Inverurie is a burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland approximately 16 miles north west of Aberdeen along the A96 road. Inverurie straddles the River Don and the River Ury .

Geography

Inverurie is a burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland approximately 16 miles north west of Aberdeen along the A96 road. Inverurie straddles the River Don and the River Ury . Although the part of the town south of the Don is actually called Port Elphinstone, it is common to hear the title "Inverurie" used to refer to the entire conurbation.

Etymology

The word "Inverurie" means "At the mouth of the Ury". The original spelling was "Inverury" which was changed in the late 1800s to avoid confusion with Inverary on the opposite coast (u and a being particularly hard to discern on handwritten addresses).

History

Inverurie is said to have been founded by David of Huntingdon, Earl of the Garioch, brother of Malcolm IV and great-great-grandfather of Robert the Bruce who defeated the Comyns nearby at the Battle of Barra on Christmas Eve 1307. The town's earliest known charter dates from 1558, but its modern development occurred after the building of the Aberdeen Canal linking Port Elphinstone with Aberdeen Harbour in 1806. The Inverurie Locomotive Works (1905-1969) led to a modest increase in size and prosperity, but it was not until the "Oil Boom" of the last quarter of the 20th century that the town developed into what it is today.

Industry

Inverurie is a thriving market town, with many small shops, businesses and services. It main industries outwith service and commerce are agriculture, oil and paper. Agriculture continues to be a mainstay of Inverurie's economy, as it has done since the town's inception. Thainstone Mart to the south east of the town is the biggest livestock market in scotland, and rents out commercial units to various argricultural support services. Lying beside Thainstone Mart, the paper mill is also a big employer. Following the discovery of north Sea Oil in the mid 1970s, several oil service companies appeared in Inverurie. Many residents who work in this sector do so on offshore oil installations in the North Sea on a "two week on- two week off" basis in addition to those who work in the town itself.

Language

Inverurie natives speak the Aberdeenshire Doric dialect of Lowland Scots. Inverurie Doric has become anglicised in recent years due to an influx of residents from other parts of the UK, yet is still spoken to a greater or lesser degree. Expect for example, interogatives (wha, whit, whitwey/hou, why, whan, whaur) to be substituted for their doric equivelents: "fa", "fit", "fitwey"/"fou", "fan", "faur", but do not expect the level of Doric nouns and verbs that can be heard in the more parochial parts of Aberdeenshire.

Religion

Inverurie has one church for each of the following religions: Catholic, Baptist, Church of Scotland, Episcopal, and Presbyterian.

Football Team

Inverurie Loco Works F.C. are the local Highland League football team and Aberdeen FC are the nearest Scottish Football Association affiliated team. Unlike many areas of Scotland these teams have no religious affiliation.

Facts

Divorce Rate

At 10.4% Inverurie has Scotland's lowest divorce rate (Source: Claritas, 2002).

Population

10,885 (Source: General Register Office for Scotland, 2001)