| Forteviot | |
|---|---|
 Houses on the square in Forteviot | |
  Forteviot Location within Perth and Kinross | |
| OS grid reference | NO052174 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Perth |
| Postcode district | PH2 |
| Dialling code | 01764 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Forteviot (Scottish Gaelic: Fothair Tabhaicht) (Ordnance Survey grid reference NO052175) is a village in Strathearn, Perth and Kinross on the south bank of the River Earn between Dunning and Perth. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross. The population in 1991 was 160.
The present village was rebuilt in the 1920s by John Alexander Dewar, 1st Baron Forteviot of the Dewar's whisky family.
Early Bronze Age
On 11 August 2009 archaeologists announced that they had discovered a royal tomb from the early Bronze Age at Forteviot. Along with the remains of the ancient ruler were found burial treasures which include a bronze and gold dagger, a wooden bowl and a leather bag. Archaeologists from Glasgow University and Aberdeen University continue to investigate the finds as part of the Strathearn Environs and Royal Forteviot (SERF) project.[1][2]
The Pictish palace of Forteviot
Forteviot is known to have been inhabited in the 9th century. King Cináed mac Ailpín (Kenneth mac Alpin or Kenneth I of Scotland) (d. 858), is said to have died in the 'palace' (palacio) there. The palace formerly stood on Haly Hill, on the west side of the modern village, overlooking the Water of May.[3][4]
The ruins of a castle associated with Máel Coluim III (1058–93) were visible in the 17th century. Several pieces of early medieval sculpture are preserved in the parish church, which is dedicated to St Andrew. The 'Forteviot Arch', an early-9th century monolithic sandstone arch with figural sculpture, discovered in an old bed of the Water of May, west of the terrace on which the village stands, is now in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. It is likely to have once adorned a royal chapel.[5]
The village
The village was rebuilt in the 1920s as a model village designed by the architect James Miller under the instruction of John Dewar, 1st Baron Forteviot, influenced by the Garden City movement. The village hall sits opposite the main village square and is an especially eclectic piece of 1920s design. It is a category A listed building.[6]
The present church dates from 1778 and adopts the form of a Georgian box chapel, but dates from the 13th century. Gravestones date from 1690.
Notable residents
- Very Rev John Inglis, the son of Rev Harry Inglis, was born in Forteviot manse
References
- ^ Keys, David (11 August 2009). "Ancient royal tomb found in Scotland". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
- ^ "University of Glasgow - Schools - School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan - Research in the School of Humanities - Archaeology Research - Current Research - SERF". www.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ Oxford Companion to Scottish History. pp. 242–243. Edited by Michael Lynch. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-923482-0
- ^ "Water of May from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Forteviot Arch – Cradle of Scotland; Glasgow University". Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Geograph:: Forteviot Village Hall © Richard Webb cc-by-sa/2.0". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
Further reading
- Campbell, Ewan; Driscoll, Stephen (2020). Royal Forteviot: Excavations at a Pictish Power Centre in Eastern Scotland. Council for British Archaeology. ISBN 9781909990050.
- Aitchison, Nick, Forteviot: A Pictish and Scottish Royal Centre. Tempus, Stroud, 2006. ISBN 0-7524-3599-X
 | This Perth and Kinross location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
