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The name for Kirriemuir is just one of a list of names for this hamlet through time. Kyremuir, Killemure are just three of the thirty-six spellings of the town’s name. The names indicate different understandings of the origin of the village. Muir means hill but what Kirrrie means from the following list; between; large hollow; main quarter; Cell of St Mary or Eastmuir, is anyone’s guess.

Archaeologists have found artefacts from the Bronze Age, Pictish, Roman and Celtic cultures. These artefacts include a crannog, primitive canoes and standing stones in and around Kirriemuir.

It is conjecture that Kirriemuir grew from two settlements, Gairie Burn and the Hill. This could confirm that Kirrie means ‘between’, possible built up between these separate communities.

1201 the Earl Gillechrist gave the Abroath abbey " the chapels, lands, common pasturage and taxes pertaining to church of Kirriemuir. The church of Kirriemuir, i.e. the Kirk, was on the present site of the new parish Church. Note that during the excavations in the churchyard in 1786, a Celtic Cross was found indicating that on the ground of the old church of St Mary there probably existed before that a Celtic Church. But none the less, the people of Kirriemuir were handed over to pay taxes and dues to the Arbroath Abbey.

1459 the local people establish themselves as free persons, "free burgh in baronry". This was granted by King James II. The local baker, brewers and other merchants had a weekly market on Mondays under the Market Cross. Once a year on the feast of St Bartholomew they had a whole week to freely trade.

1561 according to parish records the population of Kirriemuir stood at 124 people in 32 houses.

1604 the tollbooth Buildings was built and this was under King James VI. The tollbooth original was to be a base for the customs and excise men, whose purpose was, (you guessed it), to extract taxes from the people. The Tolbooth over the centuries has change its nature from Courthouse, Police Station, Weights and Measure and finally a chemist shop.

In 1604 the buildings were mainly wooden, but with the coming of the red sandstone, the other buildings in the central area, changed from wooden to the red stone.

The old wooden buildings were replaced in the 17th century with red sand stone. The red sand stone gives the town that red look and is sometimes called the little red town.

1660 according to parish records the population of Kirriemuir stood at 167 people in 41 houses.

1748 according to parish records the population of Kirriemuir stood at 670 people. Then the weaving came. Weavers were given Feu from the landowners to built their own houses, with strict conditions that the 1/3 of the land was to grow the flax, 1/3 of the land was used as a bleaching green and 1/3 of the land could be used by the weavers to grow his food.

1792 the recorded sale for weaving of linen was £38,000. Reverend Ogilvy, the parish church Minister of the time, wrote a statistical record of Kirriemuir at that time. He says Kirrie had 1584 people, 228 were weavers, 10 brewers who were also innkeepers, 12 retailers of foreign spirits, 3 of wine, 20 of ale and whisky and 27 merchants. There were even cobblers who made 1200 pairs of shoes that year. The motto in Kirrie at that time seems to be work hard and drink hard. There was also a parish school. Tannage Brae, was named in recognition of the tannery in 1750.

1800 Kirrie weavers were producing 2,000,000 yards of linen.

The weaving was all done at this time as a cottage industry with handlooms. In the process of weaving, end of reels produced a thread, which was used on the next part of the weaving to tie up broken threads. These short bits of thread were hung often over the loom and they were called thrums.

Due to the pressure on the land, new land had to be allocated by the landowners and in: -

1813 Northmuir was built.

1815 Westmuir was built.

1826 Southmuir was built. In Southmuir there is a Hotel called the Newton. This was originally called the Newtown Hotel.

Most of the Houses built here were of the Butt and Ben type. In the Butt was the kitchen, a small living room and a bedroom with boxed beds. The Ben was occupied by the looms and often had a soil floor.

1833 the population of Kirriemuir was about 3000 people.

In Kirriemuir the house was more substantial and were often two storeys high, but with stairs outside the house, and down below were the looms. In one such house Kirrie’s famous author was born.

1860 J.M Barrie was born.

Most of the weavers lived in but’n’bens, but not James Barrie. He was born in the two storeys high house. The posh houses of the town. His house is still there and can be visited. He lived up-the-stairs and the working loom of his father was down-the-stairs. The loom shop was the focus point for the family. This room became the parlour when the looms where eventually housed elsewhere. J.M Barrie was an important author from Kirriemuir, most famous for his ‘Peter Pan’ story.

1854 the railway appeared and it connected Kirriemuir to Forfar and to the City of Dundee. Dundee was famous at that time for expansion in the Jute mills and Kirriemuir had its own Jute Mill.

1865 according to the parish records there were up to 1800 weavers in the parish.

The weavers started small cooperatives to help themselves manage the looms in a more productive manor.

1869 the Wilkie’s Factory opened.

1872 the Ogilvy and Stewart Factory opened.

These two factories did not require manpower to operate the looms and were more productive. The used steam and they belched the black smoke from their chimneys. The industrial age had reached Kirriemuir and with the train connection to Dundee import and export would have been relatively easy.

1912. The death of Chairlie Froster most famous for his portrait in front of the "Window in Thrums, Kirriemuir". This was a post card depicting himself in front of the cottage "Window in the Thrums". This cottage is in fact in the South Muir. He spent his life trundling the webs to a collecting shed next to the "Cat’s Close" in Kirriemuir from the weaver in Southmuir. When you look at the Braes either side of the two villages he must have been strong.

Angus