Forfar

Coordinates: 56°38′39″N 2°53′18″W / 56.64423°N 2.88842°W / 56.64423; -2.88842

Forfar ⁱ/ˈfɔːrfər/ (Scots: Farfar,Scottish Gaelic: Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council. Its population is 14,048

Forfar Castle dates from the Roman occupation, and was held by the Picts and then the English, before being captured by the Scots and presented to Robert the Bruce. Forfar has been both a traditional market town and a major manufacturing centre for linen and jute. Today the main activities are agriculture and tourism around the scenic valley of Strathmore. The local glens are popular with hill-walkers, and there are ski-slopes in the mountains. The town has a second division football club, Forfar Athletic, and Rugby Union is represented by Strathmore Rugby Football Club.

The Forfar Bridie, a popular Scottish meat pastry snack, is traditionally identified with the town.

History

Chiefs met at a castle by Forfar Loch to plan how best to repel the Romans who invaded on several occasions between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Ultimately the Romans prevailed, only to be displaced in the Early Middle Ages by the Picts. The Romans established a major Roman camp at Battledykes, approximately three miles north of Forfar; this camp was analysed to have held 50,000 to 60,000 men. From Battledykes northward the Romans established a succession of camps including Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandykes. A "claimant" to the throne, the daughter of the leader of the Meic Uilleim, who were descendants of King Duncan II, had her brains dashed out on Forfar market cross in 1230 while still an infant.

Forfar (UK Parliament constituency)

Forfarshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of Great Britain of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1950.

It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Boundaries

The Representation of the People Act 1918 defined the constituency as consisting of the county of Forfar, except the county of the city of Dundee and the burghs of Montrose, Arbroath, Brechin, and Forfar. The four excepted burghs formed part of the Montrose District of Burghs.

The county of Forfarshire was renamed Angus in 1928. However, no change was made in the name of the constituency prior to its abolition.

Redistribution

The constituency was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1948, which reorganised parliamentary boundaries throughout the United Kingdom. The seat was divided between North Angus and Mearns (which also included Kincardineshire) and South Angus. The new constituencies were first contested in the 1950 general election.

Forfar (disambiguation)

Forfar is the county town of Angus, Scotland.

Forfar may also refer to:

People with the surname