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PHYSICAL MAP OF
PERTH
The, Cambridge Vrayersity fr
52 Trinity Gtuk.
Parliamentary Divisions ._ J5ASTBRN
CAMBRIDGE COUNTY GEOGRAPHIES
SCOTLAND
General Editor: W. MURISON, M.A.
PERTHSHIRE
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
FETTER LANE, E.G.
C. F. CLAY, MANAGER
j : 100, PRINCES STREET
: A. ASHER AND CO.
ILetpjtg: F. A. BROCKHAUS
jjkfo gork: G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
ant) Calcutta: MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD.
All rights reserved
K \ \ f A "\
Cambridge County Geographies
PERTHSHIRE
PETER MACNAIR, F.R.S.E., F.G.S.
Curator of the Natural History Collections in the Glasgow Museums
Lecturer on Mineralogy and Geology in the Technical College, Glasgow
With Maps, Diagrams and Illustrations
Cambridge :
at the University Press
1912
(ZTambttoge:
PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, M.A.
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
PREFACE
~T?OR their kindness in supplying various photographs
•*• reproduced in this volume I have to thank Mr
James W. Reoch, Mr W. Lamond Howie, Mr George
Herriot, Mr Charles Kirk, Mr John Annan, Mr James
S. Boyd, and Mr P. D. Malloch. For the folding
panorama of the Grampians, opposite p. 12, my thanks
are due to Mr John Ritchie. For permission to photo-
graph the bronze weapons on p. 102 I am indebted to
Mr Ludovic MacLellan Mann. For many valuable
suggestions and aid in connection with the book I have
to acknowledge the assistance of my chief, Mr James
Paton, of my colleagues Mr John Fleming and Mr
David Gourlay, and of Mr James Park. My thanks are
also due to Mr J. W. Reoch for the revision of the final
proofs.
P. M.
January 1912.
CONTENTS
PAGE
1. County and Shire. Origin and meaning of Perthshire i
2. General Characteristics and Natural Conditions . 3
3. Size. Shape. Boundaries . . . . .10
4. Surface and General Features 12
5. Watershed. Rivers. Lakes . . . . .21
6. Geology and Soil 32
7. Scenery and Geology 43
8. Natural History 50
9. Climate and Rainfall 60
10. People— Race, Type, Language, Settlements, Popula-
tion 69
11. Agriculture ....•••• 74
12. Industries and Manufactures 81
13. Mines and Minerals 85
14. Fisheries and Fishing Stations .... 90
15. History of the County . . .. • • -93
1 6. Antiquities IO1
viii CONTENTS
PAGE
17. Architecture — (a) Ecclesiastical . . . .109
1 8. Architecture — (A) Castellated . .- . . -117
19. Architecture — (c) Municipal and Domestic . .125
20. Communications — Past and Present . . .134
21. Administration and Divisions — Ancient and Modern 140
22. The Roll of Honour ... . . . . .145
23. The Chief Towns and Villages of Perthshire. . 156
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Firth of Tay
Falls on the Dochart .... 6
Comrie .
... a
Ben More . ,-
Killin Hills. (Phot. J. W. Reoch) .... ,5
View from Summit of Ben Lawers. (Phot. W. L. Howie) 17
Dollar and the Ochil Hills 2O
Near the Source of the Tay .22
Glen Dochart 24
Kinnoull Hill and the Valley of the Tay . . .26
Loch Katrine . . . . . . . . .28
Loch Tay ......... 30
Geological Section across the Grampians from R. Garry to
R- Tay ... 37
Geological Section across Strathmore to the Ochils . . 39
Campsie Linn on the Tay ...... 42
Glen Ample. (Phot. }. W. Reoch) .... 46
Ben Venue 47
Schiehallion ......... 48
Dryas octopetala on Ben Laoigh. (Phot. G. Herriot) . 53
Red Deer, Glenartney. (Phot. C. Kirk) . . . .55
Hen Capercailzie on Nest. (Phot. C. Kirk) . . -57
Wind Roses ...... 62
x ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Rainfall Chart 66
New Stream Course produced by sudden fall of rain. (Phot.
J. Annan) ........ 67
Population Curves of Perthshire, Renfrewshire, Edinburgh-
shire, Lanarkshire . . . . . . .72
Highland Bull .. . . . . . . -77
Falls of Bruar ........ 80
Arkwright Mills, Stanley . . . . . .83
Pullar's Dye Works, Perth 84
Aberfoyle Slate Quarries. (Phot. J. S. Boyd) ... 89
Salmon, 55 Ibs. (Phot. P. D. Malloch) . . . .91
Gowrie House in 1805 ....... 97
Gathering Stone, Dunblane . . . . . .98
Stone Axe, found in Perthshire . . . . . 101
Bronze Spear and Sword from Blairgowrie, and Axe from
Comrie. (Phot. J. W. Reoch)
Roman Camp, Ardoch .......
Celtic Cross, Glencarse .......
Round Tower, Abernethy ......
Dunblane Cathedral .......
Dunkeld Cathedral
St John's Church, Perth
Doune Castle .........
Elcho Castle
Drummond Castle ........
Castle Huntly
Tower of Kinnaird, Carse of Gowrie ....
Fair Maid's House, Perth ......
Scone Palace .........
Rossie Priory .........
Taymouth Castle ........
Blair Castle
Cottages at Killin
ILLUSTRATIONS
XI
General Wade's Road, Glen Ogle. (Phot. J. W. Reoch) 135
Kinclaven Ferry
Glenalmond School .
Lady Nairne .
Neil Gow .
Dr James Croll
Sir David Baird . . .
William, First Earl of Mansfield .
Monument to Black Watch .
Aberfoyle
East Mill, Auchterarder ....
Birnam ....
Blair Atholl
Crieff
Doune Pistols
Killin
Perth, from Kinnoull Hill
Tay Street, Perth ,73
Coronation Chair . . . . . . . .175
Diagrams 1
MAPS
Physical Map of Perthshire Front Cover
Geological Map of Perthshire .... Back Cover
Panorama of Mountains seen from Corsiehill, Perth . Facing 12
Rainfall Map of Scotland ...... 65
Map showing Density of Population in Perthshire . . 73
The illustrations on pp. 4, 6, 8, 13, 20, 22, 24, 28, 30, 42, 47,
48, 80, 83, 98, 104, 107, 108, 112, 114, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123,
126, 127, 129, 130, 131, 133, 139, 149. '56, i57» '59. '60, 162,
xii ILLUSTRATIONS
165, 170, 172, 173 are from photographs by Messrs J. Valentine
& Sons; those on pp. 26, 115, 144, and 175 were supplied by
Messrs F. Frith & Co.; those on pp. 146, 152, 154 are from
photographs by Messrs Annan & Sons; that on p. 97 was re-
produced from Dr Hume Brown's School History of Scotland by
permission of Messrs Oliver & Boyd ; that on p. 77 is from the
Encyclopaedia Britannica (nth Edition) ; that on p. 84 was kindly
supplied by Messrs Pullar & Co.
I. County and Shire. Origin and
Meaning of Perthshire.
The term "shire" is derived from Anglo-Saxon jar,
an administrative division presided over by the ealdorman
and the sheriff (the shire-reeve). The term "county," on
the other hand, arose after William I conquered England,
when the lands were taken from the English earls and
given to William's companions or comites. Each district
was called a comitatus and from this we get the word
"county." Like a great many other social institutions
this division of our country into shires has been popularly
attributed to the wisdom of some of our early rulers,
King Alfred in particular being supposed to have taken
an important part in the apportioning out of the country.
It appears to be tolerably certain, however, that this
theory of the origin of the different shires is exactly the
reverse of what actually took place, the county not having
been formed by the division of the country as a whole
but by the aggregation of certain portions so as to form
a county. From this point of view the county is simply
the representative of a small community that has been
merged into the unity of Great Britain. This opinion
seems to be fully borne out by a consideration of many
i
M. P.
2 PERTHSHIRE
of our most important counties. It can also be shown
that the county has been formed in a similar way by the
aggregation of parishes. The parish, the manor and the
township are traceable to independent tribal settlement.
From this it will be seen that our counties have gradually
grown up under varying conditions, and the boundaries
have probably been shifted many times. In many cases
the boundaries have been fixed by such a physical feature
as the watershed of the country, this being easily recog-
nised and utilised as a barrier between the adjacent
divisions.
The origin of the name Perth is not very clear.
Boece thought that it was derived from the Gaelic Bar
tatba^ "height of the Tay," referring to Kinnoull Hill,
which rises abruptly from the Tay to the east of the city.
On the other hand Stokes, who is probably right, makes
it Pictish perth, "a thicket," and neither height 'over the
Tay, nor confluence of the Tay, Aber tatha, as main-
tained by those who consider that the town was originally
situated at the confluence of the Almond with the Tay.
It ought to be stated at the very outset that the great
factor which has determined the present geographical con-
ditions of Perthshire has been the Highland boundary fault
or line of demarcation between the highland and lowland
portions of the county. In the course of these pages we
hope to be able to show that not only are the scenic and
physiographical features of the shire directly due to the
different geological structure of these two great natural
divisions, but also that its soils, climate, natural history,
agriculture, population, the distribution of its towns and
COUNTY AND SHIRE 3
villages, its people, their language and their history, have
largely been determined by this all important factor.
The shire lies in one compact mass. Formerly it had
two small detached portions in the south, on the Forth.
One of these was included in the parish of Kippen, which
lay wholly across the Forth, while the other embraced the
parishes of Culross and Tulliallan now in Fifeshire.
In the neighbourhood of Stirling Logic parish enclosed
a detached portion of Fifeshire, and Collace parish near
Perth a portion of Forfarshire. Many of these anomalies
have recently been done away with. How they originally
came to be arranged in this whimsical fashion is not easy
of explanation ; but it is supposed that when the counties
were being formed the landlords put their lands into
those districts in which they had the greatest interest.
The origin of the parish boundaries is equally difficult of
explanation as many of them are very irregular and appear
to be of a purely arbitrary character.
