Rathen, Aberdeenshire
| Rathen | |
|---|---|
 Rathen Kirk and adjacent but and ben | |
  Rathen Location within Aberdeenshire | |
| OS grid reference | NK000607 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FRASERBURGH |
| Postcode district | AB43 |
| Dialling code | 01346 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Rathen, Aberdeenshire, is a parish and hamlet near Fraserburgh, Scotland. In Scottish Gaelic, its name means fort on the river.[1]
On the coast is Cairnbulg Point, flanking the eastern side of Fraserburgh Bay.[1] Mormond Hill (769 feet (234 m)) sits on the borders of Rathen, Strichen and Lonmay.[1] Rathen Burn runs through the parish for three miles.[1]
The old kirk is one of the most ancient in Aberdeenshire. The church was given, by Marjory, Countess of Buchan, to Arbroath Abbey in the 13th century.[1] In 1328, Robert the Bruce, a year before his death, granted it to the college and canons of Old Machar.[1] Its nave was erected by the Frasers of Memsie in 1646.[1] While the belfry dates from 1782, its bell has the inscription Peter Jansen, 1643.[1] The church was replaced in 1870 by a new construction to the east of its predecessor.[1]
There is also a free church, Inverallochy and Rathen East Church,[2] two miles northeast of Rathen.[3]
At the end of the 19th century, the main residence was , with House of Memsie being used as a farmhouse.[1]
Rathen railway station formerly existed as part of the now-defunct Formartine and Buchan Railway.
Gallery[]
The remains of Rathen Old Kirk
The former Rathen East Kirk in nearby Mosstown
Inverallochy and Rathen East Church
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland, Frances Hindes Groome (1901), p. 1363
- ^ Inverallochy and Rathen East Church official website
- ^ Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland, Frances Hindes Groome (1901), p. 1364
External links[]
- Rathen at Scottish-Places.info
- Photographs of Rathen at Geograph.org.uk
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