The History of Montrose and its Surrounding Parishes

Montrose Parish

Montrose parish lies on the north east side of the Basin adjacent to the sea. The Royal Burgh, originally of Sallork or Cellurca, but now Montrose, lies within this. The Burgh was previously surrounded by its 'town lands'. These formed a limited portion of the wider parish, whose western edge was formed by the bounds of Montrose Muir and the Tayock Burn (its exact extent is not now clear).

The Royal Burgh has all the appearances of a deliberately 'planned' settlement, with regular sized property holdings set around a central market place immediately north of the royal castle. It is likely that this area of the town was laid out in the 12th century. It lies to the north of the main port area, which was called Stromnay until the 15th century. This name, together with the '-gait' elements of the local streets - Seagait and Castlegait - clearly indicates that some form of settlement here was established by the Vikings in the Norse period, and could be several centuries earlier. The burgh inevitably dominated the parish, but smaller estate centres at Newmanswalls, Charleton and Borrowfield lay to the north and are documented throughout both the medieval and post-medieval periods.

Other Parishes

Ecclesjohn - Dun - Maryton - Craig - Dunninald