Arbroath on This Day

Arbroath is a remarkable Scottish town. It can be one of the coldest places in Christendom when the wind is coming from the wrong direction, as anyone who has ever been to a cricket match at Lochlands at the start of the season can testify, and it has often been a source of wonder to many visiting supporters that Gayfield has not been swept away by the angry North Sea.

The town punches away above its weight in terms of history. The Declaration, much quoted and indeed misquoted from by enthusiastic rather than meticulous historians, is a study in itself and one leaves it to medieval historians to mull over its significance, and of course the Stone of Destiny made an appearance at Arbroath Abbey as well - and many people feel that it should have been allowed to stay there.