Fraserburgh
Encyclopedia
Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

 at 12,454 and estimated at 12,630 in 2006. It lies at the extreme northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, around 40 miles (64 km) north of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

, and 17 miles (27 km) north of Peterhead
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....

. It is the largest shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...

 port in Europe, landing over 12,000 tonnes in 2008, and is also a major white fish
Whitefish (fisheries term)
Whitefish or white fish is a fisheries term referring to several species of demersal fish with fins, particularly cod , whiting , and haddock , but also hake , pollock , or others...

 port and busy commercial harbour.

History

The name of the town means, literally, 'burgh of Fraser', after the Fraser family
Frasers of Philorth
The Frasers of Philorth are a Scottish lowland family, originally from the Anjou region of France. Their family seat is in Sauchen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Since the time of Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun, the heads of the Philorth family are the Lords Saltoun. The current head of the...

 that bought the lands of Philorth in 1504 and thereafter brought about major improvement due to investment over the next century. Fraserburgh became a burgh of barony
Burgh of barony
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....

 in 1546. By 1570, the Fraser family had built a castle (Fraserburgh Castle) at Kinnaird's Head and within a year the area church was built. By the 1590s the area known as Faithlie was developing a small harbour.

In 1592, Faithlie was renamed Fraserburgh by a charter of the Crown under King James VI. Sir Alexander Fraser was given permission to improve and govern the town as Lord Saltoun. At present this title is still in existence and is held by Flora Fraser, 20th Lady Saltoun and head of Clan Fraser
Clan Fraser
Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of French origin. The Clan has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Since its founding, the Clan has dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict...

. The Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

 also gave permission to build a college and university in Fraserburgh allowing the Lord Saltoun to appoint a rector, a principal, a sub-principal, and all the professors for teaching the different sciences.

A grant from the Scottish Parliament in 1595 allowed the first college building to be erected by Alexander Fraser, and in 1597 the General Assembly
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...

 of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....

 recommended the Rev. Charles Ferme, then minister at the Old Parish, to be its first (and only) principal.

In 1601, Fraserburgh became a burgh of regality
Burgh of regality
A burgh of regality is a type of Scottish town.They were distinct from royal burghs as they were granted to "lords of regality", leading noblemen....

. The college, however, closed only a decade or so after Ferme's arrest on the orders of James VI for taking part in the 1605 General Assembly, being used again only for a short time in 1647 when King's College, Aberdeen
King's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and an integral part of the University of Aberdeen...

 temporarily relocated owing to an outbreak of plague. A plaque commemorating its existence may be seen on the exterior wall of the remains of the Alexandra Hotel in College Bounds.

Fraserburgh thereafter remained relatively quiet until 1787 when Fraserburgh Castle was converted to Kinnaird Head
Kinnaird Head
Kinnaird Head is a headland projecting into the North Sea, within the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire on the east coast of Scotland. It is the site of the first lighthouse in Scotland to be lit by the Commissioners of Northern Lights...

 Lighthouse, Scotland's first mainland lighthouse. In 1803, the original 1571 church building was replaced and enlarged to seat 1000 people. The Auld Kirk was to be the standing authority in the town up until the 1840s.

The Statistical Account on the Parish of Fraserburgh, written between 1791-1799 (probably 1791) by Rev. Alexander Simpson of the Old Parish Church, shows that the population of Fraserburgh was growing with peaks due to seasonal employment. He records a population of about 2000 in 1780 of whom only 1000 resided in the town. There was an additional population of 200 in the village of Broadsea. He makes a point of the arrival of Dr. Webster in Fraserburgh in 1755 claiming that the population then only stood at 1682. By the time the account was written the population had increased by 518 souls since 1755. Rev. Simpson also gives accounts of deaths, births and marriages. Between 1784-1791, he claims to have an average of 37 baptisms, 14 marriages and 19 deaths per year. More notably, the statistical account mentions activities with the harbour. He describes the harbour as small but good, telling that it had the capability to take vessels with '200 tons burden' at the time the account was written. The account also mentions that Fraserburgh had tried and succeeded in shipbuilding especially after 1784. His account finishes speaking of a proposed enlargement of the harbour. He claims that the local people would willingly donate what they could afford but only if additional funding was provided by the Government and Royal Burghs.

