Elgin is a former cathedral city and a former
Royal BurghA 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....
in
MorayMoray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland....
,
ScotlandScotland 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...
and is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The city originated to the south of the
River LossieThe River Lossie is a river in north east Scotland. Ptolemy , the Greco / Roman geographer, named it as ost. Loxa Fl. The river originates in the hills above Dallas, in Moray, and has its source 400 meters above sea-level. It enters the sea at Lossiemouth on the Moray Firth...
on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190. It was created a Royal Burgh in the 12th century by King
David I of ScotlandDavid I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots . The youngest son of Malcolm III and Margaret, David spent most of his childhood in Scotland, but was exiled to England temporarily in 1093...
and by that time had a castle on top of the present day Lady Hill to the west of the city.
History
In August 1040,
MacBeth'sMac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
army defeated and killed
Duncan IDonnchad mac Crínáin anglicised as Duncan I, and nicknamed An t-Ilgarach, "the Diseased" or "the Sick" was king of Scotland...
at Bothganowan (Pitgaveny), near Elgin. Elgin is first recorded in a charter by King David in 1151 when he granted an annuity to the Priory of Urquhart. It had been made a royal burgh around 1130 by
David IDavid I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots . The youngest son of Malcolm III and Margaret, David spent most of his childhood in Scotland, but was exiled to England temporarily in 1093...
following his defeat of
Óengus of MorayÓengus of Moray was the last King of Moray of the native line, ruling Moray in what is now northeastern Scotland from some unknown date until his death in 1130....
. It was during David's reign that the castle was established at the top of what is now Lady Hill. The town received a royal charter from
Alexander IIAlexander II , King of Scots, was the only son of William the Lion and Ermengarde of Beaumont...
in 1224 when he granted the land for a new
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
to Andrew,
Bishop of MorayThe Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics...
. This finally settled the episcopal see which had been at various times at Kinneddar, Birnie and
SpynieSpynie Palace, also known as Spynie Castle, was the fortified seat of the Bishops of Moray for about 500 years. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th Century. It is situated about 500m from the location of the first officially settled Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Moray, in...
. Elgin was a popular residence to the early
ScottishScotland 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...
monarchs;
David IDavid I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots . The youngest son of Malcolm III and Margaret, David spent most of his childhood in Scotland, but was exiled to England temporarily in 1093...
,
William IWilliam I , known as the Lion or Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of Scots from 1165 to 1214. His reign was the second longest in Scottish history before the Act of Union with England in 1707,...
,
Alexander IIAlexander II , King of Scots, was the only son of William the Lion and Ermengarde of Beaumont...
and
Alexander IIIAlexander III , King of Scots, was born at Roxburgh, the only son of Alexander II by his second wife Marie de Coucy...
all held their courts there and enjoyed the hunting in the royal forests.
Of all these kings, it was Alexander II who was Elgin's greatest benefactor and who would return time and again to his royal castle. It was he who was responsible for the establishment of the two religious houses of the town; the
DominicansThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic in the early 13th century in France...
or Blackfriars in the west side and the Franciscans or Greyfriars in the east. Still further to the east stood the Hospital of Maison Dieu, or House of God, which again was founded during the reign of Alexander II and was for the reception of poor men and women.
On 19 July 1224, the foundation stone of the new
Elgin CathedralElgin Cathedral, sometimes referred to as The Lantern of the North, is an historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. The seats of the early bishops of Moray were located consecutively at the churches of Birnie, Kineddar and Spynie...
was ceremoniously laid with completion sometime after 1242. However, the building was completely destroyed by fire in 1270 but the reasons for this are unrecorded. The buildings which now remain as ruins date from the reconstruction following that fire. The Chartulary of Moray described the completed cathedral as
"Mirror of the country and the glory of the kingdom".
Edward I of EnglandEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
travelled twice to Elgin. It was during his first visit in 1296 that he was impressed by what he saw. Preserved in the
Cotton libraryThe Cotton or Cottonian library was the library compiled by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton , an antiquarian and bibliophile. Cotton's library included his collection of books, manuscripts, coins and medallions in his personal estate. The materials comprised the books and artifacts retrieved after the...
now held in the
British LibraryThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is located in London and is one of the world's largest research libraries, holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats; books, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, patents,...
