Arbroath, royal burgh (town), North Sea fishing port, and holiday resort, Angus council area and historic county, Scotland. Arbroath Abbey, once the richest in Scotland, was founded in 1178 by King William I (the Lion) of Scotland, who is buried there. The Declaration of Arbroath, asserting the independence of Scotland following Robert the Bruce’s victory over the English at Bannockburn (1314), was composed by the Scottish Parliament in Arbroath Abbey and sent to the pope at Avignon, France. Engineering, packaging, oil-related industries, food processing, and tourism are the town’s main industries. The town is noted for its smoked haddock. Pop. (2001) 22,850; (2011) 23,960.