Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Uraidh)

Inverurie is the third largest village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with a population of 11,529 in 2011.

The village is a Royal Burgh at the confluence of the rivers Ury and Don, about 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Aberdeen on the A96 road, and is served by Inverurie railway station on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line. The nearest airport is Aberdeen Airport at Dyce.

Inverurie is said to have been founded by David of Huntingdon, Earl of the Garioch, brother of Malcolm IV, great-great-grandfather of Robert the Bruce, who defeated John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan, nearby at the Battle of Barra in May, 1308.

The religious foundation pre-dates this by five centuries with the establishment of the Kirk of Inverurie now known as St Andrew's Parish Church. (Source: "Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland database". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. Retrieved 25 November 2012)

Ruined house in Inverurie

The town's earliest known charter dates from 1558, with modern development taking place after the building of the Aberdeenshire Canal linking Port Elphinstone with Aberdeen Harbor 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.

On a nearby hillside the Easter Aquhorthies, recumbent stone circle dates back to the 3rd Millennium BC. On the outskirts of the town, the Brandsbutt Stone is a class I Pictish symbol stone with an ogham inscription.

There have been three well known battles in the town: The Battle of Inverurie (1308), the Battle of Harlaw (1411) between Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles (MacDonald) and an army commanded by Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar; and the Battle of Inverurie (1745) during the Jacobite Rebellion of that year. [[1]]