was the journal of his stay, describing the castle and the town of Elgin as
"bon chastell et bonne ville" — good castle and good town. His second visit in September 1303 was rather different as the castle's wooden interior had been burned while being held by the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
governor, Henry de Rye. As a result, Edward stayed elsewhere, marking the end of any royal association from that time on. He only stayed in Elgin for two days and then camped at
Kinloss AbbeyKinloss Abbey is a Cistercian abbey approximately 3 miles east of Forres in the county of Moray, Scotland.The abbey was founded in 1150 by King David I and was first colonised by monks from Melrose Abbey. It received its Papal Bull from Pope Alexander III in 1174, and later came under the...
from 13 September until 4 October. Edward died in July 1307, and in 1308 Robert the Bruce was taking advantage of
Edward IIEdward II, called Edward of Carnarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. He was the seventh Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
's preoccupation with his dealings in England and France by capturing and usually burning castles either loyal to Edward or English garrisoned. David de Moravia, the Bishop of Moray at the head of his army, joined with Bruce and together burned the castles of
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
,
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
and
ForresForres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
before seizing and burning Kinneddar Castle, which was also housing English soldiers. He attacked Elgin castle only to be twice repulsed before finally succeeding. King Edward was furious and had the Bishop ex-communicated, thus removing papal protection, causing him to flee to Orkney, then to
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
only to return after Edward's death.
Bishop Alexander Bur began payments to Stewart, Wolf of Badenoch,
King Robert III'sRobert III , King of Scotland -Biography:He was the eldest son of King Robert II by his mistress, Elizabeth Mure, became legitimised with the formal marriage of his parents about 1349...
brother, in August 1370 for the protection of his lands and men. In February 1390, the bishop turned to Thomas Dunbar, son of the Earl of Moray, to provide the protection. This action infuriated Stewart and in May he descended from his castle on an island in Lochindorb and burned the town of Forres as revenge. He followed this up in June by burning a large part of Elgin including two monasteries, St Giles Church, the Hospital of Maison Dieu and the cathedral. In
Andrew of WyntounAndrew Wyntoun, known as Andrew of Wyntoun was a Scottish poet, a canon and prior of Loch Leven on St Serf's Inch and later, a canon of St. Andrews....
's
Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland (a 15th century history of Scotland) described this action by
"wyld, wykked Heland-men". The rebuilding of the cathedral took many years; however much of the areas that have since crumbled away was due to the inferior workmanship of the 15th and 16th century masons while the 13th century construction still remains. In 1506, the great central tower collapsed and although rebuilding work began the next year it was not completed till 1538.
The citizens of Elgin and surrounding areas did not seem to object to the new religion following the
ReformationThe Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
. In 1568 the lead was stripped from the roof of the cathedral, following orders by the
Privy CouncilA privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation on how to exercise their executive authority, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government...
. The lead was to be sold and the proceeds to go to the maintenance of Regent Moray's soldiers but the ship taking the lead cargo to
HollandRotterdam
The Hague
Haarlem
Dordrecht |} Holland is a name in common usage given to a region in the western part of the Netherlands. The name 'Holland' is also often informally used to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands...
sank almost immediately on leaving Aberdeen harbour. Without this protection the building began to deteriorate. In 1637, the rafters over the choir were blown down and in 1640 the minister of St Giles along with the Laird of Innes and Alexander Brodie of Brodie, all ardent Covenanters, removed and destroyed the ornately carved screen and woodwork that had remained intact. The tracery of the West window was destroyed sometime between 1650 and 1660 by
CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
's soldiers. On Easter Sunday, 1711, the central tower collapsed for the second time in its history but caused much more damage. The rubble was quarried for various projects in the vicinity until 1807 when through the efforts of Joseph King of Newmill, a wall was built around the cathedral and a keeper's house erected.
When
Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain, and is even referred to by some as one...
made his tour through Scotland in 1717, he visited Elgin and said this about it
"In this rich country is the city, or town rather, of Elgin; I say city, because in antient time the monks claim'd it for a city; and the cathedral shews, by its ruins, that it was a place of great magnificence. Nor must it be wonder'd at, if in so pleasant, so rich, and so agreeable a part of the country, all the rest being so differing from it, the clergy should seat themselves in a proportion'd number, seeing we must do them the justice to say, that if there is any place richer and more fruitful, and pleasant than another, they seldom fail to find it out. As the country is rich and pleasant, so here are a great many rich inhabitants, and in the town of Elgin in particular; for the gentlemen, as if this was the Edinburgh, or the court, for this part of the island, leave their Highland habitations in the winter and come and live here for the diversion of the place and plenty of provisions; and there is, on this account, a great variety of gentlemen for society, and that of all parties and of all opinions. This makes Elgin a very agreeable place to live in, notwithstanding its distance, being above 450 measur'd miles from London, and more, if we must go by Edinburgh."
