Tain
Encyclopedia
Tain is a royal burgh
and post town
in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty
, in the Highland
area of Scotland
.
is on the Far North Line
. The station is now unmanned; however, in its heyday it had a staff of 30 people. The station was opened by the Highland Railway
on 1 January 1864.
Notable buildings in the town include Tain Tolbooth and St Duthus Collegiate Church. The town also boasts a local history museum, Tain Through Time, and the Glenmorangie Distillery
.
Tain has two primary schools called Craighill (pupils - 274, April 2011) and Knockbreck (pupils - just under 120, April 2011) and a secondary school called Tain Royal Academy (pupil roll - just over 500, April 2011).
in 1066, making Tain Scotland's oldest Royal Burgh, an event commemorated in 1966 with the opening of the Rose Garden by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
. The 1066 charter, granted by King Malcolm III
, confirmed Tain both as a sanctuary
, where people could claim the protection of the church, and an "immunity", whose resident merchants and traders were exempt from certain types of taxes. These important ideas carried through the centuries and led to the development of the town as it is today.
Little is known of the earlier history of the town although it owed much of its importance to Duthac. He was an early Christian figure, perhaps 8th or 9th century, whose shrine had become so important by 1066 that it resulted in the royal charter already mentioned. The ruined chapel near the mouth of the river was said to have been built on the site of his birth. Duthac became an official saint in 1419 and by the late Middle Ages his shrine was established as one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Scotland. The most famous pilgrim was King James IV
, who came at least once a year throughout his reign to achieve both spiritual and political aims.
A leading landowning family of the area was the Clan Munro
who provided many leading political and religious figures to the town, including the dissenter Rev John Munro of Tain
(died ca. 1630).
The early Duthac Chapel was the center of a sanctuary. Fugitives were by tradition given sanctuary inside an area of several square miles marked by boundary stones. During the First War of Scottish Independence
, Robert the Bruce sent his wife and daughter to the sanctuary for safe keeping. The sanctuary was violated and they were captured by forces loyal to John Balliol. The women were taken to England where they were kept as prisoners for several years.
. The "drome" was home to many British, Czech (311-th,Sqn.) and Polish airmen during World War II
. The aerodrome was abandoned as a flying location after the war and was converted into a bombing range for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. When British naval aviation moved away from large fleet aircraft carriers, the Fleet Air Arm role was taken over by the RAF. The Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) at Lossiemouth
converted to an RAF base and the Tain range reverted to the RAF. Large parts of the original aerodrome were returned to civilian use after World War II and some are still accessible.
There are five important castles in the vicinity - Carbisdale Castle
, built for the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland and now a youth hostel; Skibo Castle
, once the home of the industrialist Andrew Carnegie
and now an exclusive hotel; Dunrobin Castle
, ancestral seat of the Duke of Sutherland
(castle and gardens open to the public); Balnagown Castle
, ancestral seat of the Clan Ross, restored and owned by Mohammed Al Fayed; and Ballone Castle, recently restored by the owners of a local crafts business.
Highland Fine Cheeses, run by Ruaridh Stone (the brother of Liberal MSP Jamie Stone
), have a factory at Blarliath Farm, Tain. Tain is also close to Glenmorangie Distillery.
Tain itself features several amenities, such as a library, community centre, two 4-star hotels, a music shop, several fast food outlets, a town hall and a popular bookshop.
To the southeast of Tain lies the site of the medieval Fearn Abbey
, the current parish church of the same name dates from 1772.
, Dornoch
, Kirkwall
and Wick in the Northern Burghs constituency of the House of Commons
of the Parliament of Great Britain
from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
from 1801 to 1918. Cromarty
was added to the list in 1832.
The constituency was a district of burghs known also as Tain Burghs
until 1832, and then as Wick Burghs
. It was represented by one Member of Parliament
. In 1918 the constituency was abolished and the Tain component was merged into Ross and Cromarty
.
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
and post town
Post town
A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system. Including the correct post town in the address increases the chances of a letter or parcel being delivered on time. Post towns are usually based upon the location of...
in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...
, in the Highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
area of 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...
.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Tain" is uncertain and may be derived from the pre-Celtic name for the nearby River Tain. The origin of the town's Gaelic name is however quite clear; Baile Dubhthaich, meaning 'Duthac's town' after the saint of this name, also known as Duthus.Facilities
Tain railway stationTain railway station
Tain railway station is a railway station serving the burgh of Tain in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line. The station is currently unmanned....
is on the Far North Line
Far North Line
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick.- Route :...
