Turriff
| Turriff Gaelic: Torraibh | |
| Aberdeenshire | |
|---|---|
 Delgatie Castle, Turriff | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NJ725505 |
| Location: | 57°32’21"N, 2°27’40"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,708 (2001) |
| Post town: | Turriff |
| Postcode: | AB53 |
| Dialling code: | 01888 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Aberdeenshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Banff and Buchan |
Turriff is a town and parish in Aberdeenshire. It is approximately 166 feet above sea level, and has a population of 5,708.
Turriff is known locally as Turra in the Doric dialect of Scots. The name appears to be Scottish Gaelic in origin, from "torr" meaning a mound or round hill, or "tur" meaning a tower.
Services and amenities
Turriff has a primary school (Markethill Primary School) and a secondary school (Turriff Academy). People from the surrounding areas, including the villages of Cuminestown, Fyvie and King Edward attend the secondary school.
Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland, Alliance & Leicester, Clydesdale Bank and Lloyds TSB have branches in the town. The main supermarket chains were Somerfield and Co-op and there are numerous specialist shops including two dispensing pharmacies. The Somerfield store has been bought by Tesco and was relaunched as a Tesco store in the autumn of 2009. The town has a library, a sports centre and a recently renovated swimming pool. Not to mention several excellent services up in the industrial estate such as hairdressers, building suppliers and a thriving women's exercise centre.
Turriff has a football team called Turriff United FC, who play in the Highland League.
An annual two-day agricultural show is held in Turriff called the "Turriff Show", which is Scotland's largest two-day agricultural show.
History
Turriff was notable as the scene of the very first engagements of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639-51). Early in 1639, the Marquis of Huntly assembled his forces here, and thereafter went to Kintore in lower Aberdeenshire, eventually marching from there to Aberdeen itself. The Marquis — being informed shortly after his arrival in Aberdeen that a meeting of Covenanters was to be held in Turriff on the fourteenth of February — resolved to disperse them, by occupying the town with 2000 men. The incident was known as the "Raid of Turriff" and was followed a few days later by a minor engagement known as the "Trot of Turriff".[1]
More recently, the 1913 Turra Coo incident in the parish was the result of a local refusal to pay National Insurance when this was introduced by Lloyd George's government.
References
- ↑ Trevor Royle (2005) Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms. London, Abacus: 89-91