2. General Characteristics and Natural
Conditions.
The county of Perth is situated in the middle of
Scotland and, with the exception of the small tidal tract
represented by the alluvial flat that lies between the
Sidlaws and the sea, known as the Carse of Cowrie, is
wholly an inland county.
Perthshire is bounded on the north-west by Inverness-
shire, on the north by Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire,
1—2
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 5
on the east by Forfarshire, on the south-east by Fifeshire
and Kinross-shire, on the south by Clackmannanshire and
Stirlingshire, on the south-west by Stirlingshire and Dum-
bartonshire, and on the west by Argyllshire.
Sir Walter Scott in the Fair Maid of Perth says,
"Amid all the provinces in Scotland if an intelligent
stranger were asked to describe the most varied and the
most beautiful it is probable he would name the county
of Perth. A native also of any other district of Caledonia
though his partialities might lead him to prefer his native
county in the first instance would certainly class that of
Perth in the second, and thus give its inhabitants a fair
right to plead that — prejudice apart — Perthshire forms the
fairest portion of the northern kingdom."
Perthshire affords examples of the most romantic
and grandest scenery in Scotland, much of which has
been rendered classic by important events in Scottish
history. Mountains, lakes, rivers, cascades, woods and
rocks supply the elements that combine to make up all
that is grand and beautiful in every landscape. In the
course of a few miles one may pass from a deep ravine
or rugged Alpine glen into a rich and open valley which
partakes of the cultivated beauty of the lowlands and in
the centre of which lie embosomed the waters of a great
lake. Or one may follow the wanderings of a great river
from its source among the mountains, whence, as a torrent
and with a wild mountain cry, it precipitates itself over
ledges of rock to become lost on the black moor beneath
but after a course of many miles finds itself meandering
through a spacious vale or widespread wooded plain.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 7
Geographically the mainland of Scotland can be divided
into three parts, the Highlands, the Southern Uplands, and
the Midland Valley, each characterised by a particular set
of rocks and by a scenic aspect which is intimately con-
nected with its geological structure. The dividing line
between the Highlands and the Midland Valley, known
as the great Highland boundary fault, crosses Scotland
from shore to shore with a north-east and south-west
trend. Geographically it divides the Highlands from the
Lowlands and geologically the crystalline schists from the
Old Red Sandstone. The position of this great line of
demarcation has been more or less accurately fixed. It
can be traced through Arran and Bute, thence from near
Toward Castle to Innellan and across the eastern point
of Rosneath Peninsula, and by Helensburgh across Loch
Lomond to Balmaha. It enters Perthshire at Aberfoyle,
passing through Callander, Comrie, Crieff, Birnam, Blair-
gowrie to the Bridge of Cally and Alyth, where it leaves
the county, striking north-eastwards to the sea at Stone-
i
haven.
Situated as it is upon this great divisional line, Perth-
shire is divided into two distinct regions — the Highlands
and the Lowlands. The greater part of the Highland
region is open moorland ; large tracts of it, however, have
been planted with larch and Scots fir. The Lowland
region on the other hand is noted for its fertility, notably
the valley of Strathmore and the Carse of Gowrie. The
greater part of the county, however, is wholly unfit for
the raising of grain or green crops, only about one-fifth
of the entire area being cultivated.
8
PERTHSHIRE
With only a few exceptions the rivers and streams
flow in a south-easterly direction, and reach the ocean by
the way of the Firth of Tay or the Firth of Forth. As
a rule they issue from large elongated lochs situated in
the main valleys.
Its position in the very heart of Scotland has made
Perthshire the scene of some of the most important and
Comrie
stirring events in Scottish history, and almost every part
of the shire is connected in some way with the past
history of the country.
The great divisional line just referred to was that
which originally separated the Celtic natives from the
invading hordes from across the North Sea; and to this
day it serves to mark off the areas occupied by the Gaelic-
speaking and the English-speaking people. In the Lowland
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 9
region we hear only English spoken, often with a strong
northern accent. Scattered here and there over the great
plain of Strathmore are numerous villages and towns, the
houses of which are usually well built of solid stone and
lime, and roofed with flagstones, slates, or thatch. The
common fuel is coal brought by land or sea from the
south. Immediately we pass to the north of the great
boundary line, we meet with a totally different condition
of things. The Gaelic language is now the characteristic
tongue. Villages are few, and the houses are built simply
of unhewn boulders taken from the surrounding fields,
the binding materials being merely clay or earth. The
interiors are of the simplest character and peat is largely
used as fuel. That these features have been modified to
some extent by the recent development of railways in the
Highlands must be admitted, but the general contrast is
still quite sufficient to mark off the one region from the
other.
In the Highlands the principal villages are situated
either at the ends of the lochs or at some favourable point
in the main valleys, while along the margin of the High-
lands the villages have usually been built where the valleys
open to the plain, as at Crieff and Callander.
It is worthy of note that at the beginning of the nine-
teenth century Perthshire was the second most populous
county in Scotland, Lanark having then only 22,ooo more
inhabitants than Perth, whereas now Lanark has 1,2 1 6,000
more inhabitants than Perth, and Perth stands ninth in
point of population. The reason why Perth has made
no progress is not far to seek, and is simply due to the
10 PERTHSHIRE
fact that Perthshire is entirely outside the bounds of the
Carboniferous Formation, whose mineral wealth has been
the great factor in the rapid rise and development of other
counties during the last hundred years.
3. Size. Shape. Boundaries.
The county of Perth lies between 56° 7' and 56° 57' N.
latitude and between 3° 4' and 4° 50' west longitude. In
size it is the fourth largest county in Scotland. From
east to west, its greatest length is about 70 miles, and its
greatest breadth from north to south about 56 miles. Its
total area is something like 2500 square miles.
At some parts the boundaries are natural and well
defined, while at others they are purely artificial and not
so easy of definition. Beginning near Perth, the boundary
line can be traced along the north bank of the Tay as far
as Invergowrie, where it bends sharply northward and then
westward. It then follows a somewhat arbitrary course,
successively passing through or near Coupar-Angus, Alyth
and Airlie: thence it proceeds along the western water-
shed of Glen Isla. From that point it crosses a number
of summits and saddle points including the Cairnwell Pass,
over which the road to Braemar passes. This is probably
the highest driving road regularly used in Great Britain.
The boundary line can now be traced westward by the
head of Glen Tilt, where it meets the junction of
Aberdeen and Inverness at an altitude of 3267 feet and
overlooks the headwaters of the infant Dee. Continuing
SIZE SHAPE BOUNDARIES ll
in a westerly direction, it never drops lower than 3000 feet
until it reaches Lochan Duin to the west of Glen Bruar.
Still further west it crosses the Highland Railway line a
little to the north of Dalnaspidal, at an altitude of 1454
feet above the level of the sea. The boundary now follows
the summits which lie to the east of Loch Ericht, con-
tinuing to fall till it reaches the level of that loch at an
altitude of 1153 feet. Skirting the south side of Ben
Alder, it passes across the Moor of Rannoch, and, keep-
ing to the highest ground, intersects the West Highland
Railway near the headwaters of the Leven, and shortly
after marches with the county of Argyll. From this
point it cuts successively across the summits of Ben
Creachan, Ben Achallader, Ben-a-Chaisteil and Ben
Odhar, till it reaches the watershed between the river
Lochy and the river Fillan. Thence it mounts the
summit of Ben Laoigh (Ben Lui), having on the east the
infant Tay, here known as the Coninish Water. This is
the extreme western point of the boundary line, which
now turns east marching with Dumbartonshire. It crosses
the Falloch at Inverarnan and the West Highland Rail-
way a little further on. Mounting again to the summits,
it crosses to Glen Gyle, where it joins Stirlingshire. From
thence it passes the head of Loch Katrine and skirts the
east side of Loch Arklet, which is now being actively
prepared as an addition to the Glasgow water supply.
Keeping to the east side of Ben Lomond, it descends
the Duchray Water to the neighbourhood of Aberfoyle.
Striking eastward, it follows the line of the Forth to its
O 7
junction with the Allan Water about two miles from
12 PERTHSHIRE
Stirling; and just excluding Bridge of Allan, it sweeps
past Sheriffmuir to Clackmannanshire. The boundary
now crosses the Ochils to the neighbourhood of Dollar.
Proceeding by the Yetts of Muckart and Fossaway, and
keeping the high ground between Dunning and Milna-
thort, it touches Kinross. From this point it strikes in a
north-easterly direction across Glen Farg to the west of
Newburgh on the Firth of Tay. It then bends sharply
west along the south bank of the Tay to the Bridge of
Earn, the point from which we started.
Roughly then the boundary line of Perthshire may be
defined as an irregular circle with its centre near the head
of Glenalmond, and having a radius of about 32 miles and
a circumference of over 300 miles.
4. Surface and General Features.
Perthshire is wholly an inland county with the
exception of the small maritime tract between Perth
and Invergowrie, known as the Carse of Gowrie. The
county can be divided into two distinct parts, namely,
the Highland region, which forms the north-western
portion, and the Lowland region, which forms the south-
eastern portion. The Grampian mountains, which cor-
respond to the Highland portion of the county, enter it
at the north-east corner. At that point they simply
form the northern boundary line of the shire. But as
they are traced westwards they spread further and further
into the county till they practically occupy the whole
? „ 5
• S <
9 ' ,
I \ f
N.W
Panorama of Mountains seen from Corsiehill, Perth
a*-
12
Stir .
pas'*
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Ne-
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Eat
defi
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into
SURFACE AND GENERAL FEATURES 13
of it from north to south. On the other hand, the
Lowland division is broadest in the north-east and, when
traced westwards, passes almost entirely out of the
county. The southern boundary of the county between
Invergowrie on the Firth of Tay to Stirling is marked
by the Sidlaw and Ochil Hills. In the Highland region
the mountains rise to an average elevation of about
Ben More
3000 feet, while many of the peaks exceed this altitude.
