Airlie, Angus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Airlie is a parish in the Scottish council area of Angus. It is the seat of the Earl of Airlie, and the location of Airlie Castle. It is comprised of Craigton of Airlie, Baitland of Airlie and Kirkton of Airlie. There is a standing stone in a field just east of the Baitland; various Pictish and Roman relics (stone coffins etc) have been uncovered and the primary school is reputed to have been built on the site of an old graveyard. Airlie also contains one of the finest examples of a Pictish souterrain in Scotland, with he carving of a snake clearly visible in the ceiling. Unfortunately this is unsafe.
Airlie Castle is not currently open to the public, however it is remembered in the song 'The Bonnie Hoose o' Airlie' which is mentioned in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Kidnapped. The song commemorates the burning of the castle (some of the stonework is still black) by the Earl of Argyll, claiming to act on behalf of the anti-royalists, while the Earl was away fighting for the Jacobite cause. However it is also claimed that Forter Castle in Glen Isla was the 'Bonnie Hoose' destroyed in 1640.
There was a book written 'A Parish History of Airlie', however this has written in the 19th century and has been out of print for several years.
 This Angus location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
