Tain 393129 221111034 2008-06-23T02:36:47Z Vishnava 6847159 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/92.18.199.109|92.18.199.109]] to last version by Rhebus (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{otheruses}} {{infobox UK place |country = Scotland |official_name= Tain |gaelic_name= Baile Dhubhthaich |scots_name= Tain |population = 3,972 |static_image = [[Image:Tain Tolbooth in 2004.jpg|265px]] |map_type=Scotland |os_grid_reference= NH779821 |latitude=57.81178 |longitude=-4.05670 |unitary_scotland= [[Highland (council area)|Highland]] |lieutenancy_scotland= [[Ross and Cromarty]] |constituency_westminster= [[Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (UK Parliament constituency)|Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross]] |constituency_scottish_parliament= [[Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross]] |post_town= TAIN |postcode_district = IV19 |postcode_area= IV |dial_code= 01862 }} '''Tain''' ([[Scottish Gaelic language|Gaelic:]] ''Baile Dhubhthaich'', [[Duthac|Duthac's]] town) is a former [[royal burgh]] in the [[committee area]] of [[Ross and Cromarty]], in the [[Scottish Highlands|Highland]] area of [[Scotland]]. It is on the [[A9 road]] which links the south of Scotland with the far north ([[Caithness]]). Population, according to the 2001 Census, is 3,972. ==Etymology== The origin of the name 'Tain' is uncertain. It may be derived from the pre-Celtic name for the nearby River Tain or it may derive from the Norse word for a meeting place - "Thing".{{Fact|date=February 2008}} The origin of the town's Gaelic name is however quite clear; ''Baile Dubhthaich'', meaning 'Duthac's town' after the saint of this name, also known as [[Saint Duthus|Duthus]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/language/gaelic/pdfs/placenamesP-Z.pdf| title=Placenames| author=Iain Mac an Tailleir| publisher=PĂ rlamaid na h-Alba|format=PDF| accessdate=2007-07-23}}</ref> == Facilities == [[Tain railway station]] is on the [[Far North Line]]. The station is now unmanned however in its heyday had a staff of 30 people. The station opened on [[1 January]] [[1864]]. Notable buildings in the town include Tain Tolbooth and St Duthus Collegiate [[Church]]. The town also boasts a [[museum]], Tain Through Time, and the [[Glenmorangie]] [[Distillery]]. Tain has two primary schools called Craighill and Knockbreck and a secondary school called Tain Royal Academy. The layout of the town golf course was designed by [[Tom Morris, Sr.]]{{Fact|date=February 2008}} == History == Tain was granted its first [[royal charter]] in 1066, making Tain Scotland's oldest Royal Burgh, an event commemorated in 1966 with the opening of the Rose Garden by Her Majesty [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother]]. The 1066 charter, granted by King [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm III]], confirmed Tain both as a [[sanctuary]], where people could claim the protection of the church, and an "immunity", whose resident merchants and traders were exempt from certain types of taxes. These important ideas carried through the centuries and led to the development of the town as it is today. Little is known of the earlier history of the town although it owed much of its importance to Duthac. He was an early Christian figure, perhaps 8th or 9th century, whose shrine had become so important by 1066 that it resulted in the royal charter already mentioned. The ruined chapel near the mouth of the river was said to have been built on the site of his birth. Duthac became an official saint in 1419 and by the late Middle Ages his shrine was established as one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Scotland. The most famous pilgrim was King [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]], who came at least once a year throughout his reign to achieve both spiritual and political aims. A leading landowning family of the area was the [[Clan Munro]] who provided many leading political and religious figures to the town, including the dissenter [[Rev John Munro of Tain]] (died ca. 1630). The early Duthac Chapel was the center of a sanctuary. Fugitives were by tradition given sanctuary inside an area of several square miles marked by boundary stones. During the [[First War of Scottish Independence]], [[Robert the Bruce]] sent his wife and daughter to the sanctuary for safe keeping. The sanctuary was violated and they were captured by forces loyal to [[John Balliol]]<ref>The Lion in the North, by John Prebble, Part III, ISBN 0 14 00.3652 0, Published - Martin Secker & Warburg 1971</ref>. The women were taken to