Turriff Town

Turriff Town

In 1723 Turriff was described as “remarkable for its most wholesome sweet air, very pleasant fields of corn, and an exceedingly beautiful grass haugh”, At that time the town was barely a village, its architecture unexceptional, but its setting idyllic on a bluff enclosed by the rivers or burns of Putachie, Knockie and Turriff. A Celtic monastic community may have existed here. In 1273, the Earl of Buchan founded the Hospital of St Congan for a Master, 6 Chaplains, and 13 poor husbandmen of Buchan. It seems never to have thrived, may have been in ruins before the Reformation, and has left us only a peculiar stone of ten heads built into the east gable of the church.

In 1512, Turriff became the Burgh of Barony with two Fairs - Lamas Fair and St Congan's Fair - and soon founded itself a grammar school. Some vaults and records of a 17^th century courtyard house known as Castle Rainy (and at one point used as the town hall) survived in Castlegate until 100 years ago. Yet Turriff was never fortified, the historic part of the town being clustered around the west end: the church, the Market Cross, and the 16th-century Lodging of the principal nobleman of the neighbourhood, the Earl of Erroll.

Turriff prospered with Victorian agriculture - as may be interpreted from its solid red sandstone suburbs - becoming known for its role as the centre of feeing for Buchan farm labourers, the Turra Market, and is still today a prosperous agricultural district.

The ‘Trot of Turriff’ occurred on the 14^th of May 1630 was a battle between Covenanters under Montrose and Royalists under the marquis of Huntly. Montrose occupied Turriff in February 1630 without bloodshed. On the 14^th of May large forces met once again when the Royalists surprised the Covenanters After a skirmish and exchange of cannon-fire the Covenanters were put to flight by Huntly and his Gordons. This was the first engagement of the civil war in Scotland.

Market Cross

Standing in the middle of Market Street the Cross is made of red sandstone and takes the form of an octagonal pillar rising from a fattened Gothic crocketed base by James Duncan in 1865 with sculpture by Thomas Goodwillie.

St Congan's Church

This medieval building, which once belonged to the Knights Templars and whose tower at the east end survives capped with a richly carved, double-bellcote dating from 1635. The bell is dated 1556 and the clock, which comes from Carnousie, is still in working order and dates to 1797.