Editing Fraserburgh (section)

==History==
{{More citations needed|section|date=July 2023}}
===16th and 17th century: Origins===
The town takes its name from the [[Frasers of Philorth|Fraser family]], who bought the lands of Philorth in 1504 and brought about major improvements in the area over the next century.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

By 1570, the Fraser family had built Fraserburgh Castle at [[Kinnaird Head]] and within a year a church was built for the area. [[Alexander Fraser (died 1623)|Sir Alexander Fraser]] built a port in the town in 1579, obtained a charter establishing it as a [[burgh of barony]] in 1588 and secured the right to change the name from Faithlie to Fraserburgh in 1592.<ref name=odnb>{{cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-10099|title=Fraser, Sir Alexander, of Philorth (1537–1623)|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/10099|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8|access-date=23 September 2021|last1=Wells|first1=R. P.}}</ref>

A grant from the [[Parliament of Scotland]] in 1595 allowed Sir Alexander Fraser to erect [[Fraserburgh University|the town's first college building]], and in 1597 the [[General Assembly of the Church of Scotland|General Assembly]] of the [[Church of Scotland]] recommended the Rev. [[Charles Ferme]], then minister at the Old Parish, to be its first and only principal.<ref>(ed.) [[Thomas Thomson (advocate)|Thomson, Thomas]], ''Acts and Proceedings of the General Assemblies of the Kirk of Scotland'', Church of Scotland General Assembly, Edinburgh, 1845.</ref>{{contradictory-inline|Fraserburgh University|date=June 2024}}

In 1601, Fraserburgh became a [[burgh of regality]]. The college, however, closed only a decade or so after Ferme's arrest on the orders of James VI for taking part in the 1605 [[General Assembly of Aberdeen]], being used again only for a short time in 1647 when [[King's College, Aberdeen]] temporarily relocated owing to an outbreak of plague. A plaque commemorating the university's existence may be seen at the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

===18th and 19th century: further growth and development===
During the 18th and 19th centuries the population of Fraserburgh was growing with peaks due to seasonal employment. From a population of an estimated 1682 in 1755, a population of about 2,000 was recorded in 1780, of whom 1,000 resided in the town proper. There were a further 200 people in the village of Broadsea.<ref name="Fraserburgh 1791">The Statistical Account on the Parish of Fraserburgh, between 1791–1799 (probably 1791) by Rev. Alexander Simpson of the Fraserburgh Old Parish Church</ref>

In 1787, Fraserburgh Castle was converted to [[Kinnaird Head Lighthouse]], Scotland's first mainland lighthouse and the first in Scotland to be lit by the [[Northern Lighthouse Board|Commissioners of Northern Lights]].{{fact|date=January 2024}}

In the 1790s, Rev. Alexander Simpson of the Fraserburgh Old Parish Church described the harbour as "small but good", writing that it had the capability to take vessels with "200 tons burden". The Reverend noted that shipbuilding had become the main industry in the town, especially after 1784, and that the locals were making donations and seeking government assistance to have the harbour enlarged.<ref name="Fraserburgh 1791"/>

In 1803, the original 1571 church building was [[Fraserburgh Old Parish Church|replaced and enlarged]], to a design by [[Alexander Morrice]],<ref name="McKean130">{{cite book |last1=McKean |first1=Charles |title=Banff & Buchan: An Illustrated Architectural Guide |date=1990 |publisher=Mainstream Publications Ltd. |location= |isbn=185158-231-2 |page=130}}</ref> to seat 1,000 people. The Auld Kirk was to be the standing authority in the town up until the 1840s. This period also saw the extension of the harbour, with a northern pier of {{convert|300|yd|m ft}} being built between 1807–1812 and, in 1818, a southern pier being built following an [[act of Parliament (United Kingdom)|act of Parliament]].{{which|date=May 2025}}{{fact|date=January 2024}}

Fraserburgh's population boomed in the early 19th century, from 2271 in 1811 to 2954 by 1831. This was primarily put down to the growth in herring fishing, which intensified in 1815. The herring season also brought with it an additional 1,200 people working in the Parish. Contemporary accounts mention the increase in general wealth brought by this increased trade spurring a change in ''dress and diet'' as well as a ''considerable'' amount of new houses being built in the town.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

