Ordnance Survey large scale Scottish town plans, 1847-1895
ELGIN (surveyed in
1868)
Introduction
Elgin was one of the
Scotland's first royal burghs, receiving its burghal charter from David I in
1136. Its name may mean 'little Ireland' or simply 'worthy place', as it is
believed 'Elgin' derives from the Scots Gaelic word ealg, meaning both 'Ireland' and 'worthy', and the suffix in, meaning 'little'. Elgin is the
historic centre of the diocese and county of Moray, a low lying area between
Inverness and Aberdeen in north-east Scotland. Its location near the Highland
frontier made Elgin an important strategic point in conflicts between feuding
clans and Lowland families, and the town's beautiful cathedral was burned in
1390 by Alexander, the 'Wolf of Badenoch', son of King Robert II. Perhaps owing
to its location in one of the debatable lands of Scottish family politics,
Elgin's economy decayed in the fifteenth century, but by the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries it had revived significantly and was a thriving market and
service centre. The burgh population in 1861 was measured at 6,403.
Elgin is a fine
example of medieval burgh planning in Scotland. It is dominated by a long high
street, from whose sides closes and vennels extend, in a pattern similar to
that of Edinburgh's High Street. Unusually in Scotland, where early town
thoroughfares commonly slope in one direction, Elgin's High Street rises and
broadens to a summit in the centre, where the parish church sits. The tolbooth
and principal marketplace were originally situated in the open areas on either
side of the church, and a royal castle once sat on Lady Hill, overlooking the
town to the west of the High Street.
In the eighteenth
century Elgin began to develop as a textile town, and spinning schools, a
bleachfield, a linen merchant and textile mills were all opened. By 1800 a
water-powered thread mill had been built, and Johnston's Woollen Mills, which
were to be an enduring feature of trade and industry in Elgin, had also opened.
The Linkwood and Miltonduff distilleries, producers of the internationally
famous Glenlivet malt whisky, opened near Elgin in the 1820s, and by the 1840s
the town also contained eight grain mills, reflecting the rich grain production
in the surrounding countryside. Apart from these industries, the author of the
1845 Statistical Account for Elgin
notes, 'the trade carried on in Elgin is mostly confined to retail', with
custom drawn from the town and surrounding areas.
The county of Moray
is rich farming country, supporting both arable and livestock farming. The Statistical Account for 1845 puts the
number of farmers, cottars and farm-servants in the parish of Elgin at 365, and
surrounding rural parishes are likely to have had a far higher proportion of
their population involved in the farming industry. It is also explained in the Statistical Account, that while horses
and cattle in Moray used to be of 'a very inferior description', better
livestock began to be introduced from southern Scotland in the early-nineteenth
century. Pigs were also farmed in quantity in the area, but sheep were less
prevalent. The staple crops grown were turnips, wheat, barley and oats.
Despite the grandeur
of its cathedral, reflecting Elgin's status as the See of the Diocese of Moray,
the church of St Giles in the High Street was historically Elgin's parish
church, and by the mid-nineteenth century the earlier building had been
replaced by an elegant neo-classical church, built between 1825 and 1828. As
well as St Giles', and various other established Church of Scotland
congregations, Elgin was also home to Episcopalian and Free church
congregations at the time the town was surveyed. By then, however, the
cathedral did not house any worshippers. Despite being rebuilt after 1390, it
was pillaged by the Reformers of 1560 and finally fell into disuse in the
seventeenth century. The ruins remain a distinctive landmark in Elgin.
Dr Gray's Hospital,
perhaps the most famous institution in Elgin, was funded by bequest from a
native of Elgin, and opened in 1819. The Elgin Institution, intended both to
support the elderly and to educate the young, was opened in 1830 and was again
a charitable foundation by an Elgin man, Andrew Anderson. The Elgin Courant, a weekly newspaper, began
publication in 1834, and the Elgin and
Morayshire Courier in 1849. The town also contained a court-house, branches
of five different banking companies, more than twenty insurance offices, a
water company, a gas company and a property investment company.
Elgin appears
to have been rich in cultural amenities and societies in the mid-nineteenth
century. Among its various organisations were a literary association, a
scientific association, a chess club, a cricket club, a curling club and a
horticultural society. The physical and cultural development of Elgin continued
throughout the nineteenth century, enhanced by the opening of rail links to
Aberdeen and Inverness in 1858.
Groome,
Francis H. (ed.), 1894-5. The Ordnance
Gazetteer of Scotland; a survey of Scottish topography, statistical,
biographical, and historical, 2nd ed., (London: William Mackenzie)
Mackay,
George, 2000. Scottish Place Names
(New Lanark: Lomond)
Smith, Robert,
2001. The Making of Scotland: a
comprehensive guide to the growth of its cities, towns and villages (Edinburgh:
Canongate)
Wilson, Rev.
John Marius (ed.), 1857. The Imperial
Gazetteer of Scotland or Dictionary of Scottish Topography (Edinburgh: A.
Fullarton & Co.)
Edina Website –
Online Statistical Accounts of Scotland - http://edina.ac.uk/statacc/