Arbroath is a fantastic town with a deep rich history, with the Picts in the Iron Age. It remained a small village until 1178, when King William the Lionheart founded an Abbey, which was completed in 1233. During the medieval period, the Abbey fell into disuse and eventually disrepair, with the lead from the roof rumoured to have been used in the manufacture of bullets for the civil wars during the reign of King James VI. During the industrial revolution the jute industry caused Arbroath to expand. A new harbour was built in 1839 and by the 1900s, Arbroath had become one of the larger fishing ports in Scotland and continues to be known as the home of the Arbroath Smokie.
The Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of Scottish independence, and set out to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and its use of military action when unjustly attacked. It is in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320. Sealed by fifty-one magnates and nobles, the letter is the sole survivor of three created at the time.
Arbroath