Friockheim
Encyclopedia
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, Scotland
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...
dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Brechin
Brechin
Brechin is a former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese , but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era...
, Montrose
Montrose, Angus
Montrose is a coastal resort town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. It is situated 38 miles north of Dundee between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers...
, Arbroath
Arbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
and Forfar
Forfar
Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
.
History
The name 'Friockheim', literally translated, means 'Heather Home', with Friock being a derivative from the Gaelic 'fraoch' (heather) and 'heim' from the German for home. The word 'Friockheim' as a whole, is pronounced 'Free-come'.The birth of the village took place soon after 1814 when Thomas Gardyne
Thomas Gardyne
Thomas Gardyne of Middleton and Finavon was a Scottish laird and founder of the village of Friockheim in Angus, Scotland.-Family:He was the third son of James Gardyne of Lawton and Middleton and Mary Wallace, daughter of Thomas Wallace a merchant, ship-owner and Provost of Arbroath.-Friockheim:A...
of Middleton succeeded his brother as the laird of the lands of Friock and feued them to Mr John Andson, of Arbroath, who built a flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
spinning mill and as proprietor-in-feu attracted many textile workers to come and settle on easy terms in what was at first known as Friock feus.
Mr Andson's son, Johii Andson added in the 'heim' part of the name. He had to obtain the sanction of Thomas Gardyne as superior and together they agreed on the following advertisement, which is thought of as Friockheim’s foundation charter.
Printed in Arbroath and dated May 22, 1824 this read:
- "The Spinning Mill and Village of Friock, of which Mr Gardyne of Middleton is the Superior, and Mr John Andson, Proprietor holding in feu, hitherto called 'Friock Feus' from this date henceforward is to be named “FRIOCKHEIM” and of which change of designation this on the part of Mr Gardyne and Mr Andson is notice unto all whom it may concern.”
John Andson died in office in 1814 and his mill was burnt to the ground in 1862.
Recent changes
The village of Friockheim now has a population of around 800 - lower than its peak of 1,200 in the early 1900s. It has a convenience store, newsagent and pharmacy as well as several small businesses and shops. There is also a public park and two village halls as well as a primary school and community centre. It also has its own church, dating from 1835.It used to be home to Douglas Fraser & Sons (Mfg) Ltd producing waterproof and leisure clothing but this firm no longer exists, and the ground where its mill was situated is now the site of modern housing. Planning conditions require the reinstatment of the mill lade, or at least part of it, with public access.
S.G. Baker Ltd produces hessian, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and polypropylene
Polypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
sacks for agriculture and business packaging. Although still based in the village, this firm is less involved in manufacturing than it used to be, and more involved in distributing goods that are manufactured overseas. It also has a base in Forfar
Forfar
Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
.
Friockheim now has a 'By Royal Appointment' sign, for Mike Lingard, Gunsmith
Gunsmith
A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds firearms. This occupation is different from an armorer. The armorer primarily maintains weapons and limited repairs involving parts replacement and possibly work involving accurization...
, who supplies guns to HRH Prince Charles. Mr Lingard's premises are in the former Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank is a commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group. In Scotland, Clydesdale Bank is the third largest clearing bank, although it also retains a branch network in London and the north of England...
building in Gardyne Street.
Park Grove Crematorium opened in the 1990s and is used by surrounding towns as well as Friockheim itself as it is currently the only one in Angus.