Tour Scotland Abernethy

Abernethy is one of my favourite villages in Scotland. The village of Abernethy, formerly Southern Pictish capital of Scotland, has at its centre a Pictish round tower, one of only two in Scotland. The village is a conservation village which has been upgraded over the last few years. Abernethy itself has played an important role in Scottish history over the centuries. Several high status Iron Age hillforts are known to have stood in and around the parish, and the Romans made their mark nearby with a temporary marching camp at Carey and a large fort at Carpow, on the banks of the Tay. This fort was an important military and naval base during the third century AD campaign in northern Britain. After the Roman withdrawal, Abernethy is said to have become the royal and ecclesiastical capital of this part of Pictland. Aspects of the Pictish kingdom still remain - there are quite a few Pictish place names in the parish (the name Abernethy itself comes from the Pictish 'mouth of the Nethy (Burn)'), and several carved stones, some of which can be seen in the museum. In 1072, Malcolm III 'Canmore' met the invading English king William the Conqueror at Abernethy, to negotiate a treaty. This treaty recognised the extended Scottish border, secured in the Battle of Carham half a century earlier, and gave Malcolm land in England in return for his paying homage to William. Abernethy Museum.