In the south-west corner of Perthshire the chief mountains
are Ben Laoigh (3708 feet), Ben Odhar (2948), Ben
More (3843). On the ridge that separates Loch Tay
and Glen Lyon are Ben Lawers (3984 feet), the highest
mountain in Perthshire, Meall Garbh (3661), Meall nan
Tarmachan (3421). Further east and in the same line
14 PERTHSHIRE
of bearing, Farragon Hill (2559) an(^ Ben Vrackie (2757)«
In the north-east of the county, and along the boundary
of Atholl are Cam an Fhidhleir (3276), An Sgarsoch
(3300), Cairnwell (3059), Ben-y-Gloe (3671) and Ben
Vuroch (2961). The principal mountains on the ridge
that separates the river Lyon and Loch Rannoch, are
Schiehallion (3547 feet), Cam Gorm (3370), Cam Mairg
(3419); north of Loch Lydoch and Loch Rannoch,
Ben Alder (3757), Cam Dearg (3084 feet) ; and in the
north-west of Perthshire and the neighbourhood of Loch
Lyon, Ben Creachan (3540 feet), Ben Heasgarnich (3530),
Meall Ghaordie (3407), Ben Vannoch (3125). The
belt of high ground forming the Sidlaw and the Ochil
Hills is separated from the Grampians by the lordly valley
of Strathmore. The Ochils lie in the south of Perthshire
and stretch from the Forth near Stirling to the neigh-
bourhood of Perth. Some of the principal heights are
as follows: Mickle Corum (1955), Blairdenon Hill (2072),
Core Hill (1780), East Bow Hill (1562), Carlowrie Hill
(1552), Muckle Law (1306), Rossie Law (1064), Skymore
Hill (1302), Cock Law (1337), and Castle Law (1028).
The Sidlaw Hills on the north side of the Firth of Tay
separate Strathmore from the Carse of Gowrie, and may
be considered as simply a northern prolongation or branch
of the Ochils. The principal altitudes taken in order
from west to east are Kinnoull Hill (729), Evelick or
Pole Hill (944), Black Hill (1182), Dunsinane Hill (1012),
King's Seat (1235), Blacklaw Hill (929), and Balo Hill
(1029).
The line of demarcation between the Highland and
I
16 PERTHSHIRE
the Lowland region passes diagonally across the county
in a north-east and south-west direction. It can be
traced from near Alyth by the Bridge of Cally, Birnam,
Bankfoot, Logiealmond, Comrie, Callander onwards to
Aberfoyle. The region between this line and the Ochil
and Sidlaw Hills forms the great valley of Strathmore.
Orographically, then, Perthshire may be considered as
consisting of three parallel bands or belts. The most
northerly of these is a highly mountainous region and
may be called the Grampian belt. To the south of this
comes a broad plain or valley, the Strathmore belt.
Still further south is the hilly ground which may be
called the Ochil and Sidlaw belt. It will presently be
shown that the rocks forming the valley of Strathmore
and the Sidlaw and Ochil Hills belong to the same
period in geological time, and though they vary some-
what in elevation are classed together as the Lowland
part of the shire. On the other hand, the rocks lying
to the north of the great line of demarcation just described
are of a totally different character, belonging to a much
older period in geological time, and forming the Highland
area.
If the reader looks at the view taken from the
summit of Ben Lawers it will at once be seen that the
Grampians appear to form a great level plateau, deeply
indented with valley systems. The use of the term
plateau to describe what is generally looked upon as a
mountainous country requires some explanation. This
illustration shows the remarkable uniformity of level to
which all the mountains rise, so that if we could imagine
M. P.
18 PERTHSHIRE
all the intervening valley systems filled up, there would
be a great plain rising to a uniform level of about 3000
feet above the sea. The origin of the plain will be
discussed presently. In the meantime its existence is
simply indicated that the reader may grasp the true
character of the mountainous region of Highland Perth-
shire.
If we stand on one of the eminences of the Ochil
or Sidlaw Hills and look across the valley of Strathmore,
we shall at once be struck with the long rampart of the
Grampians which rises abruptly from the plain and
forms the dividing line between the two great divisions
of Perthshire. This feature is strikingly shown in
illustration on p. 8.
The great valley of Strathmore lying between the
mountain-rampart" of the Highlands and the Ochil and
Sidlaw Hills extends from Dumbartonshire on the west
to the German Ocean at Stonehaven on the east. It
enters Perthshire at the Bridge of Craithie near Meigle
and increases in breadth, scenery and variety of features,
to a point where the Isla joins the Tay near Kinclaven
Castle. At this point it reaches its noblest and most
impressive character, having a breadth ranging from 12
to 14 miles. To form anything like an adequate
conception of the greatness of this queen of Scottish
valleys, one must have climbed the Sidlaws or the
Grampians and looked down upon the far stretching
band of low country, remarkably beautiful and fertile,
and dotted with numerous towns, villages and mansions.
The picture on p. 160 shows the Strath from Birnam
SURFACE AND GENERAL FEATURES 19
Hill with the river Tay, which passing through the
gateways of the hills has just escaped from its mountain
barriers.
The Sidlaw and the Ochil Hills, bounding the
southern part of the county, present a low chain of long
round-backed swelling hills, covered with vegetation and
in some cases under cultivation up to their summits.
Numerous defiles or passes intersect the chain, cutting it
into smaller masses and single hills.
If you look at the orographical map at the beginning
of the volume you will at once see that the valley systems
of Highland Perthshire fall naturally into two great
classes, namely, the longitudinal and the transverse. The
longitudinal valleys have a general north-east and south-
west trend and coincide roughly with the strike and
outcrop of the rocks of the Highland area. The following
are examples of the valleys of this type — Glen Dochart,
the valley of Loch Tay, the Tay between Kenmore and
Ballinluig, Glen Lyon, the valley of the Tummel, Loch
Earn, and the valley of Loch Katrine. On the other
hand, the transverse valleys cut across the strike and
outcrops of the rocks, crossing the longitudinal valleys
approximately at right angles. The valleys of the Shee,
the Isla, the Ardle, and the Garry are examples of the
transverse type.
The Carse of Gowrie is a low tract of alluvial land
and stretches from Kinnbull Hill to Invergowrie, having
a total length of about 1 5 miles and varying in breadth
from two to four miles, with an altitude of from 24 to
40 feet above sea-level. Practically the whole of the
2—2
SURFACE AND GENERAL FEATURES 21
Carse consists of rich arable land covered in the summer
time with broad fields of corn and extensive orchards
and dotted here and there with houses, proprietorial
mansions and a few villages. The Carse of Cowrie has
been fitly called the Garden of Scotland.
The deer-forests of Perthshire, six in number, are —
Atholl containing 35,540 acres, Fealar 14,500 acres,
Glen Bruar 11,000 acres, Drummond Hill 2400 acres,
Glenartney 19,310 acres, and Rannoch 12,000 acres.
From this it will be seen that a very large proportion
of the county is covered with deer-forests. They
contain large numbers of red deer, roe deer, and fallow
deer. According to the Sportsman's and Tourist's Guide
for 191 1 the rental of deer-forests in Perthshire is ^75,000.
The grouse-moors in the county, of which there are
over 400, are unsurpassed and yield magnificent sport.
5. Watershed. Rivers. Lakes.
It has already been pointed out that on the west and
the north the watershed coincides pretty closely with
the boundary line of the county, generally dividing the
headwaters of the Stirlingshire, Dumbartonshire, Argyll-
shire, Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire streams from
those of Perthshire.
The Tay, which is the longest river in Scotland, rises
in a corrie on the north side of Ben Laoigh on the
confines of Argyllshire and Perthshire at an altitude of
3000 feet above sea-level. From its source to Loch
22 PERTHSHIRE
Dochart is a distance of 1 1 miles and in this part of
its course, where it is called the Fillan Water, it has
fallen 500 feet. Then it passes through Loch Dochart
and Loch lubhair. For 14^ miles it is known as the
Dochart, and ultimately falls into Loch Tay at Killin.
Including the Fillan and Dochart, the river Tay has a
total length of about 117 miles, and drains an area of
Near the Source of the Tay
close on 2OOO square miles. The chief sections of the
river may be summarised as follows :
Source to Loch Tay ... ... 25 miles
Head of Loch to Kenmore ... ... 14^ „
Kenmore to junction with Tummel 15^ „
Junction of Tummel to Perth Bridge 31 „
Perth to mouth ... ... ... 31 „
WATERSHED RIVERS LAKES 23
The gradient of the Tay between Loch Dochart and
Loch Tay is comparatively slight, Loch Tay being
350 feet above the level of the sea. At the confluence
of the Tummel and the Tay it has fallen to an
elevation of 2OO feet, and near Perth the elevation may
be said to have disappeared as the river has now become
tidal.
The valley of the Tay from Dunkeld to Kenmore
for a space of 25 miles is a continued scene of unsur-
passed beauty and loveliness. Here the majestic river
winds through a richly wooded and cultivated region,
bounded on each side with lofty mountains. It is joined
on its left bank a few miles below Kenmore by the
Lyon, which rises in Loch Lyon ; and near Ballinluig
Station, by the Tummel from the Moor of Rannoch.
The Tummel drains Loch Lydoch, Loch Ericht, Loch
Rannoch and Loch Tummel, and also brings with it
the waters of the Garry from Loch Garry. Near
Dunkeld, the river receives on its right bank the Bran,
draining Loch Freuchie ; opposite Kinclaven Castle on
its left bank, the Isla enters, bringing with it the
Shee, the Ardle and the Ericht. Two miles above
Perth, the river Almond, which rises to the south of
Loch Tay, joins the main stream opposite Scone Palace,
while below Perth comes in the Earn on the right bank,
the last tributary of any importance. If the river has
lost the picturesqueness of its highland course in the
noble curve with which it sweeps across the valley of
Strathmore, this is more than balanced by the gain in
majesty from the many tributaries just described. The
WATERSHED RIVERS LAKES 25
sudden changes which the river makes in its course from
its source to the sea are full of great interest.
