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Places of Scottish Interest - Kirriemuir (Kirrie)

Arms of Kirriemuir - A shield with a white field below and a green field above, on the white field a red heart with a gold crown on top of it, on the green field three white stars, above the shield a golden crown, below the shield a banner with the French expression jamais arriere

Welcome to Kirriemuir's "other home page"!  This Scottish heritage resource provides general and in-depth information about "Kirrie" - environs, history, people and places of interest.  As with all other Scottish resources on this site, this does not pretend to be comprehensive.  It reflects a "niche" of Scottish cultural interest.  See the following topics:

• General Information about Kirriemuir and Its Environs
• Kirriemarians of Note
• Museums & Clubs     Kirriemuir Aviation Museum     Friends Of Kirriemuir Gateway To The Glens Museum     Kirriemuir Wargames Club     Kirriemuir Royal Air Force Associaton (RAFA)     Kirriemuir Saltire Society
• Kirriemuir Links from The Capital Scot's Archives
• Other Kirrie Links

General Information about Kirriemuir and Its Environs

Kirriemuir - Late 1800s

This is a colored print of a view of Kirriemuir as it looked in the late 1800s.

Old Kirriemuir - On the southern slopes of the Grampian hills in Angus nestles Kirriemuir, the gateway to the magnificent Glens and a burgh which has retained much of its charm.  The roots of the town of Kirriemuir stretch far back in history, and it is a town known all around the world for various reasons.Kirrie (as it is known locally) has sights of historic interest from the Bronze and Iron Ages, from the Picts and the Romans.  Famous sons of Kirrie in modern times incude Sir James Matthew Barrie (see below) and Bon Scott who was the lead singer of rock group AC/DC.

The name for Kirriemuir is just one of a list of names for this place through time.  Kyremuir, Killemure are just three of the thirty-six spellings of the town's name.  The names indicate different understandings of the origin of the village.  Muir means hill but what Kirrrie means from the following list - between, large hollow, main quarter, Cell of St Mary, or Eastmuir - is anyone's guess.  Archaeologists have found artefacts from the Bronze Age, Pictish, Roman and Celtic cultures.  Kirriemuir History (potted) provides a brief history of Kirriemuir from 1201 to 1912.

"The Roman army certainly courted the area around the modern town (of Kirriemuir), as pieces of Roman road found in Caddam Wood and other near-by sites confirm.  However, it was not until 1201 that the name of the town was recorded in writing.  At that time Earl Gillechrist, who was the first Earl of Angus, gave the 'chapels, lands, tithes, common pasturage aisements, and all the pertinents belonging to the Church of Kerimor' to Arbroath Abbey.  Since 1201 there have been over 30 different spellings of the name, including Keirmure, Killemure and Kerymor.

According to Undiscovered Scotland "Kirriemuir was an early example of specialisation.  In the 1760s a local weaver developed a double-thickness cloth that was the ideal material to be made into corsets.  This formed the foundation for Kirriemuir's growth as a textile centre and by 1860 there were 1500 hand loom weavers in Kirriemuir and 500 more in the surrounding area.  It is estimated that Kirriemuir's weavers produced over 9 million yards of linen per year through the 1860s.  And most of this depended on the continuing fashion for narrow waists in women's clothes."  Also of interest is a general introductory guide to Kirriemuir with links to maps, tourist boards, other communities, and other information.

The Kirriemuir Tourist Information Centre, in Cumberland Close, provides local information on visitor attractions, where to eat, transport and local services and information about what's on in the area.  A variety of souvenirs and gifts are on sale as well as tickets for local events.  (There are also other information centres in Angus and Dundee.)

Current events in Kirriemuir may be found at the Kirriemuir Herald.

See the National Trust for Scotland's site Angus for links to various points of interest around Kirriemuir and Kirriemuir and Area for current community planning in Kirriemuiur.

The Ordnance Survey has a town plan of Kirriemuir, (Surveyed: 1861, Scale: 1:500) that can be scaled online for detailed viewing.  There are links to background information about Kirrie and its environs, a plan legend, and abbreviations.

(There is a Kirriemuir, Alberta, Canada.)

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Museums & Clubs

Kirriemuir Aviation Museum

The Kirriemuir Aviation Museum celebrating its twentieth anniversary is located on the left hand side of the road as you enter Kirriemuir from Glamis. It houses the private collection of Richard Moss, World War 11 veteran (RAF Association - RAFA - member) who has accumulated an extensive range of artefacts, mementoes and memorabilia from the Second World War, including signed pictures by Sir Arthur ïBomberÍ Harris, Bill Reid VC and Air Vice Marshall Johnnie Johnson. It is quite clear from the visitors book that many people from around the world found the museum extremely interesting and intend to return (many have) to see items that they missed.  The museum is on Bellies Brae, across from Wilkie's Factory; Telephone: 01575 573 233.