The second statistical account, written as a follow up to the first of the 1790s, was written in January 1840 by Rev. John Cumming. He records population in 1791 as 2215 growing to only 2271 by 1811, but increasing massively to 2954 by 1831. He considered the herring fishing, which intensified in 1815, to be the most important reason for this population boom. By 1840 he writes that seamen were marrying early with 86 marriages and 60 births in the parish in the space of one year. On top of this increased population, he explains that the herring season seen an additional 1200 people working in the Parish. There is also mention of the prosperity of this trade bringing about an increase in general wealth with a change in both dress and diet. Cumming also records 37 illegitimate children from 1837-1840 although he keeps no record of death. The prosperity of the economy also brought about improvement within the town with a considerable amount of new houses being built in the town. The people were gaining from the herring industry as in real terms rent fell by 6% from 1815 to 1840. Lord Saltoun was described as the predominant land owner earning £2266,13s,4d in rents. This period also saw the extension of the harbour with a northern pier of 300 yards built between 1807–1812 and, in 1818, a southern pier built by Act of Parliament. Cumming states that no less than £30,000 was spent developing the harbour between 1807 and 1840 by which time the harbour held 8 vessels of 45-155 tons and 220 boats of the herring fishery.

A railway station
Fraserburgh railway station
Fraserburgh railway station is a former railway station that once served the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire. It formed a junction where two lines met, the main line from the south terminated here, where it was joined by a small coastal branch line from St Combs . It is now closed, and the site...

 opened in 1865 and trains operated to Aberdeen
Aberdeen railway station
Aberdeen railway station is the main railway station in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is the busiest railway station in Scotland north of the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.- History :...

 via Maud and Dyce, as well as a short branch line to St. Combs
St Combs railway station
St Combs railway station was a railway station in St Combs, Aberdeenshire.The station was the terminus of the short branch line from Fraserburgh. The line opened in 1903 and closed in 1965.Former Services-References:...

. It was, however, closed to passengers in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...

, though freight trains continued to operate until 1979, after which the station site was redeveloped.

Lifeboat

The town has had a local lifeboat on service since 1806 which was run privately by the local Harbour Board until the first RNLI operated station opened in 1858. This was the first official RNLI station opened in Scotland. Throughout the 20th century, Fraserburgh suffered three lifeboat disasters. First, in 1918, the 'Lady Rothes' capsized while assisting H.M. Drifter Eminent. Coxswain Andrew Noble and Acting Second Coxswain Andrew Faquhar drowned. Second, on the 9th February 1953, six crew members lost their lives when the lifeboat capsized while escorting fishing vessels to the harbour. On this occasion Coxswain Andrew Ritchie, Mechanic George Duthie, Bowman Charles Tait, Assistant Mechanic James Noble and Crew Members John Crawford and John Buchan all lost their lives - the only survivor was Charles Tait. Lastly, on 21 January 1970 while on service to the Danish fishing vessel Opal, the lifeboat The Duchess of Kent capsized with the loss of five of her crew of six. Those killed were Coxswain John Stephen, Mechanic Frederick Kirkness and Crew Members William Hadden, James RS Buchan and James Buchan. In 2009, a local campaign was started to raise £40,000 to erect an official monument to the 14 men who lost their lives whilst serving on the Fraserburgh Lifeboat. Coxswain Victor Sutherland announced in June 2010 that the total had been achieved. The monument was unveiled by Flora Fraser, 20th Lady Saltoun, in August 2010.

Politics

  • UK Constituency: Banff and Buchan
    Banff and Buchan (UK Parliament constituency)
    Banff and Buchan is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the north-east of Scotland within the Aberdeenshire council area...

     — Eilidh Whiteford
    Eilidh Whiteford
    Eilidh Whiteford is the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Banff and Buchan....

    , Scottish National Party
    Scottish National Party
    The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....

     (SNP), (2010–)
  • Scottish Parliament Constituency: Banffshire and Buchan Coast
    Banffshire and Buchan Coast (Scottish Parliament constituency)
    Banffshire and Buchan Coast is a new constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...

     — Stewart Stevenson
    Stewart Stevenson
    Stewart Stevenson is a Scottish politician who became a member of the Scottish Parliament in 2001....

    , SNP, (2001–) Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
    Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
    The Minister for Housing and Transport is a member of the Scottish Government who works to the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment...

     (2007-)
  • Aberdeenshire Council: Fraserburgh and District Ward - 2007 elections: 3 SNP councillors and 1 independent councillor elected

Landmarks

The town has several attractions including an award winning sand beach, a major harbour, the lighthouse museum, heritage centre and a variety of amenities and facilities.
It is home to the famous Kinnaird Head
Kinnaird Head
Kinnaird Head is a headland projecting into the North Sea, within the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire on the east coast of Scotland. It is the site of the first lighthouse in Scotland to be lit by the Commissioners of Northern Lights...

 lighthouse/castle.
Fraserburgh also has a variety of churches including;
3 Church of Scotland congregations ( Old Parish, South Church and West Church),
4 Pentecostal churches (Elim Pentecostal, Assembly of God, Calvary Church and Emmanual Christian Fellowship),
as well as Baptist, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Congregational, Brethren and Bethesda Evangelical Church and the Salvation Army.
Also the community war memorial by Alexander Carrick
Alexander Carrick
Alexander Carrick 1882–1966 was one of Scotland’s leading monumental sculptors of the early part of the 20th century. He was responsible for many architectural and ecclesiastical works as well as many war memorials executed in the period following World War I...