. The station is now unmanned; however, in its heyday it had a staff of 30 people. The station was opened by the Highland Railway
Highland Railway
The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
on 1 January 1864.
Notable buildings in the town include Tain Tolbooth and St Duthus Collegiate Church. The town also boasts a local history museum, Tain Through Time, and the Glenmorangie Distillery
Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie is a distillery in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland that produces single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery is owned by The Glenmorangie Company Ltd, whose main product is the range of Glenmorangie single malt whisky. Glenmorangie is categorised as a Highland distillery and boasts the...
.
Tain has two primary schools called Craighill (pupils - 274, April 2011) and Knockbreck (pupils - just under 120, April 2011) and a secondary school called Tain Royal Academy (pupil roll - just over 500, April 2011).
History
Tain was granted its first royal charterRoyal 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...
in 1066, making Tain Scotland's oldest Royal Burgh, an event commemorated in 1966 with the opening of the Rose Garden by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
. The 1066 charter, granted by King Malcolm III
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
, confirmed Tain both as a sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, where people could claim the protection of the church, and an "immunity", whose resident merchants and traders were exempt from certain types of taxes. These important ideas carried through the centuries and led to the development of the town as it is today.
Little is known of the earlier history of the town although it owed much of its importance to Duthac. He was an early Christian figure, perhaps 8th or 9th century, whose shrine had become so important by 1066 that it resulted in the royal charter already mentioned. The ruined chapel near the mouth of the river was said to have been built on the site of his birth. Duthac became an official saint in 1419 and by the late Middle Ages his shrine was established as one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Scotland. The most famous pilgrim was King James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
, who came at least once a year throughout his reign to achieve both spiritual and political aims.
A leading landowning family of the area was the Clan Munro
Clan Munro
-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
who provided many leading political and religious figures to the town, including the dissenter Rev John Munro of Tain
Rev John Munro of Tain
The Reverend John Munro was a Presbyterian minister of Tain, in the Scottish Highlands. As a Presbyterian, he resisted the efforts of King James VI of Scotland to unite the Presbyterian Church of Scotland with the Episcopalian Church of England...
(died ca. 1630).
The early Duthac Chapel was the center of a sanctuary. Fugitives were by tradition given sanctuary inside an area of several square miles marked by boundary stones. During the First War of Scottish Independence
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
, Robert the Bruce sent his wife and daughter to the sanctuary for safe keeping. The sanctuary was violated and they were captured by forces loyal to John Balliol. The women were taken to England where they were kept as prisoners for several years.
RAF Tain
With conflict looming in the 1930s, an aerodrome large enough for bombers was built adjacent to the town. It was on a low-lying alluvial plain known as the Fendom bordering the Dornoch FirthDornoch Firth
The Dornoch Firth is a firth on the east coast of Highland, in northern Scotland. It forms part of the boundary between Ross and Cromarty, to the south, and Sutherland, to the north....
. The "drome" was home to many British, Czech (311-th,Sqn.) and Polish airmen during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The aerodrome was abandoned as a flying location after the war and was converted into a bombing range for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. When British naval aviation moved away from large fleet aircraft carriers, the Fleet Air Arm role was taken over by the RAF. The Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) at Lossiemouth
Lossiemouth
Lossiemouth is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important fishing town. Although there has been over a 1,000 years of settlement in the area, the present day town was formed over the past 250 years and consists of four separate communities that...
converted to an RAF base and the Tain range reverted to the RAF. Large parts of the original aerodrome were returned to civilian use after World War II and some are still accessible.
Sport
TRACC sporting facilities are located at Tain Royal Academy. They consist of an indoor 20-meter swimming pool, fitness suite, indoor hall, small gymnasium and an outdoor third-generation astrograss surface. TRACC provides all necessary equipment for the respective sport being played. Tain also has a tennis club, kempo club, bowling club and a golf course designed by Old Tom Morris. Tain Thistle Football Club are a local team who play in the North Caledonian Football League during the winter and the Ross-shire Welfare League during the summer months. Home matches are played at Grant Park (by the Links).Local geographical and visitor features
The Gizzen Briggs are sandbars at the entrance to the Dornoch Firth, and with the right wind conditions, they can be heard over a wide area at low tide. The so-called "million dollar view" to the north-west of Tain, accessible via the A836 westward and B9176 Struie moor road, gives a panoramic view of the Dornoch Firth and Sutherland.There are five important castles in the vicinity - Carbisdale Castle
Carbisdale Castle
Carbisdale Castle was built in 1907 for the Duchess of Sutherland and is now used as a youth hostel, operated by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association. It is located on a hill above the Kyle of Sutherland in the region of Ross and Cromarty in the Highlands. The castle is situated north of Culrain,...
