Angus & the Mearns : A Historical Guide

Edinburgh: Birlinn Publishers, 1998. Fine. A crisp clean softcover, no markings throughout: Angus and Kincardine, an area rich in resources, has been of strategic importance for many centuries. The diversity of sights to be found north of the Tay mirrors the variety of historical sites to be found in this part of the country: White Caterhun, north-west of Brechin, dates from the Celtic Iron Age and is a hill-fort, with the largest dry stone wall in Britain; Pictish stones, dating from AD400 on, these ancient monumnets measure up to 14-feet high and bear pagan symbols; Brechin Round Tower, one of only two surviving Irish towers and the site of a monastry in the 11th century; the ruins of Arbroath Abbey, founded by William the Lion; and Claypotts and Edzell, with its walled garden, two of the 16th-century castles in Scotland. This book is a combination of guide, gazetteer and site maps. Its layout is chronological and each chapter deals with a different period, from prehistoric times to the industrial age.