Arbroath

Arbroath grew on the Angus coast around the abbey founded by King William the Lion in 1178. Monks from Kelso established the house, dedicated to Thomas Becket; the king was buried there in 1214. In 1320 Scottish nobles addressed a letter to the Pope from Arbroath asserting the independence of Scotland under Robert the Bruce. The abbey later fell into disuse after the Reformation, and its stone was taken for buildings in the town.