Fraserburgh, seaport town and par. with ry. sta., at NE. extremity of Aberdeenshire, on S. side of Kinnaird's Head, and on W. shore of Fraserburgh Bay, 17½ miles NW. of Peterhead, 47½ N. of Aberdeen, and 575 NW. of London -- par., 8367 ac., pop. 7596; town, pop. 6583; P.O., T.O., 5 Banks, 1 newspaper. Market-days, Tuesday and Friday. Fraserburgh was originally called Faithlie, but afterwards took the name of its founder (1569), Fraser of Philorth. It is one of the chief seats of the Scotch herring fishery; during the season it sends out nearly 1000 boats, and exports #200,000 worth of herrings. The harbour is one of the best on the E. coast of Scotland. It consists of an inner harbour (area 20 ac.), and an outer harbour (area 8 ac.) of sheltered water, where the largest fishing-boats can at all times lie in safety. A considerable trade is done in the export of agricultural produce and the import of coals and timber.

(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))