The longitudinal valleys of the Earn, the Almond,
the Bran, the Tay and the Tummel are terminated at
their eastern extremities by a great transverse valley
which, running in a north-west and south-east direction,
and descending from the very heart of the mountains,
has cut off the longitudinal valleys nearly at right angles.
This valley is occupied by the Garry, which, as it sweeps
onwards, gathers up the waters of the various longitudinal
valleys, carrying them southwards in a combined stream.
This great transverse valley terminates at Dunkeld,
where the river emerges from the Highlands on to the
valley of Strathmore. Now liberated from the narrow
mountain barriers by which it was hitherto confined, it
assumes a more winding course but the general trend is
still towards the south as far as Perth. At this point
the river meets with a formidable barrier in the Sidlaw
Hills. This, however, it has been able to breach between
'the hills of Moncrieff and Kinnoull. It was from a
point on the former of these eminences that the Romans
were supposed to have caught their first glimpse of the
Tay, when they exclaimed in rapture Ecce Tiber ! Ecce
Campus Martins ! " Behold the Tiber ! Behold the field
of Mars ! " The exclamation was more complimentary to
the Tiber than the Tay; or, as Sir Walter Scott puts it,
'"Behold the Tiber!' the vain Roman cried,
Viewing the ample Tay from Baiglie's side;
But where's the Scot that would the vaunt repay,
And hail the puny Tiber for the Tay?"
WATERSHED RIVERS LAKES 27
The river Forth belongs to the south-east corner
of the shire and shows how the Highland region has
crept towards the south. The Forth can be considered
a Perthshire river only in the same sense as a man born
in Perthshire but spending the greater part of his life
outside the county can be spoken of as a Perthshire man.
The Avondhu and the Duchray, the headwaters of the
Forth, rise on the east side of Ben Lomond at an altitude
of over 2OOO feet. These two streams run in a parallel
direction to the south-east, the Duchray water forming
the boundary between Perthshire and Stirlingshire, and
the Avondhu flowing through Loch Chon and Loch Ard.
The streams meet a little to the west of Aberfoyle and
just before they pass on to that portion of Strathmore
formed by the valley of the infant Forth. The river
now meanders, coquetting between the shires of Perth
and Stirling but finally abandoning the county of its
birth. East of this the Forth receives the following
tributaries on the left or Perthshire bank — the Goodie,
the Teith, the Allan and the Devon. The Teith, like
the Forth, rises in two headwaters, one of which descends
from the south side of Ben a Chroin and flows through
Loch Voil and Loch Lubnaig, being successively known
as the Balvaig and the Leny. The other flows from
Loch Katrine through Loch Achray and Loch Vennachar
and unites with the Leny at Callander.
In many respects that part of Perthshire drained by
the basin of the Forth is the most interesting and
picturesque part of the county. The southern stream
after emerging from Loch Katrine begins to traverse the
28
PERTHSHIRE
Trossachs, round which the great Wizard of the North
has thrown such a halo of romance. It is flanked on
the north by Ben A'an and on the south-west by Ben
Venue, great mountain masses which rise tier upon tier
in a series of rocky eminences of the most fantastic
character from the pass below. The whole of the lower
ground is covered with a dense growth of herbs, shrubs
Loch Katrine
and such trees as hazels, oaks, birches, hawthorns and
mountain ashes.
In close association with the rivers are the lakes of
Perthshire, which are numerous, large and renowned for
their natural beauty. For the most part these lakes are
confined to the northern or Highland division of the
county. They often appear in linear groups like so
29
many diamonds strung upon a thread of silver. The
largest lochs in Perthshire are Loch Tay, Loch Earn
and Loch Rannoch in Breadalbane, Loch Ericht on the
confines of Perthshire and Inverness-shire,and Loch Katrine
in the district of Menteith. These are followed in size
by Lochs Lydoch on the confines between Perth and
Argyll, Garry between Rannoch and Atholl, and Tummel
in Atholl. In the south-western part of the county we
have Loch Lubnaig, Loch Voil, Loch Vennachar and
the Lake of Menteith. Innumerable smaller lakes,
principally confined to the Highland region, need not
be mentioned in detail.
Classified according to their origin and mode of
occurrence, the lakes of Perthshire can be arranged into
three distinct types. The first have been hollowed out
of the solid rock and are known as true rock basins.
These include all the larger and more important lochs,
such as Loch Tay, Loch Earn and Loch Rannoch.
Second are those which have been formed by the
ponding back of a sheet of water by glacier dlbris.
This type is usually confined to the heads of glens or
the mouths of corries. These lochs are not usually of
any great size but they occur in great numbers in the
Highlands. The third type includes all those which lie
in cup-like hollows either in the old glacier moraines or
in the boulder clay. Fine examples occur in the area
between Dunkeld and Blairgowrie, where there is a
chain of them including the Loch of Lows, Butterstone
Loch, Clunie Loch, Marlie Loch and Rae Loch.
The origin of the second and the third class of lake
30
PERTHSHIRE
is so evident as to require no explanation, but those of
the first order are more difficult to explain. The view
now most generally accepted is that first advanced by
Sir A. C. Ramsay, who accounted for such great rock-
basins as Loch Tay and Loch Earn by the theory that
they had been scraped out by the agency of ice. Every-
where the sides of these rock basins show • beautifully
Loch Tay
smoothed and scored surfaces as it some tremendous
weight had passed over them, grinding and polishing
them in its onward march. Now the only agent that
we know to have been in operation during past ages
which would be sufficient to account for such phenomena
is ice. It was partly during the vast extension of the
ice sheet and partly during the later valley glaciation,
WATERSHED RIVERS LAKES 31
that the rock basins which enclose our Highland lochs
were excavated.
Within the catchment area of the Tay there are many
different types of rock basins, the simplest of these being
that of Loch Earn. This loch has a length of over six
miles and an average width of about three-quarters of a
mile. The maximum depth, 287 feet, occurs half way
down the loch. A great fault enters the loch at Glen
Ample and crosses it diagonally to Dalveich. This fault
coincides with a small basin which has a depth of 240 feet.
It has been shown that during the period of maximum
glaciation the ice-sheet crossed this part of Perthshire in an
east-south-east direction, and as a consequence the greatest
pressure must have been exerted on the south side of the
valley. This is confirmed by the fact that the slope
of the southern side of the valley is twice as steep as that
of the northern.
In the great rock basin of Loch Tay, which is 14!
miles in length, with an average breadth of three-quarters
of a mile and a depth of 510 feet, we have a somewhat
different type of basin from that of Loch Earn. In this
basin there appears to have been a deflection of the ice
towards the north-east in the neighbourhood of Ardeonaig
and Ardtalnaig and this accounts for the deepest part of
the basin being situated to the east of the latter village.
Two great sculptors, then, have been at work in
producing the river and lake system of Perthshire. The
first was the ordinary agent of sub-aerial denudation, the
second that of a great sheet of ice which has now entirely
disappeared from these islands. The work of the first
32 PERTHSHIRE
sculptor was to trench the old plateau of marine denuda-
tion into the great valley systems we have just described,
and derive from the monotonous table-land the picturesque
valleys and gorges that now diversify this part of Perth-
shire. The work of the second sculptor was to add the
charm of lake to that of stream and so complete the scenic
beauty of the Highlands of Perthshire.
6. Geology and Soil.
By examining the crust of the earth, geologists have
been enabled to classify the great rock masses of which it
is composed into two kinds, according to their mode of
origin — those which have been erupted from the interior
of the earth in a molten condition, known as igneous
rocks ; and those which have been formed as sediment at
the bottom of seas and lakes, and which have been piled
up into thick beds of strata, known as sedimentary rocks.
A third group, the metamorphic, is generally adopted by
geologists for convenience in the matter -of description;
but, as it includes rocks, some of which were of igneous
and some of sedimentary origin, this classification is some-
what objectionable. In accordance, however, with general
usage, it has been followed in this description of the rocks
of Perthshire.
According to their mode of occurrence, the igneous
rocks may be subdivided into two groups. The first
comprises those which have been ejected upon the surface
of the earth, by volcanic action, and have been laid down
GEOLOGY AND SOIL 33
either as great sheets of lava, or accumulations of fragments
of lava and volcanic dust. These are known as volcanic
rocks. The Sidlaw and the Ochil Hills are formed of
rocks of this kind. The others, called plutonic rocks,
have cooled at some distance below the surface and have
solidified much more slowly than volcanic rocks. As a
result of this they have assumed a more coarsely crystal-
line structure. They commonly occur in great intrusive
bosses. The granites and diorites of Glen Lednock, the
Moor of Rannoch, and Glen Tilt may be taken as examples
of this division of the igneous rocks.
The great series of sedimentary or fragmental rocks in-
clude all those which, like sandstone, have had a secondary
or derivative origin, or, in other words, which have been
formed out of previously existing materials, as well as
a few others which, strictly speaking, do not answer to
this description of their origin. Some of these have been
formed by the action of wind along the sea coast, such as
sand dunes. Others owe their origin to moving water,
and under this category come gravel, sand and mud.
Another great division of the sedimentary rocks is
that known as the organically formed rocks, which have
been built by the slow accumulation of the remains of
plants and animals existing upon the surface of the earth
and in lakes or seas. Coal and limestone are familiar
examples of this class. The great valley of Strathmore is
paved with a vast thickness of sedimentary rocks, princi-
pally sandstones, shales and conglomerates of Lower Old
Red Sandstone age.
It is often found that both igneous and sedimentary
M. P. 3
34 PERTHSHIRE
rocks have been altered by pressure or by coming into
contact with molten igneous material. In this way clay
or shale may be altered into slate, and sandstone into
quartzite, while a shaly sandstone may pass into mica
schist. Such igneous rocks as granite become gneiss, and
whinstone is altered into hornblende schist. When rocks
have been subjected to such alterations they are known as
metamorphic rocks.