Unquestionably, the cathedral was, and still is, a magnificent building, worthy of its description as the
Lantern of the North. When Bishop Bur wrote to King Robert III, complaining of the wanton destruction done to the building by the King's brother, the Wolf of Badenoch, he describes the cathedral as
"the ornament of this district, the glory of the kingdom and the admiration of foreigners." Chambers, in his
Picture of Scotland, says
"It is an allowed fact, which the ruins seem still to attest, that this was by far the most splendid specimen of ecclesiastical architecture in Scotland, the abbey church of Melrose not excepted. It must be acknowledged that the edifice last mentioned is a wonderful instance of symmetry and elaborate decoration; yet in extent, in loftiness, in impressive magnificence, and even in minute decoration, Elgin has been manifestly superior. Enough still remains to impress the solitary traveller with a sense of admiration mixed with astonishment."
Lachlan Shaw in his
History of the Province of Moray was equally impressed when he wrote
"the church when entire was a building of Gothic architecture inferior to few in Europe."
Prince Charles Edward Stuart travelled to Elgin from Inverness in March 1746 and, falling ill with a feverish cold, stayed for 11 days before returning to await the arrival of the king's army. He stayed in Elgin with Mrs Anderson, a passionate
JacobiteJacobitism was the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, at Thunderton House. She kept the sheets that the Prince slept on and was buried in them a quarter of a century later. The
Duke of CumberlandThe Prince William, Duke of Cumberland was a younger son of George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. He is generally best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, though he went on to enjoy a successful military career...
passed through the town on 13 April, camping at Alves on the way to meet The Prince in battle on Drummossie Muir. After the battle,
William Boyd, 4th Earl of KilmarnockWilliam Boyd , 4th Earl of Kilmarnock, was a Scottish nobleman.William Boyd was educated at Glasgow. Like his father in the rebellion of 1715, William initially supported the Government side, but in the rebellion of 1745, owing either to a personal affront or to the influence of his wife or to his...
, one of the Prince's generals was captured and taken to London and eventual execution, but he wrote to his friend from prison about his indebtedness to the shoemakers of Elgin
"Beside my personal debts mentioned in general and particular in the State, there is one for which I am liable in justice, if it is not paid, owing to poor people who gave their work for it by my orders. It was at Elgin in Murray, the Regiment I commanded wanted shoes. I commissioned something about seventy pair of shoes and brogues, which might come to 3 shillngs or three shillings and sixpence each, one with the other. The magistrates divided them among the shoemakers of the town and country, and each shoemaker furnished his proportion. I drew on the town, for the price, out of the composition laid on them, but I was afterwards told at Inverness that, it was believed, the composition was otherwise applied, and the poor shoemakers not paid. As these poor people wrought by my orders, it will be a great ease to my heart to think they are not to lose by me, as too many have done in the course of that year, but had I lived I might have made some inquiry after: but now it is impossible, as their hardships in loss of horses and such things, which happeened through my soldiers, are so interwoven with what was done by other people, that it would be very hard, if not impossible, to separate them. If you'll write to Mr Innes of Dalkinty at Elgin (with whom I was quartered when I lay there), he will send you an account of the shoes, and if they were paid to the shoemakers or no; and if they are not, I beg you'll get my wife, or my successors to pay them when they can......"
Into the 19th century and the old medieval town of Elgin was now to be swept away and the first major addition to the town centre was the Assembly Rooms, built in 1821 by The Trinity Lodge of Freemasons, at the corner of High Street and North Street. Two years before that, in 1819, Dr Gray's Hospital was built on unused ground. The building is imposing with its columns and dome and standing at the head of fine gardens.
Dr Alexander Gray, a doctor who worked for and made his fortune with the
East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
endowed £26,000 for the provision of the hospital. In 1828 the new parish church of St Giles was built at a cost of £10,000. Lt. General Andrew Anderson, born in Elgin and who died in 1824, and also of the East India Company, bequeathed £70,000 to the town so that an institution could be provided for the welfare of the elderly poor people and for the education of the town's orphaned children. The Anderson Institute was built in the east end of the town in 1832 with accommodation for 50 children and 10 elderly people. The Burgh Court-house was built in 1841, the elegant museum in 1842 and the County Buildings in 1866.
