Inverurie
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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. Template:GBthumb
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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" comes from the Scottish Gaelic Inbhir Uraidh meaning "Mouth of the Ury" after the river which joins the Don just south of the town.
It was commonly spelt "Inverury" until the late 1800s when it was altered to avoid confusion with Inveraray in Argyll, on the south west coast of Scotland. It was felt that "a" and "u" were also particularly hard to distinguish in 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 Aberdeenshire 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 much of its present form.
Industry
Inverurie is a thriving market town, with many small shops, businesses and services. Its main industries other than service and commerce are agriculture, oil and paper manufacture. 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 agricultural 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.
In recent years, Inverurie has also seen increasing numbers of Aberdeen commuters going to live there.
Language
Inverurie natives speak the Aberdeenshire Doric dialect of Lowland Scots.
Inverurie Doric has become weaker in recent years due to an influx of residents from other parts of the UK and the influence of television and the state curriculum, yet is still spoken to a greater or lesser degree.
It is common for question words to reflect southern forms of Lowland Scots, by using "Wh-" instead of "F-", e.g.
| Inverurie dialect | Usual Doric form | English equivalent | Wha? | Fa? | Who? |
| Whit? | Fit? | What? |
| Whitwey? | Fitwey? | What way?/How? |
| Hou? | Fou? | How? |
| Why? | Fy? | Why? |
| Whan? | Fan? | When? |
| Whaur? | Faur? | Where? |
However, the range of Doric vocabulary, such as nouns and verbs, in Inverurie is much less than in more rural parts of Aberdeenshire.
See also Doric dialect.
Religion
Inverurie has churches for each of the following Christian denominations: Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), Roman Catholic, Episcopal Church of Scotland (Anglican), Baptist and United 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.
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)