The Highlands of Perthshire present a region in
which all the phenomena connected with metamorphism
may be studied in their most minute details. In this
region there is a great series of sedimentary rocks which
have been altered by metamorphism from such normal
sediments as conglomerates, sandstones, shales and lime-
stones into schistose conglomerates, quartzites, slates and
crystalline limestones. These sediments prior to their
metamorphism were penetrated by intrusive igneous rocks,
which have also suffered in the general metamorphism,
passing into gneisses and hornblende schists. At a later
period the metamorphic rocks were invaded by great masses
of igneous material, principally granites, which produced a
still further stage of metamorphism along the line of contact.
All the sedimentary rocks show evidence of having
been originally laid down in more or less horizontal beds
or strata. They are no longer seen, however, to occupy
the original horizontal position in which they were formed
but have usually been bent into a series of folds as a result
of the secular cooling of the earth's crust. When the
strata form a series of undulations the hollows are called
synclines and the ridges anticlines. The rocks forming the
GEOLOGY AND SOIL 35
valley of Strath more are arranged in a syncline, while
those of the Ochil and the Sidlaw Hills have an anticlinal
arrangement. In the Highlands the rocks have been so
intensely folded that the synclines and anticlines have
become closely packed together in such a way that the
axes of the folds are no longer perpendicular but are seen
to be inclined in a definite direction over great areas.
This is known as the isoclinal type of folding.
The great line of demarcation to which we have
already referred runs across Scotland in a diagonal direction,
dividing the country into two portions — the Highlands
and the Lowlands. This line is a geological as well as a
geographical line, and separates the crystalline schists of
the Highlands from the younger Palaeozoic rocks of the
Midland valley. It is a line of fault, the rocks of the
Midland valley having been thrown down for many
thousands of feet against those of the Highlands.
The rocks which form the Highlands of Perthshire
are metamorphic. In the majority of instances they were
laid down as sedimentary deposits, subsequently altered,
both by the great plication and pressure to which they
were subjected, and by the intrusion of great bosses of
igneous material. The stage of alteration exhibited by
these metamorphic rocks varies to a considerable extent.
In some of the more siliceous members the original grains
of quartz are still easily recognisable, while in others the
rock has become so reconstructed by metamorphism that
the original character is no longer discernible.
The different schists which form the Highlands of
Perthshire traverse the county in bands or zones, having a
3—2
36
PERTHSHIRE
general north-east and south-west trend, and may be said
to lie roughly parallel with the great boundary fault. The
following table shows the general succession of the zones
as they are traced from south to north.
(x on
map.)
13. Moine Schists, (a on map.)
12. Quartzite and Quartz-schist, with
pebbly conglomerate,
ii. Schiehallion conglomerate ("Boulder
Bed").
10. Limestone (" Blair Atholl "). (Blue on map.)
CRYSTALLINE 9. Black Schist, (g1 on map.)
SCHISTS g. Phyllites etc. ("Ben Lawers Schist"). (I1
OF THE -I on map.)
PERTHSHIRE 7- Garnetiferous mica-schists, (g on map.)
HIGHLANDS. 6. Limestone (" Loch Tay "). (Blue on map.)
5. Garnetiferous mica-schists, (g on map.)
4. Green Beds. (/ on map.)
3. Schistose Grits (' Ben Ledi Grits and
Schists "). (x on map.)
2. Aberfoyle and Birnam Slates. (/ on map.)
i. Schistose Grits ("Leny Grit"), (x on map.)
A • 5 } Grits, Black Shales, Cherts and Hornblende
Arem*? Schist.
Immediately to the north of the Highland boundary
fault there comes a narrow band of carbonaceous shales,
grits and cherts, which appear to have been wedged in
between the Highland schists and the Old Red Sandstone.
These rocks are supposed to belong either to the Ordo
vician or Upper Cambrian system. They enter Perthshire
to the west of Aberfoyle, from which point they can be
traced to the east of Callander at Kilmahog.
38 PERTHSHIRE
Proceeding northwards we have first a narrow band of
schistose grit, the Leny Grit, and then the Aberfoyle and
Birnam slates. These are succeeded to the north by a
broad belt of schistose grits, which form the great moun-
tain masses of Ben Venue, Ben Ledi, and Ben Vorlich,
and which give rise to much of the rugged scenery of the
Highland border. Succeeding these come the limestone
series of Loch Tay, followed by the garnetiferous schists,
Ben Lawers schist, Black schist, Blair Atholl limestone,
and the quartzites and quartz schists of the central High-
lands. Still further to the north comes a group of schistose
rocks known as the Moine schists, whose exact geological
relationship has not yet been determined.
All these rocks have been thrown into a complicated
series of folds. One of the main axes of folding coincides
with a line running from Tyndrum along the north side
of Glen Dochart and Loch Tay, and passing through the
summit of Ben Lawers. Further to the north-east it can
be traced from Cammoch Hill across the lower part of
Strath Tummel to the Garry, and from thence eastwards
in the direction of Ben Vrackie. From this great axial
line of folding the schists have been thrown off to the
north-west and south-east in a series of minor folds. The
general structure of the ground and the relationships of
the different schist zones will best be understood by an
examination of figure, p. 37, which gives a section across
the Highlands from Glen Lyon through Ben Lawers to
the village of Comrie on the Highland border.
The geological structure of the Old Red Sandstone
area in Perthshire shows that along the southern margin
Andesite
Ochils
Parkhill
Firth of Tay
Fault
Upper O.R.S.
Balruddery
Fault
Sidlaws
Andesite
Sandstones
Dyke
Psilophyton beds
Strathmore
Conglomerate
Blairgowrie
Andesite
Fault
Grampians
Schists
40 PERTHSHIRE
of the Highlands there occur a massive series of con-
glomerates, which have been thrown down against the
schists at high angles. In making a traverse towards the
south-east it is found that these basal conglomerates pass
into fine beds of shale and sandstone that are bent into a
synclinal trough (cl on map). This trough or downward
fold of the rocks coincides with the valley of Strathmore.
On the south side of the syncline the oldest members
of the Old Red Sandstone have been exposed near the
Yetts of Muckart, where they consist of coarse agglome-
rates and lava flows. The volcanic rocks forming the
great anticlinal arch of the Ochils and Sidlaws consisting
of beds of lava and volcanic ash are estimated to have a
thickness of over 6000 feet (P on map).
The rocks of the Upper Old Red Sandstone rest
unconformably upon those of the Lower Old Red
Sandstone and pass up conformably into the Calciferous
Sandstones of the Carboniferous system (c3 on map). Along
the Carse of Gowrie these rocks have been preserved in a
remarkable manner, having been let down between two
powerful faults. In the neighbourhood of Clashbennie
they have yielded finely preserved specimens of the
characteristic fishes of this formation.
A small patch of Carboniferous rocks appears in the
neighbourhood of the Bridge of Earn. This is the only
representative of that formation to be seen north of the
Ochils. The strata consist of beds of blue-clay, sandstone
and calcareous bands, and belong to the Cement-stone
series lying at the base of the Carboniferous system. The
presence of this outlier is of great geological interest as it
GEOLOGY AND SOIL 41
points to the former wide extension of the Carboniferous
formation over Perthshire, from which it has now been
almost entirely removed by denudation.
The metamorphic rocks of the Highlands have been
pierced by intrusions of igneous material, some of which
are older and some later in time than the movements
which produced the metamorphism in the schists. The
earlier intrusions are represented by gneissose granites and
hornblende schists (Bg on map), while the later consist for
the most part of great masses of granite and sills and dykes
of quartz-felsite (jp, D and G on map).
Numerous dykes of dolerite cross the county in an
east and west direction (B on map). Two of these after
traversing the volcanic rocks of the Sidlaws, strike across
the Old Red Sandstone rocks of Strathmore, and enter
the Highland region near Glenartney, where they cut
obliquely across the fault line, continuing westward by
Loch Lubnaig and Loch Katrine to Loch Lomond.
Abundant evidence is to be found throughout the
county of the glacial conditions that existed in Scotland in
(geologically speaking) comparatively recent times. Ice-
worn surfaces occur even on the highest summits of the
Ochils and the Sidlaws, and the peaks of some of the
Highland hills show similar striations. On the top of
these glaciated rock surfaces comes the boulder clay, often
reaching a considerable thickness in Strathmore. In the
Highlands fine examples can be seen of the moraines formed
during the later valley glaciation. These are especially well
developed in the valley of the Dochart, near Killin, and
on the banks of Loch Katrine between Stronachlachar
42
PERTHSHIRE
and Loch Lomond. Travelled boulders are to be met
with all over the region. Many boulders of Highland
schist have been carried across the valley of Strathmore
and deposited on the slopes and summits of the Ochils
and Sidlaws. A finely laminated brick clay containing
arctic shells rests on the boulder clay of the Carse of
Gowrie. The arctic or sub-arctic shells found in these
Campsie Linn on the Tay
(A dolerite dyke)
deposits are not found living in the British seas at the
present day, but exist in those of more northern latitudes
such as Greenland and Spitzbergen.
The soils of the Highland region of Perthshire have
been largely derived from the destruction of the crystal-
line schists, and generally present an arenaceous or sandy
GEOLOGY AND SOIL 43
rather than an argillaceous or clayey character. As a
rule they are of no great depth, and suffer greatly in dry
seasons from the absence of moisture. In the Highlands,
where the boulder clay exists as a soil, most of the arable
farms are confined to this deposit. Over the morainic drift
areas the farms are generally pastoral. The most valuable
soil occurring within the Highland district is the fine
alluvium to be found in the river valleys. Considerable
alluvial tracts can be seen around Killin, in various parts of
Glen Dochart, Strath Fillan, and in other glens in the
county.
In the Lowland region of Strathmore the arenaceous
element also enters largely into the composition of the
soils. Usually, however, they have more peroxide of iron
than the Highland soils, as well as being richer and deeper.
