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Arbroath, Tolbooth
Tolbooth (17th Century)
Site Name Arbroath, Tolbooth
Classification Tolbooth (17th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Arbroath Tolbooth
Canmore ID 35551
Site Number NO64SW 22
NGR NO 6437 4091
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/35551
- Council Angus
- Parish Arbroath And St Vigeans
- Former Region Tayside
- Former District Angus
- Former County Angus
NO64SW 22 6437 4091.
(NO 6437 4091) The site of the tolbooth built in the 17th century of stones taken from the abbey ruins. In 1779 a new tolbooth was built but the ruinous old building was not demolished till 1864-5.
Visited by OS (JLD) 16 June 1958.
Publication Account (1982)
The tolbooth for centuries occupied in the High Street the site of the former Commercial Bank, now defunct. A tolbooth was built on the site in 1686, reputedly with stones from the Abbey dormitory and was described as a 'small and mean' in character (Hay, 1876, 163). It had an outside stair leading up to the council chamber and was abandoned in the late eighteenth century although not demolished until 1864 (Hay, 1876, 163). A Guild Hall was built in tandem by the Guildry and Town Council in 1780. The ground floor was designed to hold prisoners and the council met on the first floor, while the Guildry had offices on the second (Hay, 1886, 19). The Guild Hall burned down in 1880.
Information from ‘Historic Arbroath: The Archaeological Implications of Development’, (1982).
