HOPEMAN F.C.

 
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IF YOU KNOW OF ANY FURTHER HISTORICAL OR INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT HOPEMAN PLEASE EMAIL IT TO ME AT jack_burke@lineone.net    THANKS

Founded in 1805 by the laird William Young of Inverugie, the village of Hopeman is situated on the Moray Coast 7 miles from Elgin. After Young had moved to the Strath of Kildonan to engage in the infamous 'clearances', the village was expanded with the building of a new harbour in 1865 by Admiral Archibald Duff of Drummuir. 

Hopeman stone from the nearby Greenbrae and Clashach quarries was shipped from the harbour. The development of fishing and quarrying resulted in the growth of the population from 445 in 1831 to 1331 in 1881. 

Buildings of interest include Hopeman Lodge (c.1840), built as a seaside pavilion for Young of Inverugie; a 19th Century ice house for storing fish, (adjacent to the football park and playground), Inverugie House, built in 1864 to a design by Alexander Reid; and the Church (1854) built as a United Free Church, with a Tudor Gothic tower gifted in 1923 by Elgin distiller, Innes Cameron whom the Hopeman football park is named after.

TIMELINE

1805/06           William Young purchased Inverugie Estates and built Hopeman as a Fishing Village. William Young purchased Inverugie Estates and built Hopeman as a Fishing Village.

1808               Sir William Gordon Cumming founded Cumminston.

1818               William Young, one of the consortium, become the sole owner of Burghead.

1818               William Young sold Hopeman to W. Stuart, a West Indian plantation owner.

1819               William Stuart sold Hopeman to Admiral Duff of Drummuir.

1831               Hopeman has 445 residents and 25 fishing boats.

1839-40          A new harbour built at Hopeman from local sandstone.

1854               United Free Church of Scotland built at Hopeman.

1864               Survey work carried out for railway to Hopeman.

1879               Foundation stone laid for Hopeman School.

1881               Population of Hopeman now 1,331.

1892               Railway from Burghead completed.

1898               Baptist Church built at Hopeman.

1909               Two classrooms added to Hopeman School

1929               U.F. Church becomes Church of Scotland.

1929               Playing field opened, donated by Innes Cameron.

1931               Railway line closed to passengers.

1936-37         Electricity comes to Hopeman.

1991              Population of Hopeman 1,461.

2001             Population of Hopeman 1,624.

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphins are widely distributed in warm and temperate water throughout the world, although they are relatively uncommon around the UK coast. The Moray Firth dolphins are extremely important as they represent one of only two or three resident populations known to exist in UK waters and probably the only one in the North Sea. There are thought to be over 100 Bottlenosed dolphins living in the Moray Firth.


Bottlenose dolphins are sociable animals and usually live in groups of 2 to 4 individuals, although sightings of larger groups are not uncommon. In the Moray Firth herds of 20 to 30 animals can sometimes be seen during the summer months. Some individuals can readily be indentified by notches on the dorsal fin and patterns of scarring. They appear playful and can often be seen leaping out the water.