The
Morayshire RailwayThe Morayshire Railway was the first railway to be built north of Aberdeen, in Scotland. It received royal assent in 1846 but construction did not start until 1851 due to the economic conditions existing in the United Kingdom at the time. The railway was built in two phases with the section from...
was officially opened at ceremonies in Elgin and
LossiemouthLossiemouth is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important and innovative 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...
on 10 August 1852, the steam engines having been delivered to Lossiemouth by sea. It was the first railway north of Aberdeen and initially traveled only the 5½ miles between Elgin and Lossiemouth but later extended south to Craigellachie. The Great North of Scotland Railway took over the working of the line in 1863 and bought the company in 1881 following the Morayshire Railway's return from crippling debt back to solvency. The railway and Lossiemouth harbour became very important to Elgin's economy.
The town was becoming prosperous and by 1882 it had a head Post Office with a savings bank, insurance and telegraph departments, a Bank of Scotland and the British Linen Co., Caledonian, Commercial, North of Scotland, Royal and Union Banks, a National Securities Savings Bank, offices or agencies of 48 insurance companies, 5 Hotels and a newspaper. It was not until the 20th century, however, that the separate villages of Bishopmill and New Elgin would be incorporated into the town.
Geography and geology
The modern town straddles both sides of the River Lossie with the suburbs of Bishopmill to the north and New Elgin to the south.
PermoThe Permian
[The term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named...]
-
TriassicThe Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
rocks even though rare in Scotland, are commonly found around Elgin. These are composed of aeolian sandstone and formed when this area was subjected to desert conditions. Quarry Wood, on the town's edge, has within it a formation nick-named Cuttie's Hillock which produced the internationally known fossils called the Elgin Reptiles. In the Elgin district, boulders belonging to the lowermost group of Jurassic strata, Oxford clay and chalk are found both in glacial deposits and on the surface of the ground. The largest of these deposits is at Linksfield, where limestone and shale lie on boulder clay.
Climate
Elgin's climate is
temperateIn geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold. But in continental areas, such as central North America the variations between summer...
maritime having mainly cool summers but with relatively mild winters. Its proximity to the sea means that the heat retentive properties of seawater help keep winter temperatures higher. The barrier of the mountain ranges to the west and southwest where most of the moisture gathered in the Atlantic depressions is deposited help keep Elgin's annual rainfall to a relatively small amount.
Demographics
Population
Males: 10288
Females: 10641
Total: 20929
Age structure (%)
0 – 4 years: 6.35
5 – 15 years: 13.84
16 – 24 years: 9.50
25 – 44 years: 31.15
45 – 64 years: 23.08
65 – 74 years: 8.87
75+ years: 7.21
Religion (%)
Church of Scotland: 44.48
Roman Catholic: 5.96
Other Christian: 10.42
Other non-Christian: 1.08
None: 33.10
Not answered:4.95
Country of birth (%)
Scotland: 83.64
England: 13.13
Wales: 0.94
Other UK: 0.95
Republic of Ireland: 0.21
Other EU: 1.39
Elsewhere: 2.11
Ethnic group (%)
White Scottish: 83.64
Other White British: 13.57
White Irish: 0.44
Other White: 0.95
Indian: 0.10
Pakistani: 0.42
Chinese: 0.32
Caribbean: 0.07
African: 0.07
Black Scottish or Other Black: 0.04
Mixed background: 0.17
Other: 0.16
|
Source: Moray Council from 2001 Census data
Elgin's population in 1901 was 8460
Economy
The Elgin – Forres – Lossiemouth triangle is heavily dependent on the Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
stations for its employment of civilians. In 2005, RAF LossiemouthRAF Lossiemouth is a Royal Air Force station to the west of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. It is one of the RAF's biggest bases and currently Britain's main base for Tornado GR4s.-WW2:...
along with its neighbour RAF KinlossRAF Kinloss is a Royal Air Force station near Kinloss, on the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland. The station is home to all of the Nimrod MR2 fleet in the Royal Air Force.-WW2:...
contributed £156.5 million (including civilian expenditure) to the Moray economy, of which £76.6 million was retained and spent locally. The bases are responsible for providing, directly or indirectly, 21 per cent of all employment in the area. Other areas offering significant employment are local authority, construction and real estate, food and drink, tourism, transport, business services and wholesale/retail.
In a recent study, Elgin was shown to be one of the most expensive towns in which to buy property in Scotland.
National governments
Elgin is in the Moray (Westminster) constituencyMoray is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
of the The United Kingdom ParliamentThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. It alone has parliamentary sovereignty, conferring upon it ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories...
which returns a Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
(MP) to the House of Commons,http://www.parliament.uk/about_commons/about_commons.cfm at WestminsterThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
.
