Menmuir
Encyclopedia
Menmuir is a parish in Angus
(formerly Forfarshire) in Scotland
.
Kirkton of Menmuir consists of only three houses (The old Schoolhouse, The Manse, The old Inn) but around 250 people live in the area and the community hall is well used.
cup and ring marked stones have been found in the area. Bronze age
archaeology has been found nearby, with a short cist burial found a mile to the south-east of the village, containing bones and a flint spearhead, and a bronze axehead found nearby. The Brown Caterthun
and the White Caterthun, hillforts dating from the iron age
, can also be seen nearby.
A number of Pictish symbol stones
have been found in Menmuir, including a cross-slab and a sculpured stone found in the kirkyard around 1844 when an old wall was demolished, three fragments, found in the grounds of the village Manse in 1943, and another class III fragment reported in 1986. These point to Menmuir having been a centre of some ecclesiastical importance in the early Medieval period.
A royal palace is supposed to have existed in Menmuir in the reign of Alexander III
, a little to the south-west of where the church now stands. However, no remains of it have been found.
The unusual surname Menmuir seems to originate from this parish.
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
(formerly Forfarshire) in Scotland
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...
.
Kirkton of Menmuir consists of only three houses (The old Schoolhouse, The Manse, The old Inn) but around 250 people live in the area and the community hall is well used.
History
NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
cup and ring marked stones have been found in the area. Bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
archaeology has been found nearby, with a short cist burial found a mile to the south-east of the village, containing bones and a flint spearhead, and a bronze axehead found nearby. The Brown Caterthun
Caterthun
Caterthun, or the Caterthuns, is a ridge of hills near the city of Brechin in Angus, Scotland. The Caterthuns are notable for being the site of two Iron Age forts known as the White Caterthun and the Brown Caterthun....
and the White Caterthun, hillforts dating from the iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, can also be seen nearby.
A number of Pictish symbol stones
Pictish stones
Pictish stones are monumental stelae found in Scotland, mostly north of the Clyde-Forth line. These stones are the most visible remaining evidence of the Picts and are thought to date from the 6th to 9th centuries, a period during which the Picts became Christianized...
have been found in Menmuir, including a cross-slab and a sculpured stone found in the kirkyard around 1844 when an old wall was demolished, three fragments, found in the grounds of the village Manse in 1943, and another class III fragment reported in 1986. These point to Menmuir having been a centre of some ecclesiastical importance in the early Medieval period.
A royal palace is supposed to have existed in Menmuir in the reign of Alexander III
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
, a little to the south-west of where the church now stands. However, no remains of it have been found.
Geography
Menmuir straddles the boundary of the fertile coastal land and the start of the Grampian Mountains.The unusual surname Menmuir seems to originate from this parish.