Friends Of Kirriemuir Gateway To The Glens Museum

The Friends Of Kirriemuir Gateway To The Glens Museum is at the Town House, 29-32 High Street, Kirriemuir DD8 4BB.  The goals are to educate the public, provide support to ensure optimum community access to the collection, to support, to coordinate the historical and cultural research by the Friends membership, and to encourage local involvement in the work of the museum.  See the flyer (Adobe Acrobat 28KB).  Contact: Telephone 01575 575479 or Secretary, .

Kirriemuir Wargames Club

The Kirriemuir Wargames Club is a wargaming club for the Kirriemuir and surrounding area which organises an annual wargames show named Targe.

Kirriemuir Royal Air Force Associaton (RAFA)

The Kirriemuir Kirriemuir Royal Air Force Associaton (RAFA):  The local branch RAFA Angus meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at the Newton Hotel, 51 Glamis Road Kirriemuir at 19.30 - 21.30hrs.  Telephone 01382 732664.  Contact the Chairman .

Kirriemuir Saltire Society

Kirrie has its own Kirriemuir Branch of the Saltire Society.

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Kirriemuir Links from The Capital Scot's Archives

These pages on the town of Kirriemuir ("Kirrie"), Angus, Scotland provide information on the surrounding landscape, the town itself, its history, and some local color.  These pages contain some sites around Kirrie, "bites" of their history, extracts from novels by Sir James M. Barrie, and links to biographical material about him.

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Other Kirrie Links

Kirrie Glens     Balinshoe Castle     WW II History     Kirriemuir Area Genealogies     Kirriemuir and Hawaii     Kirriemuir Information Online

The Kirrie Glens

Kirriemuir's romantic sobriquet 'Gateway to the Glens' is well deserved.  The town stands at the entrance of four beautiful Angus glens.  It is open to:  Glen Isla,  Glen Prosen,  Glen Moy,  Glen Clova,  and Glen Doll.  In addition to their wonderful, dramatic scenery, these glens have many a tale to tell. Their history and traditions are etched into the very landscape and whisper to us from the walls of castles and monuments.

Glen Prosen

Glen Prosen, often abbreviated to 'Prosen, nestles between Isla and Clova, and above that again, the watershed of Glen Isla links to Glen Esk.  There is no road through to the north, only hill tracks.  But motorists can make a circular route from Kirriemuir by coming up the glen via Cortachy, crossing the Prosen river at Spott, and descending again via Pearsie.  If any visitors should unwittingly miss any of the Angus Glens, it would most likely be Glen Prosen.  (... this is the glen where many years ago Robert Falcon Scott and his team trained for their ill-fated assault on The Pole.  Great photos!.)  This unassuming glen doesn't have a major road, nor does it have any habitation to talk of.  But to miss Glen Prosen is to miss a gem of an area."  This wooded Angus Glen runs from the source of the Prosen Water in the Grampian Mountains all the way to Strathmore.  The Antartic explorers Captain Scott and Dr Wilson are said to have planned their ill fated South Pole expedition in 1912 from a cottage in this Glen, a fountain has been erected in their memory.

See Corogle Burn, Glen Prosen for infomration about the ancient, standing stones there.

Glen Moy

[Dead link to be replaced.]

Glen Clova

A glen in the southern Grampians, Glen Clova occupies the valley of the River South Esk which rises on the slopes of Broad Cairn near the border with Aberdeenshire and flows southeastwards into the valley of Strathmore below the Braes of Angus.  Cortachy Castle once guarded the entrance to the glen and near its head is the hamlet of Clova close to which are the ruins of another castle, the 16th century Clova Castle.  Glen Clova once formed a main routeway from Angus over the Grampians to Aberdeenshire.  It is a glen of spectacular scenery with the landscape becoming more dramatic as you travel up the glen towards Glen Doll.  It is the glen for wildlife, with a National Nature Reserve that attracts wildlife enthusiasts from all over the UK.  In the Summer you can't move for people walking up to Loch Brandy.  In the Winter it is as peaceful as the remotest Munro!  The road in the upper section of the glen forms a loop, so you can go up one side of the valley and return by the other side of the river.  The western side follows a narrow, twisty road, while the road on the eastern side sweeps from bend to bend - a real drivers' road! The two roads come together again at Milton of Clova.

Glen Clova:  Our historical tour of discovery takes us from Kirriemuir into Glen Clova to meet some of the folk who lived there in past times.