Elgin is in the Moray constituencyMoray is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
of the The Scottish ParliamentThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood" , is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/home.htm which has slightly different boundaries to the UK Parliament constituency of the same name. The constituency returns a Member of the Scottish ParliamentMember of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
(MSP) to HolyroodThe Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on Tuesday,...
and is part of the Highlands and Islands electoral region.
Local government
- see also Moray council election, 2007
Elections to The Moray Council were held on 3 May 2007, the same day as the Scottish Parliament election. The election was the first using the eight new wards created as a results of the Local Governance Act 2004. 26 councillors were elected from eight, three or four member wards each ward using...
Following the re-organisation of local government in Scotland, Elgin now has 2 multi-member wards each with 3 councillors. These wards are Elgin North and Elgin South.
Transport
Elgin is situated on the A96 trunk route which connects the cities of AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
and Inverness. High volumes of traffic passing through the town has given rise to serious congestion and Scottish transport minister Tavish ScottTavish Scott is a Scottish politician and Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, having been elected on 26 August 2008 with 59% of the votes.-Background:...
visited the town in August 2006 to look at the traffic management problems and to meet campaigners for a bypass. It is estimated that a bypass would remove about one third of traffic from Elgin's Streets. The A941 runs from Lossiemouth through Elgin to Rothes, Craigellachie, Dufftown and Rhynie. Elgin railway stationElgin railway station is a railway station serving the town of Elgin, Moray in Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line....
is operated by First ScotRailFirst ScotRail is the FirstGroup train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London. However, the company has now been renamed ScotRail - Scotland's Railway....
. The railway also connects to Aberdeen and Inverness which in turn offer services to other UK destinations. A main bus station operated mainly by Stagecoach, provides services within Elgin and to other local towns while also providing routes to Aberdeen and Inverness. Inverness AirportInverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, northeast of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the UK and Ireland, and limited charter and...
at Dalcross, Inverness offers routes to mainly UK destinations while Aberdeen airportAberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce in the City of Aberdeen, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 3.29 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2008, a reduction of 3.6% compared with 2007, making it the 14th busiest airport in the UK...
provides UK and international routes.
Nursery Schools
- Ark Childcare, Mosstowie
- Cherry Tree Nursery, Dr Gray's Hospital, West Road, Elgin, IV30 1SA
- Jack & Jill Pre-School Centre, Kinder House, 22 Wardend Place, New Elgin, IV30 6YP
- Moray Leisure Centre Pre-School Nursery, Boroughbriggs Road, Elgin, IV30 1AP
Primary schools
- Bishopmill Primary School, Morriston Road, Bishopmill
- East End Primary School, Institution Road
- Greenwards Primary School, Edgar Road, New Elgin
- New Elgin Primary School, Bezack Street, New Elgin
- Seafield Primary School, Deanshaugh Terrace, Bishopmill
- West End Primary School, Mayne Road
- St Sylvester's Primary School, Abbey Street
Secondary schools
- Elgin Academy
Elgin Academy is a secondary school in the city of Elgin, Moray, Scotland.-The school:Elgin Academy is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, with a history going back to the Middle Ages. The first school was built on the adjacent corners of Academy Street and Francis Place, now the site of the...
, Morriston Road, Bishopmill
- Elgin High School
Elgin High School is a secondary school situated on High School Drive Elgin, Moray, Scotland.-The school:Elgin High School is one of two secondary schools in Elgin, the other being Elgin Academy. All examinations follow the structure of the Scottish Qualifications Authority...
, High School Drive, New Elgin
Health Centres
- The Maryhill Health Centre.
- Victoria Crescent Medical Centre.
- Elgin Community Surgery, Highfield House.
Religion
The following denominations have places of worship in Elgin:
Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland , known informally by its Scots language name, The Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
- St Giles', High Street
- St Columba's South, Moss Street
- Elgin High, North Guildry Street
Free Church of ScotlandFree Church of Scotland is that part of the original Free Church of Scotland that remained outside of the union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900...
- Free Church, South Street
Baptist Union of ScotlandThe Baptist Union of Scotland is the denomination of Baptist churches in Scotland.Baptists first arrived in Scotland with the armies of English republican Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s, but they did not survive for long, partly because of their association with Cromwell , but more especially as a...
Roman Catholic Church
- St Sylvester's, Institution Road
Scottish Episcopal ChurchThe Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian denomination in Scotland and a member of the Anglican Communion, although it itself has pre-Anglican origins. It consists of seven dioceses in Scotland. Like all Anglican churches, it recognises the primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who does not...
