Details of Perth

Classification and Statistics

Settlement Type:	town
Population (2001):	43450
(1991):	41453
(1981):	43009
(1971):	43030
(1961):	41196
(1951):	40487
(1901):	32872 (Parliamentary and Municipal Burgh)
(1891):	29919
(1881):	28949
(1871):	25585
(1861):	25250
(1851):	23835
(1841):	20407
(1831):	19238

Tourist Rating:
Text of Entry Updated:	03-FEB-2012

Location

Latitude:	56.3954°N	Longitude:	3.4352°W
National Grid Reference:			NO 115 235
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History

The Romans, who penetrated Perthshire in 80 AD, established a frontier fort at Bertha on the River Tay just north of the present city. The Vikings also used the river to reach far inland, but Perth's rise to pre-eminence was largely due to Kenneth MacAlpin (c.810-859) who became the first King of a united Scotland in 846 AD and brought the Stone of Destiny to nearby Scone where a great abbey grew up.

Trading in salmon, wool and other agricultural products, Perth developed into a strong fortified commercial centre, eventually gaining the status of a burgh during the reign of King David I (1124-53). In 1126 the Kirk of St. John the Baptist was built and for a time the city was known as St Johnstoun.

King Alexander II (1198 - 1249) established a Dominican (Blackfriars) Monastery in Perth in c.1240, near the North Port. The Carmelites (Whitefriars) came to Perth in 1260, while a small Carthusian Priory or Charterhouse, was established by King James I in 1429. The Franciscans (or Greyfriars) followed in 1460, and Greyfriars Cemetery now occupies the site of their monastery. These religious houses ran various hospitals to care for the poor and sick.

With the murder of James I in the royal lodgings of the Dominican Monastery in 1437, Perth's position as the capital of Scotland came to an end. In the mid-16th C. Perth became a cradle of the Reformation in Scotland when John Knox gave a forceful sermon in St. John's Church, which roused the congregation to tear down the monasteries.

During the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries the city developed as a market town, administrative centre and transport hub.

Industry

Perth's industries included leather-working and glove-making at the North Port and the hand-loom weaving of flax into linen, cloth which was then whitened in local bleachfields. Pullar's Dyeworks, the largest in Scotland, developed from the bleaching industry. Pullar's was a major employer in the 19th and 20th centuries and later evolved into a dry-cleaning business which made full use of Perth's railway links. Whisky became another important employer; Matthew Gloag was a grocer and wine merchant who blended whisky from c.1814, later supplying Queen Victoria and producing the Famous Grouse. Arthur Bell & Sons began blending whisky in the town in 1825 and John Dewar in 1846. Bells and Dewars became part of United Distillers, which was later acquired by Diageo Plc, but with no connection to Perth since 1998.

The General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Company (GAFLAC, later simply General Accident) was headquartered in Perth, and their strikingly modern head office at Pitheavlis continues as a significant employer, now part of the Aviva Group.

The North of Scotland Hydro Board was privatised as Scottish Hydro-Electric Plc in 1991, headquartered in Perth. This headquarters was retained when the company became Scottish and Southern Energy Plc through merger in 1998.

History

Industry

References and Further Reading

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