The alluvial deposits formed by the rivers also cover much
greater areas than they do in the Highlands. The flat
tract lying along the valley of the Forth from Gartmore
Bridge to the Bridge of Allan consists of a thick bed of
stiff clay. A similar bed of clay covers by far the larger
part of the Carse of Gowrie. The soils covering the
sides of the Sidlaws and Ochils are rich in soda, potash
and magnesia, derived from the disintegration of the
volcanic rocks which form these hills.
7. Scenery and Geology.
We now pass to a brief consideration of the relation-
ships that exist between the geological structure and the
scenery of the county. It was shown, in the section
44 PERTHSHIRE
dealing with the surface and general features, that the
Highland area may be looked upon as a great plateau
which has been dissected by the rivers flowing in a series
of longitudinal and transverse valleys.
The general dead level to which the Highland hills
rise is, as we learned, called by geologists a plain of marine
denudation, and the only agent that could have produced
such a plain is the sea. At one time, then, the sea must
have cut clean across the Highland region, burying it
under a great mass of its own ruins, part of which is
represented by the materials that went to form the Old
Red Sandstone and Carboniferous formations. The trans-
verse valleys would have their initial direction given to
them by the slope of the marine plain of denudation
towards the south-east. It seems highly probable that
the direction of those streams would be determined when
as yet a thick covering of Old Red Sandstone rested upon
the underlying schists; and when the streams reached
the schists, they would continue to keep their original
courses.
Water falling upon the sides of the original transverse
valleys instead of following the outward slope of the plain
would begin to form tributary streams which would lie
parallel to the general strike of the rocks. In this way
such deep longitudinal trenches as the valley of the Tay
from Ballinluig to the head of Glen Dochart would be
formed. The Highland section of the Tay may, then,
be divided into three portions: first, the short transverse
valley of the Fillan ; second, the great longitudinal valley
just described; and third, the transverse portion from
SCENERY AND GEOLOGY 45
Ballinluig to Dunkeld, which is simply the southern
prolongation of the great transverse valley of the
Garry.
Another series of transverse streams occurs to the
east of the Tay valley, the principal of these being the
Ardle and the Shee, which unite to form the Erjcht.
After descending through the Highland schists and cross-
ing the boundary fault, they are caught up by the Isla,
which after a similar Highland course bends sharply round
to the west near Alyth and flows in a longitudinal valley
along the syncline of Strathmore to join the Tay near
Cargill.
Turning to a consideration of the Lowland portion of
the Tay valley, we find that after passing in a broad loop
over Strathmore from Birnam to Perth, the river is again
caught up by a longitudinal valley and carried in a north-
easterly direction to the sea, between the Sidlaw and the
Ochil Hills.
In attempting to account for this portion of the Tay
valley, it will at first seem strange that the Tay should
have selected to find its way to the sea along a ridge of
volcanic rocks rather than by the synclinal trough of
sandstones forming Strathmore. The reason for this will,
however, be easily understood if the reader recalls the fact
that a great trough fault passes along the axis of the Sidlaws
and the Ochils, bringing into the centre of the arch of
volcanic rocks a series of softer sandstones. This structure
would play a most important part in determining the
operations of the denuding forces as the soft sandstones
would be more easily worn away than the volcanic rocks
46 PERTHSHIRE
forming the sides of the trough, and in this manner the
present valley of the Tay below Perth has been formed.
Such, then, appear to have been the main lines upon
which the outstanding physiographical features of the
county have been evolved. It will be seen that in few
Glen Ample
(A valley caused by a fault)
cases can a valley be directly traced to the occurrence of
a fault or crack in the rocks. One notable exception to
this is the valley of the Ample, which enters Loch Earn
near its western end. The direction of this glen can be
directly traced to the existence of a great fault which
SCENERY AND GEOLOGY 47
throws the hard grits of Ben Vorlich to the east against
a series of soft schists to the west.
It has already been pointed out that the schist bands
traverse the Highlands in a general north-east and south-
west direction; and to the varying characters of these
schists much of the picturesque scenery of the Highlands
is due. The band of slates along the Highland frontier
Ben Venue
(Showing scenic character of Ben Ledi Grits)
forms hills of a smooth undulating character. Behind
this come the massive grits of Ben Venue, Ben Ledi
and Ben Vorlich; and it is the presence of these rocks
that gives rise to the wild and romantic scenery of the
Trossachs and the Pass of Leny, which has been so
vividly described by Sir Walter Scott in The Lady of the
Lake ;
48 PERTHSHIRE
" The rocky summits, split and rent,
Form'd turret, dome, or battlement,
Or seemed fantastically set
With cupola or minaret,
Wild crests as pagod ever deck'd
Or mosque of Eastern architect."
The scenery produced by the garnetiferous schists and
the Ben Lawers phyllites is often grand and imposing.
Schiehallion
(A mountain of quartzite)
It is typically developed along the ridge that lies to the
north of Loch Tay, the rugged outlines of Creag na
Caillich, Meall Garbh, and Meall nan Tarmachan corre-
sponding to a belt of Ben Lawers phyllite resting upon a
base of garnetiferous schists. The quartzites and Moine
schists of north-west Perthshire frequently give rise to
SCENERY AND GEOLOGY 49
mountains having a more or less well developed conical
outline such as Schiehallion and Ben Doireaan.
The boundary line between the Highland schists and
the Old Red Sandstone is of course the great outstanding
scenic feature of the county, but this has been so often
referred to already as not to require any further de-
scription.
The Ochils and the Sidlaws present a low chain of
round-backed swelling hills intersected here and there by
defiles or passes. In the geological section it was shown
that these hills consist of a thick series of lava beds bent
into an anticlinal arch. On the north-west side of this
arch the lava beds slope away gently to the north-west,
generally presenting bold mural escarpments towards the
south-east. This characteristic and often strongly marked
feature can be well seen from the summit of Moncrieff
Hill, near Perth. It is typically developed both in Kin-
noull Hill and Dunsinane Hill.
Everywhere throughout the county the long period
of glaciation has stamped with more or less distinctness
its influence upon its physical features. Many of the
Highland valleys are beautifully rounded and smoothed in
the direction traversed by the ice ; and great accumulations
of morainic material make prominent features in the
landscape. In the Lowland area the thick accumulations
of boulder clay rise into long characteristic hummocky
ridges.
M. P.
50 PERTHSHIRE
8. Natural History.
. ' Within recent years a growing importance has been
attached to the geographical distribution of plants and
animals. This has thrown not only a flood of light upon
the past history of the earth, but it has also helped to clear
up many points bearing on the relationship and origin of
species.
As will readily be understood, Perthshire contains but
few plants or animals that are not to be found in other
parts of Britain. But it does not follow that they are to
be found in all parts of the island. Thus some species
have their northern limit while others have their southern,
eastern, or western limit within the county.
Nor does Britain contain many that are not inhabitants
of the rest of Europe. Further it will be found that the
fauna and the flora of Europe are characteristic of a great
region which stretches from Britain to Japan, and from
the north Pole to North Africa and the Himalayas, known
as the Palaearctic Region.
It is now generally believed that the greater part of
the British fauna and flora reached these islands by a land
connection with the Continent. From evidence, into
which we cannot now enter, it is supposed that towards
the close of the Ice Age the British Isles underwent a
slow upheaval to a height probably corresponding to the
80 fathom line, the consequence being that the present
bed of the North Sea was elevated into land, through
which flowed the Rhine with the Thames, Ouse, Tay
NATURAL HISTORY 51
and other British rivers now entering the North Sea, as
its tributaries. At this time the English Channel,' St
George's Channel and the Irish Sea were also land,
forming a group of low-lying grounds uniting Britain
and Ireland to the Continent so that the immigration of
the arctic-alpine flora and fauna took place step by step
across the plains from these centres of dispersion till they
covered the whole of the British Isles.
Towards the close of glacial times, when the great ice
sheet had passed away and only local glaciers were to be
found here and there in the mountainous districts, the low
grounds of Central Europe were covered by an arctic-
alpine flora and fauna. With the gradual amelioration
of the climate these plants and animals were forced to
retreat to higher latitudes, while those inhabiting Central
Europe retreated to the higher mountains, closely followed
by the incoming march of the temperate species. There
can scarcely be any doubt that it was this arctic-alpine
flora that first covered these islands after the retreat of
the glaciers.
The commonest animals in Britain at that time were
the reindeer, the elk, the mammoth, the wolf and so forth.
After the retiral of these northern plants and animals to
higher latitudes, the country was invaded by a temperate
flora which is now the prevalent type of vegetation.
It is impossible to say how long the land remained at
this high level, but there is strong evidence to show that
when the existing fauna and flora migrated into Britain
the country was undergoing a gradual subsidence. As
a result of this Ireland was first of all separated from
4—2
52 PERTHSHIRE
England, and at a later period England was separated
from the Continent. The earlier separation of Ireland
from Britain explains the comparative paucity of mammals
and reptiles in the former country. That is, Ireland had
been cut off before these animals had ceased to migrate
into England.
The Highland region of Perthshire, especially Breadal-
bane, has long been famous to botanists because of the
richness of its alpine flora. Thus on a series of mountains
which stretch from Ben Laoigh north-eastwards through
Meall Ghaordie and along the ridge bounding the north
of Loch Tay and including such peaks as Craig na Cal-
lich, Meall nan Tarmachan, Beinn Ghlas, and highest
of all Ben Lawers, and from Breadalbane north-eastwards
into Clova, we find an exuberant development of alpine
plants. Another tract also exceedingly rich in alpine
species is from Ben Laoigh northwards by the heads
of Glen Lochay and Glen Lyon and includes the follow-
ing mountains: Cam Chreag, Creag Mhor, Ben Heas-
garnich and others.
On the summit of Ben Lawers the schistose rocks
have been weathered into a series of rock-girt pits or
hollows, which form the abode of Saxifraga cernua — its
only station in Great Britain. On the theory that it
with its fellows once covered the lowlands, its solitary
position here has been not inaptly called its last citadel.