Some other sites with information about and photos of Glen Clova are:

• Glen Clova
   
• Various Views of Glen Clova and Glen Doll:  These are my local mountains, just one hours drive from Dundee.
   
• Tnight.net photographs of Glen Clova In Scotland

Glen Doll

Beyond Glen Clova is Glen Doll, a small glen in the southern Grampians, opening out to the Eastern Cairngorms, and sporting the impressive mountains Mayer and Driesh.  There is an ancient track that starts in Glen Doll, and reaches all the way to Braemar.  It is a starting point for walks into the mountains and has a youth hostel.  Jock's Road extends from here to Braemar.  The White Water, which flows through Glen Doll, joins the River South Esk at Braedownie.  From Kirriemuir, the B955 road takes you through open farming country.  At Dykehead, turn left for Glen Prosen; or alternatively, carry straight on for Glen Clova and Glen Doll .  The glens' upper road forms a loop: So you can admire the view from one side of the valley and return by the other side of the river.  Glen Doll lies at the head of Glen Clova - take the narrow road adjacent to the Clova Hotel, which will lead you into the heart of the mountains.  The end of the glens is dominated by the Cairngorms.  See also:

• Various Views of Glen Clova and Glen Doll
   
• Photo of Glen Doll
   

Glen Isla

Balinshoe Castle

Balinshoe Castle is a ruin near Kirriemuir.  Pronounced 'Benshie', this was the seat of Scrimgeours until the mid-17th century.  The site has a sketch showing Balinshoe Castle, together with a map of Angus.

WW II History

From the BBC - 3 Ogilvie's Close:  Mr Bob Inglis' story of life in Kirrie during WWII.  [NOTE: The Capital Scot believes that this address should be written Ogilvy's Close which is to the left off High Street (straight ahead from The Roods) as one walks from Reform Street toward the Town Square.]  This is part of a larger BBC collection called WW2 People's War under the contributor's title kirriemuir_library.  The kirriemuir_library collection has several stories about wartime Kirriemuir which includes the following articles:
   My War Memories: Childhood Memories of Kirriemuir, Angus
   Memories of the Second World War in Kirriemuir
   The Special Constable, wartime memories of the air raid shelter in Bank Street, Kirriemuir.

Kirriemuir Area Genealogies

, genealogist, is keen to hear from descendants of emigrants from Glen Clova in Angus.  In connection with the 2008-9 Ancestral Roots Project she is researching old settlements in Glen Clova, connecting the past inhabitants of the glen with their dwellings and constructing family trees.  Ogilvy, Lindsay, Edwards, Duncan, Mitchell and Findlay are the surnames most frequently encountered. Several references to this genealogy activity may be found at the following sites:
    Angus Glens Ancestral Heritage - Glen Prosen
    Angus Glens Ancestral Heritage - Memus/Cortachy

Other genealogy references in Angus may be found at the Scottish Genealogy Research Source Directory.  They are:
    The Tay Valley Family History Society
    Non-Conformist Church Records in Angus and Dundee
    Genealogy - Getting Started   from the Angus City Council.

Kirriemuir and Hawaii

Kirriemuir has a curious link is with Hawaii.  Three Kirriemuir brothers, Tom, Charles and James Kennedy, were to prove to be a huge influence on the exodus from the little red town to the islands.  They emigrated to Hawaii in the late 1870s and started a trend.  Many of those who followed the brothers from Kirriemuir to Hawaii found employment on sugar plantations.  The number of emigrants was so significant that twenty-five percent of Hawaiians of Scottish descent have forbears from the area in and around Kirriemuir.  According to Ancestral Roots The brothers were the sons of James and Janet Kennedy.  Tom, the eldest, was the first to go to Hawaii where he worked on the Big Island then retired and returned to Kirriemuir.  Charles Clark, born 28th December 1849, was apprenticed at the age of 12 to an engineering firm near Dundee.  On completion of his 5 years training, he sailed for Canada and worked on the railways, then moved to San Francisco.  He arrived in Hawaii in 1877.  He worked for 2 years at the Honolulu Ironworks.  From there he was sent to Kohala to put up a sugar mill, and when that was finished he put up the Waiakea sugar mill which he ran as engineer and manager for 37 years.

Kirriemuir Information Online

Kirriemuir Information Online is a central source of information and communication for (and written by) local people.  It is part of Brit Info Net, a network of sites that promote exchange of information across Britain. ... We intend to make this site more than a collection of links or an on-line catalogue.  It is designed to perform a multitude of tasks and become a central source of information and communication.  If you have any suggestions or comments please let us know so that we can improve it.

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