Other denominations
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pansport Road
- Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenarian Christian denomination. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism; they report convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual Memorial attendance of over 17 million...
, Linkwood
- Calvary Christian Life Centre, Lesmurdie Road
- True Jesus Church
The True Jesus Church is an independent Christian denomination that originated in Beijing, China in 1917. The current elected chairman of the TJC International Assembly is Preacher Yung-Ji Lin. Today, there are approximately between 1.5 to 2.5 million believers in forty eight countries and six...
, Lesmurdie Road
- Pentecostal Church of God
The Pentecostal Church of God is a trinitarian Pentecostal Christian denomination. First called the Pentecostal Assemblies of America, the PCG was formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1919 by a group of Pentecostal ministers who had chosen not to affiliate with the Assemblies of God...
, New Elgin Hall Annex
- Brethren
The Brethren are a number of Protestant Christian religious bodies using the word "brethren" in their names. In some cases these similarities of name reflect roots in the same early Brethren groups, and in others the adoption of "Brethren" as part of the name reflects an independent choice to...
, Riverside Gospel Hall, North Street
Culture and leisure
- Elgin Museum, 1 High Street
- Elgin Library, Cooper Park
- Elgin Golf Club, Hardhillock, Birnie Road
- Glassgreen Golf Range, Birnie Road
- Cooper Park: boating, pitch and putt, tennis
- Biblical Gardens
- Moray Leisure Centre, Borough Briggs Road, containing swimming pool, ice rink and a gymnasium
- Town Hall with auditorium for production of shows
- Community Centre, Trinity Road
- The Lantern Gallery, 18 South Guildry Street
- Red Shoes Theatre and music venue, High Street
- Elgin Youth Café, Francis Place
Football
Formed in 1893, the town's only senior football club is Elgin CityElgin City Football Club are a professional football team based in Elgin, Moray. They currently compete in the Scottish Third Division....
, who play at Borough Briggs stadiumBorough Briggs is a football ground in Elgin, Moray, Scotland. It is the home ground of Elgin City F.C. who currently play in the Scottish Football League Third Division. Borough Briggs opened on 20 August 1921 when it replaced Station Park as Elgin's home ground...
. They entered the Highland Football LeagueThe Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...
in 1895 and won the league championship fourteen times. The club entered the Scottish Football LeagueThe Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division....
in season 2000/01 and currently compete in in Division Three. Their home colours are black and white vertical stripes, black shorts and white socks. Past famous players for Elgin City include Andy GoramAndrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie"...
, Nicky WalkerJoseph Nicol 'Nicky' Walker is a former Scottish professional football goalkeeper.Walker started his career with Elgin City in the Highland League before signing for Leicester City aged 17. He didn’t settle in the Midlands though, and returned to Scotland within the year, signing for Motherwell in...
, Jimmy JohnstoneJames Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone , was a Scottish international association football player. Johnstone, known as "Jinky", was best known for his time as a Celtic player, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002.Born in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, the youngest of 5...
(ian wilson) and John McGinlayJohn McGinlay is a Scottish former footballer who is perhaps best known for his spell at Bolton Wanderers in the mid to late 1990s.-Career:...
. Recently ex-Scotland players Brian Irvine and David Robertson have managed the club.
Two junior football sides, Bishopmill United and New Elgin, both currently compete in the Scottish Junior Football North Division TwoThe Scottish Junior Football North Division Two is a third-tier division of the North Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association.In the 2008-09 season Inverness City won the League and were promoted to Division One...
while Moray Social, Golden Pheasant F.C. and Bishopmill Villa participate in the Moray District Welfare Football AssociationThe Moray Welfare Football Association is affiliated to the Scottish Welfare Football Association which is affiliated to the Scottish Football Association. One of the biggest welfare associations in Scotland it has 20 club members and is sponsored by Planwell Roofing Supplies.The association has...
.
Rugby Union
Moray RFC was established in 1923 and play their home games at Morriston Playing Fields.
Cricket
Elgin Cricket Club play home games on the Cooper Park cricket pitch under the auspices of North of Scotland Cricket Association.
Notable citizens
For full list, see :Category:People from Elgin, Moray
- Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
William WisemanWilliam Wiseman may refer to:* Sir William Wiseman, 8th Baronet, British naval officer* Sir William Wiseman, 10th Baronet, grandson of the above, head of Secret Intelligence Service in Washington, DC during the First World War...
. born about 1300, ancestor of Bishop of the DromoreDromore is a small market town in the Lagan Valley, in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 19 miles south-west of Belfast, on the A1 Belfast to Dublin road. It had a population of 4,968 people in the 2001 Census. The town is in the Banbridge District Council area.The town's centre is Market...
