Marykirk: Difference between revisions

[[Image:Marykirk High Street after Floods.JPG|thumb|Marykirk High Street after floods, NovNovember 2009]]

[[Image:Marykirk Old Kirk and Kirkyard.JPG|thumb|Marykirk Ancientancient Kirkkirk and Kirkyardkirkyard]]

'''Marykirk''' ({{lang-gd|Obar Luathnait}}) is a small village in the [[AberdeenshireKincardine and Mearns]], area of [[ScotlandAberdeenshire]], Scotland, next to the border with the county of [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]] at the [[River North Esk]].

The village is approximately 6 miles ENE of [[Montrose, Angus|Montrose]] at the southern end of the Howe of the Mearns. The road bridge carrying the [[A937]] over the [[River North Esk]] is a substantial structure with four arches. It was designed by [[Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)|Robert Stevenson]] and completed in 1815 at the cost of £1,000 replacing the previous route to the village, an ancient ford. There is a rail bridge across the same river some 600 m north of the road bridge and the village once had [[Marykirk railway station|a rail station]] to the north east.

The present parish church was rebuilt in 1806 replacing the previous church, the remains of which can be found in the adjacent kirkyard. The older church was dedicated to St Mary and consecrated in 1242 by the Bishop de Bernham. The settlement and parish were called Aberluthnot before being renamed after the church. The village was made a [[burgh of barony]] in 1540 in favour of David [[Barclay of Mathers]] by Cardinal [[David Beaton]] in 1540, confirmed in 1543 by [[Mary, Queen of Scots|Queen Mary]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bute, Marquess of|first1=John Patrick Crichton-Stuart|author-link=John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute|last2=Stevenson|first2=John Horne|last3=Lonsdale|first3=H. W.|title=The arms of the baronial and police burghs of Scotland|date=1903|publisher=Blackwood|location=Edinburgh|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/armsofbaronialpo00buterich#page/8|chapter=Aberluthnot|page=8}}

The centre of the village has an ancient market cross. The grand gates to the now demolished mansion Kirktonhill House, built in 1799 for the Taylor family, once the home of oil merchant R W Adamson, can be found still in position.<ref>{{cite [httpweb|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=marykirk&sll=51.505858,-0.099521&sspn=0.006611,0.014505&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Marykirk,+Laurencekirk,+Kincardineshire,+United+Kingdom&ll=56.781174,-2.515266&spn=0.023276,0.058022&z=14&layer=c&cbll=56.781081,-2.515258&panoid=klK4MNExfGWuoPGQdfHvQg&cbp=12,86.48,,0,5 (|title=Google Street View)].}}</ref> Once boasting many small businesses supporting the surrounding agricultural lands, including a part time post office and newsagents the village now has no shops and only hasthe hotel. The nearest shop is a part-timeshort [[Postdrive Office]].to [http://www.mearns.org/marykirkMontrose or Laurencekirk in the other direction.htm]

The village also has a small primary school of twothree teachers with between 2030 and 3040 pupils.<ref>{{cite [web|url=http://www.marykirk.aberdeenshire.sch.uk/]|title=Mary Kirk School}}</ref> as well as ana Hotelhotel, the 19th -century coaching Househouse, Thethe Marykirk Hotel.<ref>{{cite [http://www.marykirkhotel.com/] [httpweb|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=marykirk&sll=51.505858,-0.099521&sspn=0.006611,0.014505&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Marykirk,+Laurencekirk,+Kincardineshire,+United+Kingdom&ll=56.781459,-2.515405&spn=0.023275,0.058022&z=14&layer=c&cbll=56.781359,-2.515339&panoid=eORYpt-NH9JRCBWl7f1-tw&cbp=12,21.48,,0,5 (|title=Google Street View)]}}</ref>

*[http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst4192.html Marykirk] in the ''[[Gazetteer for Scotland]]''.

*[http://www.mearns.org/marykirk.htm Marykirk] in ''The History of the Howe''.

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