|
 The
Royal Burgh of Auchterarder is a situated with the Ochil Hills and Gleneagles
to the south and Strathearn to the north. The town is laid out with a long
main street giving it the nickname of the Lang Toon.
To the south-west of Auchterarder lies
the world famous Gleneagles Hotel and Golf Courses. The town is a centre
for golfing holidays with many hotels and guest houses offering
packages.
Alexander II granted the canons of
Inchaffray rights over Auchterarder in 1227. Edward I of England spent a
night in Auchterarder Castle during his 1296 invasion of Scotland. In 1328
Robert I (Robert the Bruce) granted the town to the Montifex family, from
whom it passed by dowry to the Drummond family.
After the Battle of Sheriffmuir in
1716 the town was burnt by Jacobites. It was rebuilt shortly afterwards but
remained small as it did not lie on the important military roads being built
through Perthshire. However, from 1760-1780 linen weaving, a dye works and
a paper mill were established in the town. The railway arrived in 1848.
Auchterarder has played a role in Scottish
Religious events. Mary of Lorraine negotiated the Treaty of Perth from the
town in 1559. By its terms John Knox gained the first State recognition of
Protestantism in Scotland. In 1843 the members of the Church in the town
began what was to lead to a split, The Disruption, in the Protestant Church
of Scotland for almost a 100 years. |