The oldest church building in Fraserburgh is Fraserburgh Old Parish Church
Fraserburgh Old Parish Church
Fraserburgh Old Parish Church was founded in 1571 in the village of Faithlie which was soon to be built up into the town of Fraserburgh. The church itself was the first new structure of Sir Alexander Fraser's new town after the Castle of Kinnaird's Head. It did not take long for the church to...

.

Education

The town has a variety of educational establishments, including four primary schools (Fraserburgh North School, Fraserburgh South Park School, Lochpots School, St Andrew's School), a secondary school (Fraserburgh Academy), a SEN school (Westfield School), and a college of further education (Banff and Buchan College). The college is going under a £40 Million refurbish and is said to be finished in December 2011 according to the college's website.

For the short-lived Fraserburgh University see above under History.

Fraserburgh Academy

The academy was opened in 1909 in an older, building which now houses the school's Art Department. A new, more modern school was built in the 1950s, and improvements are constantly being made. The school has had many succes ses these past few years including having several of its pupils gaining prizes over a number of years in a nationwide photography competition - Focus Environment.

In early 2009, a group of MPs from the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...

 held a petition committee meeting in the school.
Also in early 2009, the art department of the school organised commemorate photo exhibition in memory Glover's early years of living in Fraserburgh. These photos were displayed throughout the town, and some of the photos are being used as part of the Homecoming Scotland campaign. See article - Thomas Blake Glover
Thomas Blake Glover
Thomas Blake Glover, Order of the Rising Sun was a Scottish merchant in Bakumatsu and Meiji period Japan.-Early life :...



In September 2009, the school had a visit from the Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...

 Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy, CBE, FRSL is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is Professor of Contemporary Poetry at the Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Britain's poet laureate in May 2009...

 who gave a speech to pupils from the school and others from the whole of Aberdeenshire.
In 2010, Fraserburgh Academy's Rector, John Noble, introduced a new compulsory school dress code. This was done after consultation with pupils, staff and parents and the change has been well supported.

Economy

Fraserburgh is heavily dependent on the fishing industry, which provides 60% of employment in the town.

BrewDog
BrewDog
BrewDog is a Scottish brewery located in the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.- History :BrewDog was founded in 2006 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie. The brewery at the Kessock Industrial Estate in Fraserburgh produced its first brew in April 2007...

, Scotland's largest independent brewery, is based in the town.

Sports

Fraserburgh has a number of sporting facilities including a swimming pool, ten-pin bowling alley, tennis courts, putting green, martial arts dojo, skatepark and football pitches.

Fraserburgh golf club is the fifth oldest club in Scotland and seventh oldest in the world. It has both an 18 hole and a 9 hole course, and a modern clubhouse.

Fraserburgh Football Club is a senior football club that plays in the Highland League
Highland Football League
The Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...

. Fraserburgh United FC is a junior football club that plays in the Scottish Junior Football North Premier League
Scottish Junior Football North Premier League
The Scottish Junior Football North Premier League is the highest division of the North Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association...

 (also known as the North Superleague).

Local dialect

The town has a strong version of the Doric dialect
Doric dialect (Scotland)
Doric, the popular name for Mid Northern Scots or Northeast Scots, refers to the dialects of Scots spoken in the northeast of Scotland.-Nomenclature:...

. As a result, a recent documentary series from the BBC entitled 'Trawlermen'
was subtitled for the benefit of English-speakers.

Notable people

  • George Bruce (1909–2002): Poet of the Scottish literary renaissance
  • Charlie Duncan (football manager): Fraserburgh Football Club manager from 1984-2011.
  • Bill Gibb (1943–1988): born in Fraserburgh; became international fashion designer
  • Steve Fairnie
    Steve Fairnie
    Steve Fairnie was a British musician, painter, sculptor, actor, board game designer and chicken hypnotist, best known as the frontman of the post-punk band Writz, and as one half - with his wife Bev Sage - of the 1980s pop outfit Techno Twins .-Career:Born in Fraserburgh and raised in Bristol,...

     (1951–1993) : Fraserburgh born musician, painter, sculptor, actor, board game designer, chicken hypnotist, frontman of the post-punk band Writz and half of the Techno Twins.
  • William Fraser, 12th Lord Saltoun
    William Fraser, 12th Lord Saltoun
    William Fraser, 12th Lord Saltoun , was a Scottish peer and the 11th Laird of Philorth.-Early years:Fraser was born on 11 November 1654 in the small town of Fraserburgh. His father was Alexander Fraser, Master of Saltoun and Lady Ann Kerr...