Step by step the northward march of the temperate flora
has pushed it from the plains to the hills and from the
hills to the mountains. Along the Ben Lawers ridge
many other alpine species are to be found, as Gentiana
NATURAL HISTORY 53
niva/is,, Sattx herbacea, Saussurea alpina, Erigeron alpinus
and Dry as octopetala.
Dryas octopetala on Ben Laoigh
It has been shown that the present distribution of the
alpine flora in the Perthshire Highlands and the mountains
richest in these alpine species coincide with the outcrop
54 PERTHSHIRE
of the schists known as the Ben Lawers phyllites. The
minute structure and chemical composition of these schists
as well as the altitude that they reach form a favourable
environment for the last stand of the alpine plants.
It is calculated that the flora of Perthshire comprises
upwards of I2OO species and varieties of flowering plants,
ferns, etc., and from such a number it is difficult to single
out particular species for special mention. Throughout
their whole length the valleys of the Tay, Tummel, Garry
and other Perthshire rivers present an exuberant and in-
teresting flora; while the shores and waters of the nume-
rous lochs are particularly rich in plant life. The chain
of lochs lying between Blairgowrie and Dunkeld is perhaps
the most productive, especially in pond weeds (Naiadaceae),
the beautiful plant Naias flexilh occurring in several of
the lochs.
Of the 80 orders into which the trees and shrubs
of Britain are divided 19 are found in Perthshire. The
common hawthorn, for example, is found in its wild state
as a shrub or a tree. The crab or wild apple occurs in
hedgerows and waste places ; and the mountain ash on the
seashore and on the tops of mountains as high as 2500
feet. The common elder is most abundant in coppices
and woods. The Scots or wych elm is also found.
Among the willows we have the brittle-twigged or crack
willow. The aspen poplar, the common alder, the birch,
the oak, the common hazel and the Scots pine are also
plentifully distributed throughout the shire.
Coming now to the fauna, we find that 43 mammals
are recorded as occurring within the county. Nine of
56 PERTHSHIRE
these, however, must be regarded as exceedingly scarce
or practically extinct, while ten have only one or two
records each. Four species of bats have been recorded,
including the rare whiskered bat. Among the Insectivora
the hedge-hog, the mole and the common shrew are
abundant. The Carnivora are represented by the wild
cat, which is, however, very infrequent ; the fox, common
on the mountains. The weasel and the stoat are plenti-
ful. The badger is still found on the mountains but with
a somewhat limited distribution. The otter abounds in
many of the rivers and lochs. Three species of seals have
been recorded from the Tay estuary. Red deer and roe
deer occur in the county, the former being mostly confined
to the Highlands. Among the rodents the following may
be noted as natives of the shire — the squirrel, the brown
rat, the common mouse, the wood mouse, the common
field vole, the red field vole, the water vole, the common
hare, the mountain hare, and the rabbit.
The birds of Perthshire include 228 species, of which
74 reside in the county throughout the year, and 24 for
only part of the year; 34 come as summer visitors, and
25 as winter visitors; 9 are annual spring or autumn
migrants, and 62 only occasional or rare visitors. It is
estimated that 127 species nest in the county.
It would be impossible to give here a detailed account
of the birds of the county. The higher mountains of the
Highland area afford an occasional resting-place for the
golden and the white-tailed eagle, while the peregrine
falcon is known to nest in the shire. The ptarmigan
and the snow bunting also breed on some of the higher
NATURAL HISTORY
57
summits. The county abounds in game birds of all kinds,
especially the red grouse, the pursuit of which annually
attracts sportsmen in great numbers. The capercailzie,
Hen Capercailzie on Nest
originally a native, became extinct, but was ^introduced
from Norway and is now abundant.
The well-wooded glens and valleys afford a favourite
58 PERTHSHIRE
resort for warblers and small birds of all kinds. The
kingfisher, bald coot and water-hen inhabit the banks of
rivers. The oyster catcher is abundant, breeding freely
on many of the islands and banks of the Tay and
Tummel. The raven, though by no means common, is
still to be found among the mountains, while the hooded
crow abounds. The rook, known more generally as the
crow, is abundant. The jackdaw, magpie and jay, though
formerly common, are now more scarce.
Many of the lochs are particularly rich in sea birds,
ducks, geese, etc. Among the birds killed on Loch Tay
may be mentioned the osprey, wild swan, pochard, wid-
geon, tufted duck, golden-eye, scaup duck, goosander, little
grebe, great northern diver, cormorant, razor-bill, puffin,
and Leach's petrel. Others found in the immediate neigh-
bourhood of the loch are the snowy owl, woodpecker,
Bohemian waxwing, snow bunting, brambling, crossbill,
quail and pigmy curlew.
The amphibia of Perthshire are represented by the
frog, the toad and the common newt, which are every-
where abundant. Of more restricted occurrence are the
palmated newt and the warted newt. The reptilia in-
clude three species — the common lizard, found usually
in heathery places; the slow worm, commonly frequent-
ing thick undergrowths ; and the adder, which is the only
venomous reptile found in this country. It occurs in
considerable numbers in certain localities among the High-
land hills.
The fish fauna of the lochs and rivers includes about
23 species. Some of the more important of these may
NATURAL HISTORY 59
be briefly mentioned. The salmon occurs in all the rivers
and lochs to which it can find access. The Tay has long
been noted for its salmon fisheries. The sea trout is
abundant in the rivers, while the common trout occurs
in all the rivers and lochs, which also swarm with perch,
pike and eels. The sturgeon has been taken at Perth
and sprats are common .in the Tay estuary. The sea
lamprey is occasionally found in the Tay and has been
captured as high up the river as Dunkeld. The river
lamprey also occurs in the Lowland rivers and streams.
The invertebrate animals of Perthshire form such an
extensive division as to preclude any possibility of dealing
with them in the allotted space. Let it be sufficient to
say that the land and the freshwater mollusca of the
county are rich. The pearl mussel (Unio margaritifer]
at one time occurred in the Tay and other rivers in great
numbers. Recently, however, they have grown much
fewer owing to the extent to which pearl fishing has been
pursued. The pearls vary in colour from pure white to
deep brown. Limnaea peregra is found in most of the
rivers and also in ponds, etc. Among the land shells
Helix nemoralis and Helix arbustorum are common and
widely distributed. So also are Bulimus obscurus. Pupa
umbilicata^ and Clausilia rugosa, all of which are fairly
common amongst stones and moss and on rocks. Clau-
silia rugosa is not uncommon on trees, which it can climb
to a considerable height.
Perthshire is rich in the different orders of insects.
The Rannoch district has long been famous for the
northern species it has yielded, as well as for several
60 PERTHSHIRE
southern species which have not been found elsewhere
in Scotland. The following are some of the rare moths
found in Rannoch — -Asteroscopus nubeculosisy Noctua sobrina
and Nyssia lapponarla,
The lakes and ponds of Perthshire abound in a great
variety of animals belonging to the crustacean, coelenterate
and protozoan divisions of the invertebrata, as has been
shown by the recent discoveries made during the bathy-
metrical survey of these lochs.
p. Climate and Rainfall.
The principal factors in determining the climate of a
country are its latitude, shape, exposure to the sea or to
a particular point of the compass, its elevation above sea-
level, the character of its river and valley systems, nature
of its soils, and the humidity and the temperature of the
air, the last two being perhaps the most important.
It would be impossible here to discuss all the principles
which govern the changes of the weather. It may, how-
ever, be pointed out that the weather of the country is to
a great extent influenced by cyclones from the Atlantic.
The movements of the air may either be cyclonic or anti-
cyclonic. Cyclones are areas of low barometric pressure
with an encircling system of winds blowing spirally in-
wards with a direction opposite to that of the hands of a
clock. Cyclonic systems usually bring to the region which
they cover a large amount of cloud and rain, and may be
described as bad weather systems. Anticyclones, on the
CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 61
other hand, are areas of high pressure from which gentle
breezes blow spirally outwards, the direction of the winds
being the same as the hands of a watch. This system is
marked, especially towards its centre, by dry and fair
weather. There are three fairly permanent pressure
centres which influence the winds of Scotland throughout
the year — a low pressure area south of Iceland ; a high
pressure area situated in the Atlantic near the Azores;
and a continental area in Europe and West Asia, high
in winter and low in summer. During the winter the
Icelandic and the continental centres are in predominance,
and give rise to a great swirl between them, which causes
the wind to blow from a south-west to a north-east
direction.
The direction of the prevailing winds in the neigh-
bourhood of Perth is shown by a long series of records
printed in the Transactions of the Perthshire Society of
Natural Science. The results have been expressed in
the diagrammatic form known as a wind rose (see figures
on p. 62) and embody observations taken over a period
of seventeen years. Along each of the eight principal
points of the compass in these diagrams a distance has
been marked off proportional to the percentage of days
on which the wind blew in that direction. In the top
diagram, which represents the winds for January, it will
be seen that the prevailing winds are those from the
south-west and east. The same holds good for the month
of July, as appears in the second diagram, while the third
diagram shows that these are the prevalent directions of
the wind for the whole year.
N.W.
s.w.
N.E.
S.E.
N.W
N.E.
N.W.
E. W.
S-E.
S.W.
N.E.
S.E.
Wind Roses
(Showing prevalent winds at Perth in January, July and throughout the year]
CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 63
We have seen that the mountainous regions of the
shire lie mostly in the west and thus approximately face
the rain-bringing winds from the Atlantic ; but the break
down of the watershed between the Firths of Clyde and
Forth exposes the whole of southern Perthshire to the
clouds and rains of the west. Easterly winds bring rain
and unsettled weather on Gowrie, Stormont, Glenshee
and Strathardle, while the weather is dry and serene in
Breadalbane. It will readily be understood, however,
that neither class of winds can penetrate very far into the
interior without being in great part disburdened of their
moisture by the mountain ranges.
The chief point that has been deduced from a large
series of observations of the rainfall of Scotland is the
enormous difference that exists between that of the west
and that of the east. The stations along the west coast
show such figures as 40, 45, and 54 inches as compared
with 24, 27 and 30 inches at stations on the east coast
not situated in the immediate neighbourhood of the hills.
