Crimond
Encyclopedia
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...
, located nine miles northwest of the port 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....
and just over two miles from the coast.
Local area
The main A90 roadA90 road
The A90 road is a major north to south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.From Edinburgh, it travels west and over the Forth Road Bridge, before turning into the M90 motorway. At Perth, the M90 again becomes the A90, now running north east to Dundee...
runs through Crimond itself and is lined by Crimond Church
Crimond Church
Crimond Church is a Christian, Church of Scotland Presbyterian church, located on the east side of the A90 road in the center of the village of Crimond, Aberdeenshire, Scotland at location...
with village hall, Crimond Primary School , Crimond Medical Practice, Crimond Shop and Post Office, Crimond Care Home for the elderly and Crimond Motors garage . The oldest houses in the village run alongside the main road with a modern estate to the west side.
When standing with a clear view of the surrounding countryside you can easily see the masts at the nearby Crimond Aerodrome to the east and the telecommunications satellites on the top of Mormond Hill
Mormond Hill
Mormond Hill is a large hill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland not far from Fraserburgh. The villages of Strichen and New Leeds can be found at its foot hills....
to the North West.
The nearby Loch of Strathbeg
Loch Strathbeg
The Loch of Strathbeg is a designated Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes...
is a RSPB owned and protected nature reserve. Around the loch there are 3 hides from which you can watch the birds and other wildlife. They are accessible through the airfield and there is a car park. There is also the Starnafin Centre where you can watch the birds from and find out more information about which birds and animals are locally present.
There is a shelter belt wood that runs parallel to the main A90 about 200 metres to the east which used to belong to the Crimonmogate estates. It is mainly beech wood and is used as a walk by the locals.
There is a large grain dryer owned by Allied Grain to the east of the village.
There are the remains of an old camp where the workers who built the St. Fergus Gas Plant
St. Fergus Gas Plant
The St Fergus Gas Plant in St Fergus, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is a set of four gas processing .-History:The plant was initially developed by British Gas and Shell. The three main plants have three main pipelines each coming ashore. The Centrica plant receives gas from the other main three plants...
lived whilst it was being constructed to the east of the village.
History
In 1324, Sir Archibald DouglasSir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas was a Scottish noble, Guardian of Scotland and military leader. He is sometimes given the epithet "Tyneman" , but this may be a reference to his great-nephew Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas.-Early life:The younger son of Sir William "le Hardi" Douglas, the Governor of...
was recorded as being granted the lands of Crimond.
In the summer of 1297 after capturing 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 ....
, William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
and his army travelled through Crimond as they marched to meet another rebel commander Andrew de Moray at a stronghold on the banks of the river Spey
River Spey
The River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest-flowing river in Scotland...
.
Defence use
During World War IIWorld 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...
, a Royal Naval Air Station Merganser was established near the village, close to Rattray
Rattray, Aberdeenshire
Rattray , had been settled as far back as 4000 BC and was named a Royal Burgh in 1563 by Mary, Queen of Scots, "to put an end to the disputes about superiority over it between William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal and George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll"...
as a training establishment, home of 714 Naval Air Squadron.
After the war the base was closed and subsequently was used as a Royal Naval Wireless Station providing long range radio services. The radio facilities are now managed by VT Communications
VT Communications
VT Communications was a part of VT Group plc. VT Communications was essentially the company formed from the privatisation of the BBC World Service transmitter sites. It was initially named Merlin Communications, then, after acquisition by VT, VT Merlin Communications...
.
The site was used for motorsports although this ceased on the establishment of the RN Wireless Station.
Stockcars
Crimond is home to the famous Crimond Raceway stock car track which is the most northerly in the United Kingdom. It is here that former Formula OneFormula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
world champion driver Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
began his career.
The stock cars began in the 1950s with the original tracks on the runways on the nearby Crimond Aerodrome. However the Ministry of Defence reclaimed the land to build radio masts and so the track was moved three times before settling for its current situation in 1973/1974.
The track is an oval with two stands and a large tire wall around the outside to protect the spectators.
Today the track hosts Scottish Hot Rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
, Saloonstox, Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
and other local formula championships.
Religion
Crimond Church is the sole official religious building in the village and is part of the Christian Church of ScotlandChurch 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....
.
Richard de Potton
Richard de Potton
Richard de Potton [de Poiton, de Pottock, de Poito] was a 13th century English bishop. His name was likely derived his name from the town of Potton in Bedfordshire, England....
was a 13th Century Bishop of Aberdeen
Bishop of Aberdeen
The Bishop of Aberdeen was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Nechtan...
, who was credited with making the parish church of Crimond into Aberdeen's fourteenth prebend
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
.
Crimond Church has an extra minute between the eleven and twelve making for 61 minutes in the hour. The clock is electric but the original movement is kept in the church as a display in memory of the late councillor Norman Cowie OBE who raised the funds for the new electric clock.
The church has a wind vane in the shape of a fish that was lost around the time of World War Two and only found in the 1990s when it was placed back on top of the spire. The wind vane has been the target of vandalism and sports bullet holes from an air rifle.
"Crimond" is also the name of the hymn tune
Hymn tune
A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm , and no refrain or chorus....
by Jessie Seymour Irvine
Jessie Seymour Irvine
Jessie Seymour Irvine was the daughter of a Church of Scotland parish minister who served at Dunottar, Peterhead, and Crimond in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She is referred to by Ian Campbell Bradley in his 1997 book Abide with Me: The World of Victorian Hymns as standing "in a strong Scottish...
, often used for a metrical version of Psalm 23
Psalm 23
In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
.
Famous residents
- Baron Robert John Graham Boothby (1900–1986). ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP for the former Aberdeen Eastern constituencyEast Aberdeenshire (UK Parliament constituency)East Aberdeenshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1918 and form 1950 to 1983...
. - Robert Burnet, Lord CrimondRobert Burnet, Lord CrimondRobert Burnet, Lord Crimond was a Scottish advocate and judge.-Background:He was the fourth son of Alexander Burnet of Leys by his wife Katherine, daughter of Alexander Gordon of Lesmoir, and younger brother of Sir Thomas Burnett, 1st Baronet...
(1592–1661). Judge of the Court of SessionCourt of SessionThe Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
and owner of the Crimond Estate.