, built for the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland and now a youth hostel; Skibo Castle
Skibo Castle
Skibo Castle is located to the west of Dornoch in the Highland county of Sutherland, Scotland overlooking the Dornoch Firth. Although the castle dates back to the 12th century, the present structure is largely of the 19th century, and early 20th century, when it was the home of industrialist...
, once the home of the industrialist Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
and now an exclusive hotel; Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is the seat of the Countess of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie, and approximately south of Brora, on the Dornoch Firth close to the A9 road. Nearby Dunrobin Castle railway...
, ancestral seat of the Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland, derived from Sutherland in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the head of the Leveson-Gower family. It was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford...
(castle and gardens open to the public); Balnagown Castle
Balnagown Castle
Balnagown Castle is located beside the village of Kildary in Easter Ross, part of the Highland area of Scotland. There has been a castle on the site since the 14th century, although the present building was remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries...
, ancestral seat of the Clan Ross, restored and owned by Mohammed Al Fayed; and Ballone Castle, recently restored by the owners of a local crafts business.
Highland Fine Cheeses, run by Ruaridh Stone (the brother of Liberal MSP Jamie Stone
Jamie Stone
James "Jamie" Stone is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He was a member of the Scottish Parliament for the constituency of Caithness, Sutherland, and Easter Ross, which is the northern-most mainland Scotland constituency and one of the largest constituencies in Britain...
), have a factory at Blarliath Farm, Tain. Tain is also close to Glenmorangie Distillery.
Tain itself features several amenities, such as a library, community centre, two 4-star hotels, a music shop, several fast food outlets, a town hall and a popular bookshop.
To the southeast of Tain lies the site of the medieval Fearn Abbey
Fearn Abbey
Fearn Abbey - known as "The Lamp of the North" - has its origins in one of Scotland's oldest pre-Reformation church buildings. Part of the Church of Scotland and located to the southeast of Tain, Ross-shire, it continues as an active parish church .The original Fearn Abbey was established in either...
, the current parish church of the same name dates from 1772.
Parliamentary burgh
Tain was a parliamentary burgh, combined with DingwallDingwall
Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...
, Dornoch
Dornoch
Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east...
, Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
and Wick in the Northern Burghs constituency of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
from 1801 to 1918. Cromarty
Cromarty
The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
was added to the list in 1832.
The constituency was a district of burghs known also as Tain Burghs
Tain Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Tain Burghs, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832, sometimes known as Northern Burghs. It was represented by one Member of Parliament .The first election in Tain Burghs was in 1708...
until 1832, and then as Wick Burghs
Wick Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Wick Burghs, sometimes known as Northern Burghs, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918...
. It was represented by one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. In 1918 the constituency was abolished and the Tain component was merged into Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)
Ross and Cromarty was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1983. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system....
.
Notable people
- Saint DuthacSaint DuthacSaint Duthac is the patron saint of Tain in Scotland.According to the Breviary of Aberdeen, Duthac was a native Scot. Tradition has it that Duthac was educated in Ireland and died in Tain....
was born here. - John Shepherd-BarronJohn Shepherd-BarronJohn Adrian Shepherd-Barron, OBE was a Scottish inventor, who pioneered the development of the cash machine, sometimes referred to as the Automated Teller Machine or ATM.-Early life:...
, often credited with inventing the ATMAutomated teller machineAn automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
, was born here. - John Ross (American patriot)John Ross (American patriot)John Ross was a merchant during the American Revolution.He early relocated to Perth, Scotland, and entered into mercantile pursuits, but in 1763 he came to Philadelphia, where he became a shipping merchant...
was born here. - Rev John Munro of TainRev John Munro of TainThe Reverend John Munro was a Presbyterian minister of Tain, in the Scottish Highlands. As a Presbyterian, he resisted the efforts of King James VI of Scotland to unite the Presbyterian Church of Scotland with the Episcopalian Church of England...
, the 17th century religious dissenter was a minister here. - Peter Fraser the 24th Prime Minister of New ZealandPrime Minister of New ZealandThe Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
, was born here.