Abbey, a quoad sacra parish in Arbroath and St Vigeans parishes, Forfarshire, around the ruins of Arbroath Abbey, in the town of Arbroath. Constituted in 1869, it had a population in 1871 of 2338 within Arbroath parish, and 1742 within St Vigeans, and is in the presbytery of Arbroath and synod of Angus and Mearns. The church, erected in 1787 as a chapel of ease, at a cost of about £2000, contained 1281 sittings, but was enlarged by 80 more in 1879. Two schools under the Arbroath burgh school-board bear the names of Abbey and Abbey Church. The former, in May 1880, had an attendance of 230: the latter, closed during the day in December 1879, had then 119 evening scholars.

(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)