England where they were kept as prisoners for several years. == [[RAF Tain]] == {{Unreferencedsection|date=February 2008}} With conflict looming in the 1930s, an aerodrome large enough for bombers was built adjacent to the town. It was on a low-lying alluvial plain known as the Fendom bordering the [[Dornoch Firth]]. The "drome" was home to many British and Polish airmen during [[World War II]]. The aerodrome was abandoned as a flying location after the war and was converted into a bombing range for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. When British naval aviation moved away from large fleet aircraft carriers, the Fleet Air Arm role was taken over by the RAF. The Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) at [[Lossiemouth]] converted to an RAF base and the Tain range reverted to the RAF. Large parts of the original aerodrome were returned to civilian use after World War II and some are still accessible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wardetectives.info/projects/wardetectives/highlandmemoirs/files/html/caul0019.htm| title=Royal Air Force Tain| author=War Detectives.|format=html| accessdate=2008-04-01}}</ref> == Local geographical and visitor features == The [[Gizzen Briggs]] are sandbars at the entrance to the Dornoch Firth, and with the right wind conditions, they can be heard over a wide area at low tide. The so-called "million dollar view" to the south-west of Tain, accessible via the [[A836]] Struie moor road, gives a panoramic view of the Dornoch Firth and Sutherlandshire. There are five important castles in the vicinity - [[Carbisdale Castle]], built for the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland and now a youth hostel; [[Skibo Castle]], once the home of the industrialist [[Andrew Carnegie]] and now an exclusive hotel; [[Dunrobin Castle]], ancestral seat of the [[Duke of Sutherland]] (castle and gardens open to the public); [[Balnagown Castle]], ancestral seat of the Clan Ross, restored and owned by [[Mohammed Al Fayed]]; and [[Ballone Castle]], recently restored by the owners of a local crafts business. [[Highland Fine Cheeses]], run by Ruaridh Stone (the brother of Liberal MSP [[Jamie Stone]]), have a factory at Blarliath Farm, Tain. Tain is also close to Glenmorangie Distillery. Tain itself features several amenities, such as a library, community centre, two 4-star hotels, a music shop, several fast food outlets, a town hall and a popular bookshop. The Tain Pottery (located at Aldie on the A9 south of Tain) now firmly established as one of the largest Scottish ceramic manufacturers offers this range of products created by traditional craft technique and skill. A glass studio has been established recently by [[Brodie Nairn]] and [[Nichola Burns]] called Glasstorm. Both artists made a name for themselves separately in Europe and the U.S. before making their return to the Highlands. It is possible for visitors to see the glass making in action or even have a go for themselves at a workshop. [[Tain Thistle Football Club]] are a local team who play in the Ross-shire Welfare League during the summer months. The Club usually play competitive games once or twice a week, and have a training night once a week. Home matches are played at the Tain Links Park. To the southeast of Tain lies the site of the medieval [[Fearn Abbey]], the current parish church of the same name dates from 1772. == Parliamentary burgh == Tain was a [[parliamentary burgh]], combined with [[Dingwall]], [[Dornoch]], [[Kirkwall]] and [[Wick (Caithness)|Wick]] in the Northern Burghs [[constituency]] of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of Great Britain]] from 1708 to 1801 and of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] from 1801 to 1918. [[Cromarty]] was added to the list in 1832. The constituency was a [[district of burghs]] known also as [[Tain Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Tain Burghs]] until 1832, and then as [[Wick Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Wick Burghs]]. It was represented by one [[Member of Parliament]]. In 1918 the constituency was abolished and the Tain component was merged into [[Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)|Ross and Cromarty]]. ==Famous People== * [[Saint Duthac]] was born here. * [[John Shepherd-Barron]], often credited with inventing the [[automated teller machine|ATM]], was born here. ==References== <references/> ==External links== * [http://www.tainmuseum.org.uk/ Tain Through Time] * [http://www.tain.org.uk/ Tain community website] [[Category:Ross and Cromarty]] [[Category:Towns in Highland]] [[Category:Royal burghs]]