointly funded by local adverts and local and national grants. Mearns FM has one of the largest listening areas of any Community Radio Station owing to the Mearns' distributed population, Mearns FM was set up to try to bring these distant communities together.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the area known as the Howe o' the Mearns. Situated seven miles south of Stonehaven
Stonehaven
Stonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.Stonehaven, county town of Kincardineshire, grew around an Iron Age fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" , and expanded inland from the seaside...
in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, it is affectionately known by locals as 'Skite', although the origin of this name remains disputed.
Previously a weaving village, Drumlithie has a small steeple at its heart which was rung to signal the start and end of the working day. Ask a local what happens to the steeple when it rains and it is sure to raise a smile. Story has it that villagers are so proud of it that they take it in when it rains. These days the only time the bell can be heard ringing round the village is to welcome in the New Year.
Drumlithie is noted for its appearance in the classic Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell , a Scottish writer.-Biography:...
novel, 'Sunset Song
Sunset Song
Sunset Song is a 1932 novel by the Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon. It is widely regarded as one of the most important Scottish novels of the 20th century...
', while neighbouring Glenbervie
Glenbervie
Glenbervie is located in the North East of Scotland in the Howe o' the Mearns. One mile from the village of Drumlithie, and eight miles south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, this picturesque rural area is home to Glenbervie House and estate....
is the final resting place of the great grandparents of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
. Drumlithie is also twinned with Couture D'Argenson in France.
The village school is called Glenbervie Primary, and is attended by local children from the village and surrounding area. Other amenities include a pub, bowling green, two parks and a village hall. The larger of the two parks contains a football pitch and tennis court, and serves as the school playing field. It also plays host to the annual Drumlithie Gala, which is held on the second Saturday of June each year. The finale of the gala is the Single vs Married Men's football match, which is a good humoured, but fiercely contested game.
Drumlithie has two church services every month. On the first Sunday, there is a Church of Scotland meeting at Glenbervie Parish Church just outside the village and on the fourth Sunday, Drumlithie Community Church meets either at the village hall or Bowling club.
Ancient history
Some of the nearest Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
archaeological recoveries are situated somewhat to the north near Stonehaven
Stonehaven
Stonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.Stonehaven, county town of Kincardineshire, grew around an Iron Age fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" , and expanded inland from the seaside...
at the Fetteresso
Fetteresso Castle
Fetteresso Castle is a 14th century towerhouse, rebuilt in 1761 as a Scottish gothic style Palladian manor, with clear evidence of prehistoric use of the site. It is situated immediately west of the town of Stonehaven in Kincardineshire slightly to the west of the A90 dual carriageway...
and Spurryhillock
Spurryhillock
Spurryhillock is a mesolithic archaeological site and modern industrial estate at Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.-Vicinity history:Historical features in the local area include Fetteresso Castle, Ury House, Stonehaven Tolbooth, Dunnottar Castle and Muchalls Castle. On the Fetteresso Estate...
sites. Drumlithie is located near the marching course of Roman Legions that may their way north on explorations and invasion of northern Scotland in the first two centuries AD. These marches connected a series of Roman Camps including Stracathro
Stracathro
Stracathro is a small place in Angus, Scotland,-Location:Stracathro is located 2½ miles southeast of Edzell in NE Angus. It lies to the northeast of Brechin on the A90.-History:...
to the south and Raedykes
Raedykes
Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over 3 miles NW of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902...
to the north.
Mention must be made of one son of Glenbervie whose fame is known "the warld ower".... Our national bard, Rabbie Burns, whose forbears farmed on the braes of Brawliemuir. It was from the farm of Clochnahill, just off the main Laurencekirk to Stonehaven road, that Rabbie's father left the howe to seek a better livelihood in other airts.
The old Churchyard at Glenbervie is where many of the Burns ancestors are buried, and it was one of the places visited by the Bard when he came to the Mearns.
In the 12th Century much of Glenbervie was owned by the Melville family, one of whom was the hated John Melville, Sherrif of Kincardine, who is purported to have met a rather gruesome end! But more of him when we reach the Garvock Hill.
Fiddes Castle
Fiddes Castle
Fiddes Castle is a 16th century historical national monument in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Other castles in this region of Kincardine and Mearns are Dunnottar Castle, Fetteresso Castle, Muchalls Castle and the ruined Cowie Castle. Prehistoric features in the vicinity include Bruxie Hill...
is situated in the surrounding area. Slightly more distant castles in the general area are Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th–16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages...
, Drumtochty Castle
Drumtochty Castle
Drumtochty Castle is a neo-gothic style castellated mansion erected in the year 1812 approximately three kilometres northwest of Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This castle stands on the southern edge of Drumtochty Forest...
, Fetteresso Castle
Fetteresso Castle
Fetteresso Castle is a 14th century towerhouse, rebuilt in 1761 as a Scottish gothic style Palladian manor, with clear evidence of prehistoric use of the site. It is situated immediately west of the town of Stonehaven in Kincardineshire slightly to the west of the A90 dual carriageway...
and Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well preserved double groined 13th century towerhouse structure, built by the Frasers of Muchalls. Upon this structure, the 17th century castle was begun by...
.
Near the "new" Parish Church, which was built in 1826, stands Glenbervie House, parts of which date back to the 17th Century.
Drumlithie is the only village in the Parish and, rather like Marykirk, its original layout tends to be clustered near the churches and the hostelry. Because of its situation, which is well removed from the main North-South highway, it has retained much of its yesteryear charm. A considerable amount of new housing has sprung up on the periphery and increased the local population, but the heart remains much as before.
The Drumlithie steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
has to be one of the most famous landmarks of the entire area and the story goes that when it was first built in 1770 the inhabitants were so proud of it that they took it indoors in inclement weather. In fact the tall free-standing Steeple of Bell Tower, complete with its weather-vane, was built as a means of "clocking on and off" for the members of the local weaving community. So here again we find that in years gone by weaving was one of the main occupations of the inhabitants of the Howe o' the Mearns.
Drumlithie Village is the site of the Glenbervie Parish School, a very well attended establishment which caters for pupils from a wide area of the district.
The name Drumlithie is thought to be derived from the old meaning of a Drum, being the ridge of a slope or hillside, and Lithie could possibly mean "Grey Place".
Close to Drumlithie is the land of Mondynes, and here again springs the history of Scottish kings and their battles. It was here that King Duncan the Second is thought to have been slain, and the spot where he fell, in a field at Mill of Mondynes, is marked by a large standing stone which, legend has it, must be kept whitewashed at all times.
Across the dual carriageway from Mondynes is the road which leads over the Hill of Gyratesmyre and Alpity to Arbuthnott
Arbuthnott
Arbuthnott is a small village in northeast Scotland, 26 miles south of Aberdeen. It is located on the B967 east of Fordoun and north-west of Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire. The nearest train station is Stonehaven....
.
Local Radio
Alongside the commercial enterprise of the local newspaper, The Mearns Leader, Drumlithie has a Local Community Radio Station in Mearns FM.Broadcasting from nearby Stonehaven in the Townhall, Mearns FM helps to keep Drumlithie up to date with local and charity events, as well as playing a wee bit of music. Staffed completely by volunteers, Mearns FM is run as a not for profit organisation, broadcasting under a Community Radio licence, with a remit to provide local focus news events and programming. Jointly funded by local adverts and local and national grants. Mearns FM has one of the largest listening areas of any Community Radio Station owing to the Mearns' distributed population, Mearns FM was set up to try to bring these distant communities together.