No less than £30,000 was spent developing the harbour between 1807 and 1840 by which time the harbour held eight vessels of {{convert|45|-|155|LT|t|abbr=off}} and 220 boats of the herring fishery.<ref>The Statistical Account on the Parish of Fraserburgh (January 1840) by Rev. John Cumming of the Fraserburgh Old Parish Church</ref>

[[Fraserburgh Town House]], which was designed by Thomas Mackenzie of [[James Matthews (architect)|Matthews and MacKenzie]], was completed in 1855.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB31868|desc= Town Hall and Police Office, 3 Saltoun Square and 1-5 Kirk Brae |access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>

===Lifeboat service===
{{main|Fraserburgh Lifeboat Station}}
The town has had a local lifeboat on service since 1806 which was run privately by the local Harbour Board until the first [[RNLI]] operated station opened in 1858. This was the first official RNLI station opened in Scotland.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

Throughout the 20th century, Fraserburgh suffered three lifeboat disasters. First, in 1919, the 'Lady Rothes' capsized while assisting HM [[Naval drifter|drifter]] ''Eminent''. Coxswain Andrew Noble and Acting Second Coxswain Andrew Faquhar drowned.<ref>{{cite news|title=Losses to Shipping and Property|newspaper=[[The Times]]|location=London|date=1919-04-29|page=7|issue=42086}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=The Flag in the Wind|title=Notable Dates in History|publisher=[[The Scots Independent]]|url=http://www.scotsindependent.org/dates1-g.htm|access-date=2014-05-23|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523225830/http://www.scotsindependent.org/dates1-g.htm|archive-date=23 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Second, on 9 February 1953, six crew members lost their lives when the lifeboat capsized while escorting fishing vessels to the harbour. On this occasion Coxswain Andrew Ritchie, Mechanic George Duthie, Bowman Charles Tait, Assistant Mechanic James Noble and Crew Members John Crawford and John Buchan all lost their lives - the only survivor was Charles Tait. Lastly, on 21 January 1970 while on service to the Danish fishing vessel ''Opal'', the lifeboat ''The Duchess of Kent'' capsized with the loss of five of her crew of six. Those killed were Coxswain John Stephen, Mechanic Frederick Kirkness and crew members William Hadden, James R.S. Buchan and James Buchan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you/scotland/stations/FraserburghGrampian/history |title=Fraserburgh History |access-date=2010-08-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818062522/http://www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you/scotland/stations/FraserburghGrampian/history |archive-date=18 August 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

{{stack|[[File:Fraserburgh Lifeboat Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 2026024.jpg|thumb|Fraserburgh Lifeboat Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 2026024]]}}
In 2009, a local campaign was started to raise £40,000 to erect an official monument to the 14 men who lost their lives whilst serving on the Fraserburgh Lifeboat. The target was successfully achieved and the monument unveiled by [[Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun]] in August 2010.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

===Railways===
[[Fraserburgh railway station]] opened in 1865 and closed to passengers in 1965. The railway line was built by the [[Formartine and Buchan Railway]] Company, which became part of the [[Great North of Scotland Railway]]. Trains operated to [[Aberdeen railway station|Aberdeen]] via [[Maud, Aberdeenshire|Maud]] and [[Dyce]], as well as a short branch line to [[St Combs railway station|St Combs]] via [[Inverallochy and Cairnbulg|Cairnbulg]].{{fact|date=January 2024}}

In 1923, the GNSR was incorporated into the [[London and North Eastern Railway]], which was in turn nationalised on 1 January 1948. Passenger services on the Buchan lines were withdrawn in 1965 as part of the [[Beeching cuts]], although freight trains continued to operate Fraserburgh until 1979. The track was subsequently lifted.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

Following the opening of the [[Borders Railway]] in September 2015, Fraserburgh became the most distant town in UK from the rail network, leading to calls for the lifted track to be reinstated.<ref>[https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/peterhead-and-fraserburgh-most-distant-towns-in-uk-from-rail-network/?sso-c=MC4xNzQ4NDEwMCAxNTE0OTk0ODYw Peterhead and Fraserburgh most distant towns in UK from rail network] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104073434/https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/peterhead-and-fraserburgh-most-distant-towns-in-uk-from-rail-network/?sso-c=MC4xNzQ4NDEwMCAxNTE0OTk0ODYw |date=4 January 2018 }} Evening Express (7 September 2015)</ref> The nearest operating station is currently [[Inverurie railway station|Inverurie]], {{Convert|35|mi|km}} away.{{fact|date=January 2024}}