     (1654–1715): born in Philorth; voted against ratifying the Treaty of Union
    Treaty of Union
    The Treaty of Union is the name given to the agreement that led to the creation of the united kingdom of Great Britain, the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, which took effect on 1 May 1707...

    .
  • Thomas Blake Glover
    Thomas Blake Glover
    Thomas Blake Glover, Order of the Rising Sun was a Scottish merchant in Bakumatsu and Meiji period Japan.-Early life :...

     (1838–1911): born in Fraserburgh, where his father worked for the coastguard, moved to Japan and founded Mitsubishi Company. Known as the Scottish Samuri. He has a local chip shop named after him.
  • Charles Alfred Jarvis
    Charles Alfred Jarvis
    Charles Alfred Jarvis VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....

     Recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was the first person to be awarded a VC during the First World War.
  • Robertson Macaulay
    Robertson Macaulay
    Robertson Macaulay was a Canadian insurance company executive.Born in Fraserburgh, Scotland, the son of Kenneth Macaulay and Margaret Noble, Macaulay emigrated to Canada in 1854 settling in Quebec...

     (1833–1915): one time president of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada).
  • Colonel William Macconnachie
    William Macconnachie
    Colonel William Macconnachie was a Scottish businessman, and politicianHe was born on 10 March 1848 in Dufftown, Scotland...

     of Knowsie, JP (1848-1932): businessman, local politician and Provost of Fraserburgh.
  • Charles Rawden Maclean
    Charles Rawden Maclean
    Charles Rawden Maclean, also known as "John Ross" was born on 17 August 1815 in Fraserburgh and died 13 August 1880 at sea on the RMS Larne while on route to Southampton...

     (1815–1880), alias "John Ross" opponent of slavery, was born in Fraserburgh
  • Captain Harold J. Milne
    Harold J. Milne
    Major Harold James Milne, OBE, MC, DL, JP was a figure in local government in the north east of Scotland, and a recipient of the Military Cross....

    , OBE, MC, DL
    Deputy Lieutenant
    In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....

    , JP
    Justice of the Peace
    A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

     (1889-1963): Provost of Fraserburgh, Deputy Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire.
  • Dennis Nilsen
    Dennis Nilsen
    Dennis Andrew Nilsen also known as the Muswell Hill Murderer and the Kindly Killer is a British serial killer who lived in London....

     (1945–): serial killer; born at Academy Road, Fraserburgh.
  • James Ewen Milne (1935-2003): born in fraserburgh; golf player for fraserburgh golf course and was a member of the fraserburgh football team of the 60s.
  • James Ramsay
    James Ramsay (abolitionist)
    James Ramsay was a ship’s surgeon, Anglican priest, and leading abolitionist.-Early life and Naval service:Ramsay was born at Fraserburgh, Scotland, the son of William Ramsay, ship’s carpenter, and Margaret Ogilvie. He was apprenticed to a local surgeon and later educated at King's College,...

     (1733–89): born in Fraserburgh; anti-slavery campaigner.
  • Sir George Strahan
    George Strahan
    Major Sir George Cumine Strahan KCMG was a British military officer and colonial administrator, best known as the Governor of Tasmania from 1881 to 1886.-Early life and military career:...

     (1838–87): born in Fraserburgh; British colonial governor.
  • Christian Watt
    Christian Watt
    Christian Watt was born in 1833 in Broadsea, the fishertown of Fraserburgh. Her four brothers, husband and thirteen year old son were all fishermen killed at sea. This resulted in her being admitted to an asylum in Aberdeen...

     (1833–1923): author of 'Christian Watt diaries'
  • Joseph Watt
    Joseph Watt
    Joseph Watt, VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...

     (1887–1955): Gardenstown
    Gardenstown
    Gardenstown is a small village near Banff in Aberdeenshire, Northeast Scotland. It is known locally as 'Gamrie', from the name of the parish in which it stands. Gardenstown was founded in 1720 by Alexander Garden as a coastal fishing village...

     born; recipient of the Victoria Cross 15 May 1917
  • Stan Williams
    Stan Williams (author)
    Stan Williams was a contemporary of the Beatles who, after retiring, authored Penny Lane is in My Ears and in My Eyes which describes memories and insights into the lives of John Lennon, George Harrison and others as they grew up in Liverpool...

     (1940-): Liverpool
    Liverpool
    Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

    born but lived in Fraserburgh since 1975; author of "Penny Lane is in My Ears and in My Eyes" about growing up with The Beatles

External links

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