Commemorated in Meldrum

The otter wearing the crown represents the Meldrum family. Today this is remembered in the street name Otter Avenue. Meldrum Primary School pupils were responsible for naming the street. They have an otter on their school badge.


The road leading out of Oldmeldrum in the direction of Meldrum House is called Urquhart Road.


Greyhound Drive is another street name, which was inspired by the coat of arms. Meldrum Primary School pupils wanted to see the broken legs of the greyhound mended and as they couldn’t make this happen they submitted a request to the Council that a street be named after them.

Evelyn Munro

10.11.10

William Urquhart of Meldrum’s Coat of Arms

William Urquhart, and his ancestors before him, owned Oldmeldrum and all the land for miles around. They lived up at Meldrum House, which is now a hotel.

The coat of arms on the Town Hall is the personal one of William Urquhart. He was the 4th Urquhart laird of Meldrum. In 1741, to celebrate becoming chieftain of the whole clan, he had these new arms designed for himself. His initials W and U are clearly seen on the design.

His coat of arms also commemorates his ancestors. Around 1249 William’s forefathers changed their surname from Fedarg to Meldrum. The name Meldrum, a territorial one, originated here. The otter wearing a crown represents the Meldrums.

The crescent, which the otter holds between his paws, represents the Seton family. They came after the Meldrums. If the coat of arms is restored to its original colours, the crescent will be painted red.

The boars’ heads on the shield belongs to the Urquharts as do the greyhound supporters.

The writing at the top of the design is in Latin, Per Mare et Terras, which means ‘by land and sea ’. It refers to the otter, who can live on land or in the sea.

At the bottom of the design is the motto of the Urquhart clan,
Mean Speak and Doe Well.

It is still their motto today.

Evelyn Munro

09.11.10

Talking Animals

Oldmeldrum Square 1843

Written especially for the children and young people of Oldmeldrum

If the animals on the Urquhart coat of arms on the Oldmeldrum Town Hall could speak what tales they might tell!

Were they on the Tolbooth (the original Town Hall), we wonder, in 1746 when Bonnie Prince Charlie and his army marched through on their way North? Did they see the Duke of Cumberland’s army encamped in the town on its way to Culloden? Did they hear Jacobites whisper of rebellion?

What stories could they tell of the bustling, noisy markets and fairs of the 18^th and 19^th centuries? Could they recall the farmers and traders setting up their stances and the sounds and the smells of market day that filled the air?

Did they ever, at dead of night, hear prisoners cry out in the black-hole of the tollbooth below them?

Would they remember the lively cattle markets when Oldmeldrum was a great centre of the trade and the most important town of the Garioch? Did they watch as herds of cattle and their drovers ambled through on their way to the markets of the South.

Did they stir at the sound of galloping hooves and see the dust rising as the mail coach approached Barnett’s Inn (Meldrum Arms)? Did they hear the commotion and sense the urgency in the stable yard as the tired horses were set loose and fresh ones harnessed up for the next leg of the journey?

Meldrum has a rich history and this topic could lend itself to art, drama and storytelling as well as history or animations in Crazy Talk. What about creating a timeline of events in Meldrum’s history from 1741 to the present day? What about a re-enactment?

Evelyn Munro

03.11.10