'Tyauve awa' Rosehearty' as Burgh celebrates
Residents of Rosehearty gathered to witness history in the making last Saturday when their Community Council was presented with a new Coat of Arms.

Hundreds braved the chill wind to witness the ceremony in the Square, as Charles Burnett, the Ross Herald at the Court of The Lord Lyon, presented the Letters Patent to the Vice Chairman of the Rosehearty Community Council Mrs June Whyte.

Members of organisations from throughout Rosehearty took part in a procession before assembling in the Square for the official presentation. A wide range of groups took part in the procession; the Buchan Pipe Band, members of the Boys' Brigade from the Company. Juniors and Anchor Boys., members of Lodge Forbes 67. Girl Guides, Brownies and Rainbow Guides, pupils from Rosehearty School and the SWRI, with the playgroup gamely bringing up the rear.

Representatives of Grampian Police and Fire Services joined Lord Forbes and the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire Angus Farquharson OBE, to witness the handing over of the new emblem for the village.

The new flag, handmade by Liz Gault, was taken by an escort party to be blessed during the service by Parish Minister Dr Ian G Thom. Carrying the flag was Mark Dewar, supported by Gilbert Henderson and David Buchan. The new flag was then raised to cheers and applause from the assembly.

Rosehearty Primary School pupil Stacy Maitland came up to collect the Letter of Patent after the presentation and joined fellow pupils in singing three Scottish songs.

The Choir of Primary 4-7 pupils sang 'Rose of Prince Charlie', followed by the 23rd Psalm, with words by George Murdoch set to the tune of 'Evan'. The final song was a rendition of 'Caledonia'. The choir was coordinated by Music Teacher Josephine Bretton and Head Teacher Janet MeLeman.

The Lord Lieutenant also read a message from HM The Queen after the presentation of the Coat of Arms. The motto on the pew Coat of Arms reads 'Tyauve Awa' Rosehearty'. The Coat of Arms is described in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland as follows: "Azure, two bears combatant Argent, muzzled Gules supporting between their paws a rose of the Second Barbed and seeded Proper".

Above the shield is placed a Coronet appropriate to a statutory Community Council: a circlet richly chased from which is issuant four thistle leaves (one and two halves visible) and four pine cones (two visible) Or, and in an Esserol the Motto 'Tyauve awa' Rosehearty'".

The new Coat of Arms differs from the 1929 version in that the motto, instead of being in Latin, has the same sentiment expressed in Doric rather than Standard English, in keeping with the special identity of the North East of Scotland. The cinquefoil has been replaced by the Rosehearty Rose, and the 'ears' on the shield have been restored as shown on the Burgh Seal in use before 1929, and this is unique in Scottish Heraldry today.

A spokesman for the Community Council explained the importance of the new Coat of Arms:

"Heraldry is essentially about identity and it is hoped that the restoration of the Coat of Arms will help to reinforce the identity of Rosehearty as a community in its own right, particularly as separate from Fraserburgh, whose character and history are different from our own.

"In recent years there has been a trend towards small communities being seen as a part of the larger settlements in Aberdeenshire and in this millennial year the hope is that today's ceremony will mark the beginning of a new era for Rosehearty," she said.

The new flag will be flown on those occasions important in Rosehearty's calendar.

Rosehearty man Peter Duthie praised the amount of work put in by the Community Council and described the event as a 'great day for us':

"It all went extremely well. It was well organised and I am overwhelmed with the turnout. It is tremendous for Rosehearty to have this. People have been working towards this for a long time. The response and enthusiasm from the entire village has been tremendous. The entire Burgh has played its part," he said.

Community Development Advisor with Aberdeenshire Council Mr Reid Hutchison commended the efforts of community council members and the community:

"The whole community council has worked very, very hard to make this happen. Three ladies in particular Anne Marr, Therine Henderson and Jean Downie have been dedicated to seeing this happen," he said.

Charles Thomson, the Community Council's longest serving member, acted as Master of Ceremony for the event:

"I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people. We had a Coat of Arms in 1929. We were the first place to get one, but lost it in 1974 with the local government reorganisation, so it's great to get it back," he said.

His sentiments were echoed by Mr Alex Crawford:

"It was a superb day in every respect. Great to see all ages of the village come together like this," he said.

The two Rosehearty men explained that from 1681, when Alexander, 2nd Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, was granted the Rosehearty Charter under the Great Seal of the Sovereign, the village seal had featured the arms of Lord Pitsligo. In 1929, following local Government reorganisation, the Burgh was granted its own Arms. In 1975, further changes in local Government saw the existing Burghs and their Councils abolished. They were absorbed into Banff and Buchan District Council and the right to use the Coat of Arms was lost.

Local Aberdeenshire Councillor Mitchell Burnett said he was honoured to have been present:

"It is a great occasion for the Burgh. It gives the people of the Burgh a life when they get something like this. It is great to see the children here helping to keep alive their heritage," he said.

One of the driving forces behind the move to restore a Coat of Arms to Rosehearty, Anne Marr said:

"lt was smashing. I am really pleased about this and the event seems to have brought everyone together," she said.

Community Council Member Therine Henderson said that the atmosphere at the event had been 'fabulous!':

"All the groups in Rosehearty came together marvellously," she said.

Local Minister Rev. Dr. Thom was also 'delighted' with the new development:

"The day has gone very well especially considering the weather and I think this is a very positive thing for Rosehearty," he said.

Taken from The Fraserburgh Herald - 30th June 2000