Diocese (County Down) of the Church of Ireland, Capel Wiseman, 1635 - 1683, of Hertfordshire, who was forced to flee to the Continent following the accession of James II to the English Thronein 1685.
- Archbishop
In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. In many Christian Churches, this means that they lead a diocese of particular importance called an archdiocese, or in the Anglican Communion an Ecclesiastical Province, but this is not always the case. An archbishop is equivalent to a bishop in...
Mario Joseph ContiThe Most Reverend Mario Conti is the current Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, Scotland.Mario Joseph Conti was born on 20 March 1934, in Elgin, Moray, son of Louis Joseph Conti and Josephine Quintilia Conti...
, born 20 March 1934. The Most Reverend Mario Conti is the current Archbishop of GlasgowThe Bishop of Glasgow, after 1492 Archbishop of Glasgow, was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Glasgow and then, as Archbishop of Glasgow, the Archdiocese of Glasgow...
, in Scotland. He studied for the priesthood at The Scots College (Rome)The Scots College in Rome was established by Clement VIII in 1600, when it was assigned the revenue of the old Scots' hospice...
and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Aberdeen in the Church of San Marcello al Corso, by Archbishop Luigi Traglia on 26 October 1958. He was parish priest in Caithness before becoming Bishop of Aberdeen, in 1977. In 2002, he was appointed to the archdiocese of Glasgow.
- Steven John Pressley
Steven John Pressley is a Scottish former international footballer, most recently with Falkirk in the Scottish Premier League...
, born 11 October 1973 is a ScottishThe Scots people and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.An ethnic group, historically they emerged from an amalgamation of Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
international footballerAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
currently playing for Falkirk F.C in the Scottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top level of the Scottish football league system — above the Scottish Football League.Per capita, more people in Scotland watch their domestic top level league than any other nation in...
. He plays as a defender, although he played as a striker during his school days at Inverkeithing High School. He is often known by his nickname, Elvis.
- General Andrew Anderson (1747 – 1824) Anderson was commissioned as an Ensign in 1766 in the army of the Honourable East India Company. He proved himself to be a fine officer progressing steadily through the ranks and by 1811 had reached the rank of Major General. It was possible to become very wealthy in the service as there were great prizes to be won and shared. Perhaps influenced by his own upbringing Andrew Anderson executed a Deed of Trust in 1815 by which he left £70,000 to the Sheriff and Magistrates and Clergy of the established church in Elgin to build and endow an Institution in Elgin to provide a home for fifty children where they would be educated sufficiently to enable them to earn a living. The Institution was also to give a home to ten aged persons. General Anderson died in 1824 in London aged 77 and in 1830 Elgin Town Council commenced building on the lands of Maisondieu. The fine building of the Elgin Institute for the support of Old Age and the education of Youth was opened in 1832.
- Dr Alexander Gray (d 1807), worked as a surgeon for the East India Company. His will was contested by his family, but eventually his bequest of £26,000 'for the establishment of a hospital in the town of Elgin for the sick and poor of the county of Murray (Moray)' was proven in the Court of Chancery, and work on building the hospital took place between 1815 and 1818. The hospital opened on 1 January 1819.
- Lt William Rennie
Lieutenant-Colonel William Rennie VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, (1822 – 1887) 90th Perthshire Light Infantry, awarded Victoria Cross at Lucknow during Indian Mutiny, 1857
- William Dunbar (1749 – 1810) born in Thunderton House, Elgin. He was the youngest son of Sir Archibald Dunbar and Anne Bayne Dunbar. In 1763 he attended King's College, Aberdeen, and graduated from there in 1767. He emigrated to America arriving in Philadelphia in April 1771. In 1773 he and a Scottish merchant opened a cotton plantation in Florida and in 1792 opened another plantation in Mississippi. Dunbar became surveyor general in the Natchez area in 1798 and making his first meteorological observations in the Mississippi Valley in 1799. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him and fellow Scot Dr George Hunter to explore the Ouachita River region and travel all the way to the source of the Red River. They set out on 16 October 1804, traveling up the Ouachita River and on to the area of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Dunbar became the first man to give a scientific report of the hot springs, and his journal of the exploration was later published in Documents Relating to the Purchase and Exploration of Louisiana.
