Fochabers is a village in the Parish of Bellie, 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...
, not far from the cathedral city of
ElginElgin is a former cathedral city and a former Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland and is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The city originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
and located on the east bank of the
River SpeyThe River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest flowing river in Scotland...
. Around 2,000 people live in the village, which enjoys a rich musical and cultural history. The village is also home to
BaxtersBaxters is an international food company, based in Fochabers, Scotland. It has its roots in a grocer's shop opened by George Baxter in 1868. Baxter's shop became known for supplying pickles and preserves in the early 20th century, when George's son and daughter-in-law began preparing their own...
http://www.baxters.com, the family-run manufacturer of foodstuffs.
There are two schools in Fochabers, Milne's Primary School (formerly Milne's Institution) and
Milne's High SchoolMilne's High School is a secondary school, located in the village of Fochabers, Moray.The school's feeder primaries are Milne's Primary School, Lhanbryde Primary School and Mosstodloch Primary School....
, which currently serves approximately 600 pupils from Fochabers itself and the surrounding villages.
Fochabers is a village in the Parish of Bellie, 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...
, not far from the cathedral city of
ElginElgin is a former cathedral city and a former Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland and is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The city originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
and located on the east bank of the
River SpeyThe River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest flowing river in Scotland...
. Around 2,000 people live in the village, which enjoys a rich musical and cultural history. The village is also home to
BaxtersBaxters is an international food company, based in Fochabers, Scotland. It has its roots in a grocer's shop opened by George Baxter in 1868. Baxter's shop became known for supplying pickles and preserves in the early 20th century, when George's son and daughter-in-law began preparing their own...
http://www.baxters.com, the family-run manufacturer of foodstuffs.
There are two schools in Fochabers, Milne's Primary School (formerly Milne's Institution) and
Milne's High SchoolMilne's High School is a secondary school, located in the village of Fochabers, Moray.The school's feeder primaries are Milne's Primary School, Lhanbryde Primary School and Mosstodloch Primary School....
, which currently serves approximately 600 pupils from Fochabers itself and the surrounding villages. Milne's Institution was originally built in accordance with
Alexander MilneAlexander Milne was a Scottish-American entrepreneur and philanthropist.Milne was born in Fochabers, Moray, Scotland. Known as Sandy to his friends, he got into trouble with the local Duke for whom he worked as a footman by refusing to cut his long ginger hair, and was deported to America in 1790...
's Last Will and Testament, using money ($100,000) he left for this purpose.
For some time the people of Fochabers have been campaigning for a town bypass, as the village is situated on the
A96The A96 is a major road in the North of Scotland.It runs generally west/north-west from Aberdeen, bypassing Kintore, Inverurie, Huntly and Forres, and running through Keith, Fochabers, Elgin and Nairn...
, the only direct route from
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...
to
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...
, and consequently suffers from a serious traffic problem. After nearly twenty years of campaigning, however, the village remains without a bypass. The
Scottish ExecutiveThe Scottish Government , legally the Scottish Executive, is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under section 44 of the Scotland Act...
announced on 17 March 2005 that it had approved construction of a bypass to the north of the village. Work will begin in 2008 and should be completed by 2010, at a cost of £18-21m. The decision follows an Inquiry in 2003, which focused on the loss of part of the designed landscape of
Gordon CastleThe Gordon Castle, in Gight, near Fochabers in Moray, Scotland, historically the principal seat of the Dukes of Gordon, was one of the largest country houses ever built in Scotland.-History:...
and the environmental impacts on adjacent properties. The bypass will also provide relief for
MosstodlochMosstodloch is a small village in Moray, Scotland, lying on the A96 between Fochabers and Elgin on the west bank of the River Spey....
to the west.
Notable Fochaberians
- John M Caie
John Morrison Caie was born and raised in Fochabers. He was the son of the minister of Enzie parish church, in Banffshire. He graduated from the University of Aberdeen. He became a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh...
