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ARBROATH
Arbroath or Aberbrothock (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Bhrothaig) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in thecouncil area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785.
It lies on the North Sea coast, around 16 miles (25.7 km) ENE of Dundee and 45 miles (72.4 km) SSW of Aberdeen.
While there is evidence for settlement of the area now occupied by the town that dates back to the Iron Age, Arbroath's history as a town begins in the High Middle Ages with the founding of Arbroath Abbey in 1178.
Arbroath grew considerably during the Industrial Revolutionowing to the expansion of firstly the flax and secondly the jute industries and the engineering sector.
A new harbour was built in 1839 and by the 20th century, Arbroath had become one of the larger fishing ports in Scotland.
The town is notable as the home of the Declaration of Arbroath, as well as the Arbroath Smokie and its football team Arbroath FC holding the world record for highest number of goals in professional football match 36-0 against Aberdeen Bon Accord in the Scottish Cup in 1885.
HISTORY
Arbroath's prospects originally revolved around the harbour. The original harbour was constructed and maintained by the abbot within the terms of an agreement between the burgesses and John Gedy, the abbot in 1394 AD. This gave way to a more commodious port in 1725, which in turn was enlarged and improved in 1839, when the sea wall, quay walls and breakwater were added to the old inner harbour, at a cost of £58,000. Arbroath became a major port for the coastal shipping trade and in 1846, there were 89 Arbroath registered vessels, totalling 9100 gross tons. In the same year, 599 vessels docked at Arbroath, 56 from foreign ports (mainly Baltic ports) with the remaining 543 employed on the coastal trade.Bark, flax, hemp, hides, oak, and fir timber, and guano for manure, groceries from London, and numerous articles of Baltic produce were imported via Arbroath, with manufactured goods (mainly sailcloth) exported via Arbroath.
ARBROATH SMOKIES
Arbroath smokies, for which Arbroath is well-known nationally and internationally, are made solely in Arbroath following the award of Protected Geographical Indication in 2004, which limits Arbroath smokie production to within 4 km of Arbroath. Smokies are made from haddock using traditional methods dating back to the late 19th century where the fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, before being left tied in pairs to dry. Next, the dried fish are hung in a special barrel containing a hardwood fire and covered with a lid. After around an hour of smoking, the fish are golden brown and ready to eat.[89] The preparation of smokies remains a cottage industry in Arbroath, centred almost exclusively at the harbour area, though one larger processor, RR Spink, supplies Arbroath smokies to several UK supermarket chains, and to HM Queen Elizabeth II for which the company holds a Royal Warrant.
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