- William Latimer Duff (1822 – 1894) was the son of the Reverend William Duff, Minister of the St Giles Kirk. He was a pupil of Elgin Academy before moving to London and setting up in business. Duff emigrated to America and worked as a Commission Agent. He joined the Union army at the outbreak of the civil war and was commissioned as an artillery officer and became Assistant Inspector General on the staff of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was general-in-chief of the Union Army from 1864 to 1869 during the American Civil War and the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877....
with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was not present at the surrender of General Robert E. LeeRobert Edward Lee was a career United States Army officer, an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history. Lee was the son of Major General Henry Lee III "Light Horse Harry" , Governor of Virginia, and his second wife, Anne Hill Carter...
at Appomattox as Grant had sent him on other duties. He left the army as Brigadier General of Volunteers on 13 March 1865 for his war service. He became U.S. Consul in Glasgow after the war until 1869 and then covered the Franco-Prussian war for the New York Herald and because of his military rank was accepted in Prussian Society and presented to the KaiserKaiser is the German title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". Like the Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the name of Julius Caesar...
Wilhelm I. He retired to Elgin where he died in 1894.
- Alexander Brodie Spark
Alexander Brodie Spark , influential merchant, businessman and free settler of Australia, was born on 9 August 1792 at Elgin, Scotland.- Early life :...
(1792 – 1856) became a leading banker, merchant & landowner in New South Wales. His diaries provide an intimate and detailed account of the social and business ties among the Scottish merchants and settlers, who formed their own social set and circle.
- Sir David Hardie (4 June 1856 – 11 November 1945) graduated as a doctor from Aberdeen University and practiced in Forres before emigrating to Australia and settling in Brisbane. He specialized in the diseases of women and children, particularly those arising from climate. In 1927 he became a founding fellow of the (Royal) Australasian College of Surgeons.
- Kevin McKidd
Kevin McKidd is a Scottish television and film actor. He is known for his prominent television roles, including his performances as Lucius Vorenus on Rome, as Dan Vasser on Journeyman, and as Dr...
born August 1973 was a member of the successful Moray Youth Theatre, Kevin left Elgin for University in Edinburgh after school. However he dropped out to pursue an acting career which has seen him star in British classic TrainspottingTrainspotting is a 1996 British film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh. The movie follows a group of heroin addicts in a late 1980's economically-depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life...
, cult horror Dog Soldiers, the critically acclaimed Sixteen Years of Alcohol16 Years of Alcohol is a 2003 drama film written and directed by Richard Jobson, based on his 1987 novel. The film is Jobson's first directorial effort, following a career as a television presenter on BSkyB and VH-1, and as the vocalist for the 1970s punk rock band The Skids. The cover of the DVD...
, as well as the HBO/BBC venture RomeRome is an American-British-Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius, and William J. MacDonald. The show's first season originally aired on HBO in the United States between August 28 and November 20, 2005, subsequently being broadcast on the United Kingdom's...
and Ridley ScottSir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer known for his stylish visuals and an obsession for detail. His films include Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, Matchstick Men, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster and Body of Lies...
's Crusade epic Kingdom of HeavenKingdom of Heaven may refer to:* Kingdom of God, a foundational theological concept in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam* Kingdom of Heaven , a 2005 film, directed by Ridley Scott...
.
- Margaret Masson Hardie Hasluck
Margaret Masson Hardie Hasluck . She was a Scottish geographer, linguist, epigrapher, archaeologist and scholar....
MBE (born 18 June 1885 - September 1947) Author and Anthropologist. Niece of Sir David Hardie, and also of James "Scotty" Philip's two brothers Alexander & George Philip. She lived in GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
and AlbaniaAlbania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east...
, and during WW2 was involved with SOESOE can stand for:* Special Operations Executive, a British World War II covert military organisation* State-owned enterprise* System of linear equations, in mathematics* Secret of Evermore, a Super Nintendo role-playing game from Squaresoft...
from their base in Cairo, Egypt. She was acquainted with the novelist Olivia ManningOlivia Mary Manning was a British novelist, poet, writer and reviewer.Manning's youth was divided between Portsmouth and Ireland, giving her "the usual Anglo-Irish sense of belonging to nowhere". She attended art school, and moved to London, where her first serious novel, The Wind Changes, was...
and is reputed to be the character of 'Mrs Brett' in Olivia Manning's Balkan Trilogy 'Fortunes of War'.
- Frederick Fyvie Bruce (12 October 1910 – 11 September 1990) aka F.F. Bruce - Professor of Theology, author of numerous books and articles on theological subjects. He worked at Manchester and Sheffield Universities. Was a Fellow of the British Academy.
- Scott Murdoch, Jewish historian
External links