-- author of The Puddock
- Alexander Milne
Alexander Milne was a Scottish-American entrepreneur and philanthropist.Milne was born in Fochabers, Moray, Scotland. Known as Sandy to his friends, he got into trouble with the local Duke for whom he worked as a footman by refusing to cut his long ginger hair, and was deported to America in 1790...
(1742 - 1838) -- Scottish-American entrepreneur and philanthropist
- William Marshall (Scottish composer)
William Marshall is regarded as one of the greatest composers of Scottish fiddle music.Marshall was born in Fochabers, Scotland. He entered the service of the Duke of Gordon, eventually becoming the Factor to the Gordon Estate. James Hunter's The Fiddle Music of Scotland credits Marshall with...
(1748 - 1833)
- Arthur Robertson Cushny
Physician Arthur Robertson Cushny , attended a local rural school until he enrolled at the University of Aberdeen and received an M.A. in 1866. Then in 1889 he graduated from medical studies at Marischal College, Aberdeen, receiving C.M., M.B. and M.D...
FRS (1866 - 1926) -- Professor of Pharmacology at Universities of Michigan, USA, London and Edinburgh. Pioneer in the study of renal function in man
- George Chalmers
George Chalmers , was a Scottish antiquarian and political writer.-Biography:Chalmers was born at Fochabers, Moray, in 1742. His father, James Chalmers, was a grandson of George Chalmers of Pittensear, a small estate in the parish of Lhanbryde, now St Andrews-Lhanbryde, in Moray, owned by the...
(1742 – 1825) -- Antiquarian and political writer
- Sir Ashley Watson Mackintosh KCVO FRCP (1868 - 1937) -- Benefactor to Milne's Institution, Fochabers. Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Aberdeen. Honorary Physician in Scotland to HM King George V
- Jane Maxwell (1748 - 1812) -- fourth Duchess of Gordon
The title Duke of Gordon has been created once in the Peerage of Scotland and again in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.The Dukedom, named after the Clan Gordon, was first created for the 4th Marquess of Huntly, who on 3 November 1684 was created Duke of Gordon, Marquess of Huntly, Earl of Huntly...
- Jean Christie -- fifth Duchess of Gordon
- Charles Webster (1814 - 1890) -- Plant Breeder and Horticulturist, Head Gardener to the Dukes of Richmond & Gordon
- John Russell
-Politicians:* John E. Russell , U.S. Representative from Massachusetts* John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford , English royal minister...
(1819 - 1893) -- Still-life and Wildlife Artist. Leading painter of Spey salmon of the Victorian era
- Sir James Sivewright KCMG (1848 - 1916) -- Telegraph and Railway Pioneer in South Africa, Cape Colony Politician and member of Cecil Rhodes' Cabinet
- Sir James Cantlie
Sir James Cantlie was a Scottish physician. He was born in Banffshire and took his first degree at Aberdeen University, carrying out his clinical training at Charing Cross Hospital, London....
FRCS KBE (1851 - 1926) -- Co-founder of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and HygieneThe Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene was founded in 1907 by Sir James Cantlie and Dr. George Carmichael Low. Sir Patrick Manson, the Society's first President is generally acknowledged as the father of tropical medicine...
- William Mackenzie
William Mackenzie may refer to:* William Mackenzie , Scottish ophthalmologist* William Mackenzie , British civil engineering contractor...
(1882 - 1947) -- Banker and Gold Fields Pioneer, South Africa
- Vangeli Moschopoulos (1985 -) -- International fencer, represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in India
- Fiona Mackenzie
Fiona J Mackenzie is a Gaelic singer from Dingwall in Scotland, and has toured and performed throughout Europe and North America. In 2005 she won the An Comunn Gàidhealach Gold Medal.-Career:...
(1961-) -- Gaelic Singer and Mod Gold Medal winner from Orton, Fochabers
See also
Aber and Inver as place-name elementsAber and Inver are common elements in place-names of Celtic origin. Both mean "confluence of waters" or "river mouth". Their distribution reflects the geographical influence of the Brythonic and Goidelic language groups respectively.-Aber:...
External links