If we keep in mind that the great source of rainfall is the
prevailing south-westerly winds, we easily understand that
the comparatively small rainfall in such districts as the
shores of the Firth cf Forth and the Firth of Tay is due
to the high land lying to the south-west, which robs the
winds of a large proportion of their moisture in their pas-
sage across. On the other hand, the mountainous region
of the West Highlands, deeply indented with arms of the
sea which run in all directions from south round to west,
has currents of moist air continuously poured in upon it
with the result that this district has an enormously high
64 PERTHSHIRE
rainfall. Thus at Loch Dhu it amounts to 82 inches, at
the head of Loch Lomond to 1 1 5 inches, and at Glencroe
to 128 inches. Between the extremes the amount of
rainfall varies according to the physical configuration
of the surface.
From the average monthly rainfall at different stations
along the east and the west slope of the country for a
period of years, the annual rainfall deduced from these
averages is — for the whole country 44 inches, for the
eastern slope 38 inches, and for the western slope 50
inches. It may be recalled that Perthshire lies almost
entirely on the eastern slope, the north-western part of
the watershed keeping close to the boundary line of the
county.
The following table shows the gradual increase in the
annual rainfall, in inches, from the east to the west of
Perthshire :
Perth ... ... ... .... ... ... 32-10
Auchterarder... ... ... ... ... 39'53
Dunblane ... ... ... ... ... 34'49
Lanrick Castle ... ... ... ... 47'3i
Loch Vennachar ... ... ... ... 58-29
Bridge of Turk 68-21
Loch Drunkie ... ... ... ... 65-13
Aberfoyle ... ... ... ... ... 59'54
Loch Dhu ... ... ... ... ... 82-73
Loch Katrine ... ... ... ... ... 78-42
The largest monthly rainfall occurs — in December in
the mountainous districts of the interior, in January in the
south-west and east of Perthshire and in the Ochil Hills.
Rainfall map of Scotland. (After Dr H. R. Mill)
M. P.
66
PERTHSHIRE
The diagram shows the variation of the rainfall from
month to month at Perth, Lanrick Castle and Loch Dhu.
\
JM. Fte. *«. APR. MM Jimt JUUT /we. Sen. OCT. Nov. Dec. JAN
Rainfall Chart
(Diagram showing rainfall at Perth i, Lanrick Castle 2, and Loch Dhtt 3)
It is worthy of note that the highest rainfall at Perth
never reaches the lowest recorded at Loch Dhu.
67
Storms of wind accompanied by great torrential down-
pours of rain often lasting for several hours, and repeated
over and over again during the course of a month, are
New Stream Course produced by sudden fall of rain
occasionally experienced in Highland Perthshire. Such
a storm broke over Lochearnside in the month of August,
1910. The streams were swollen to such an extent that
great damage was done to the crops. Roads were buried
5—2
68 PERTHSHIRE
under tons of boulders and gravel so that all traffic had
to be suspended until they were removed. Bridges were
swept away; and in some cases water-courses of great
depth and length were cut through fields of arable land.
At Derry on the north side of Loch Earn a mountain
torrent in the short space of three hours excavated for
itself a new channel over 2OO yards in length with a
breadth of from six to nine feet and a depth of from four
to six feet. This channel coincided with a road through
a hayfield and entirely destroyed the road, while the field
was covered with tons upon tons of huge boulders.
The temperature is remarkably constant everywhere
throughout the county, averaging 47° F. for the year.
The coldest month is January (36*5° F.) and the hottest
July (59° F.). On the whole the climate of Perthshire
may be described as mild and salubrious ; and this applies
especially to the southern parts. In the more northerly
and westerly parts, where the ground reaches a high ele-
vation, the nature of the country makes it cold ; but these
districts are also dry and healthy as they are screened from
the northern blasts by the high ridge of the Grampians.
It has been found that the death rate of a county is
determined to a considerable extent by the increase or
the decrease of cold ; and as the temperature of Perth-
shire is fairly constant the yearly mortality varies but
little.
It has been observed in the neighbourhood of Perth
that with a north-west wind fogs never occur, very rarely
snow, and more seldom rain. The soft heavy flakes of
snow are most common when the wind is in a south-west
CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 69
direction. Fogs prevail in the city when the wind is off
the east and appear to be most common immediately after
a period of dry weather.
10. People — Race, Type, Language,
Settlements, Population.
The earliest inhabitants of the British Isles of which
we have any record were the men of the Stone Age.
They have been divided into two periods — the Palaeolithic
or Older Stone Age and the Neolithic or Newer Stone
Age. It is generally agreed that no undoubted evidence
of Palaeolithic man has yet been found in Scotland, though
his existence in England is shown by the numerous flint
implements fabricated by him which have been found
scattered over a great portion of that country. That
Neolithic man existed in Scotland is proved by the occur-
rence of bones, implements, weapons and other relics that
belong to this period. An ancient dug-out canoe of pine,
probably of this age, was found in a brick-clay pit at
Friarton near Perth. Whence Neolithic man came and
who he was is not absolutely certain. It is generally sup-
posed that he belonged to a non-Aryan race, of Iberian
type, short-statured and long-headed people who buried
their dead in chambered graves of the long-barrow form.
Long before historic time these early inhabitants of
our country were pushed away to the more inaccessible
and mountainous regions of the west and north by the
incoming of a taller and more powerful race of a Celtic
70 PERTHSHIRE
Aryan type — the Gaels or Goidels, from whom are
descended the great mass of the Gaelic-speakers who
have inhabited Ireland, the Isle of Man and the north of
Scotland. The Gaels were in turn displaced by a fresh
wave of Aryans — the Britons or Brythons, who also
belonged to the Celtic race but who spoke a different
dialect.
Tacitus' narrative of Agricola's campaigns (80-85 A.D.)
in North Britain gives no precise details about the tribes
then inhabiting modern Perthshire. The Alexandrian
geographer, Ptolemy, in the second century A.D., informs
us that the region of what is now Menteith and Strath-
earn was occupied by part of the great tribe of the
Damnonii, while to the north lay the Vacomagi. In
later centuries the people of Perthshire belonged to the
southern division of the Picts. In the fifth century —
perhaps earlier — Teutonic invaders came from over the
German Ocean, and in time penetrated the Lowland
parts of Perthshire, driving the Celts to the fastnesses of
the hills. That the Celts once occupied the whole of
the Lowland region is shown by the fact that many
of the place names are of Gaelic origin. Thus we have
Auchtergaven, uachdar-gamhauiny "upland of the yearling
cattle"; Auchterarder, uachdar-ard-thir, "upper high-
land"; and Doune, meaning "the hill." These Celts
and Teutons are, in the main, the progenitors of the
present-day inhabitants of Perthshire.
Up till the present day the Highland boundary line
has existed as a sharp line of demarcation between the
Celtic and the Teutonic race. To the north of that line
PEOPLE-RACE, TYPE, LANGUAGE, ETC. 71
Gaelic is the vernacular tongue, to the south English is
the universally spoken language. It has been estimated
that about 14,124 persons or 11-55 of the population
speak Gaelic.
The Scottish language originally meant the Gaelic
language, but as the Teutons gradually became the
dominant race the term Scottish was applied to the
Anglic dialect of the Lowlands, which came from the
Northern dialect of England. Latterly in Lowland
Perthshire, as throughout the Lowlands generally, a form
of Northern English became the vernacular.
The population of the county is but sparsely distri-
^buted. At the beginning of the nineteenth century it
numbered 125,583. It reached its maximum in 1831,
142,166; and then slowly declined to 123,283 in 1901,
over 2000 less than it was a century before. It has
since risen slightly, to 124,339 in 1911. It may be
pointed out that while there has been a considerable
growth in the population of one or two of the residential
villages and commercial towns, there has been a very
serious fall in the rural population. This can be attri-
buted to several causes, such as the attraction of town
life, emigration to foreign countries, the growth of rail-
ways, the competition of foreign food supplies, and lastly
the demands of the sportsmen, from whom the proprietor
can obtain a much larger rent than he could by letting
the ground to Crofters. There can be no doubt that
clearances took place in different parts of Highland
Perthshire towards the close of the eighteenth century
and at still later periods. But it seems most likely that
72
PERTHSHIRE
even though such clearances had never occurred, the same
depletion of the Crofter population would have taken
place as a consequence of the development of the great
mineral wealth of the midland counties, towards whose
//
Curve showing the comparative Growth of the Population
of Perthshire, Renfrewshire, Edinburghshire, and Lanarkshire
different centres of industry the Highland population
naturally tended to gravitate. Pennant, in his Tour
through Scotland, made in 1769, gives us the following
description of the population and industrial conditions of
Loch Tay, with which the existing condition of things
PEOPLE-RACE, TYPE, LANGUAGE, ETC. 73
seems to compare very unfavourably. "The north side
of Loch Tay is very populous ; for in sixteen square miles
are seventeen hundred and eighty six souls, on the other
side above twelve hundred. The country, within these
W.OOO
Density of Population in Perthshire (per sq. mile)
thirty years, manufactures a great deal of thread. They
spin with rocks, which they do while they attend the
cattle on the hills ; and, at the four fairs held in the year
at Kinmore, above sixteen hundred pounds worth of yarn
74 PERTHSHIRE
is sold out of Breadalbane only : which shows the increase
of industry in these parts, for less than forty years ago
there was not the least trade in this article. The yarn is
bought by persons who attend the fairs for that purpose
and sell it again at Perth, Glasgow and other places,
where it is manufactured into cloth."
It has already been pointed out that the distribution
of the towns and villages in the county has been largely
determined by its geological structure and its consequent
physiographical features. The site of the city of Perth
scarcely requires any explanation. Situated as it is near the
tidal limits of the Tay and lying on a broad flat of alluvial
haughland surrounded by low lying hills, Perth, it can
be easily imagined, would be early chosen for a place of
settlement. Note the position of Dunkeld, Crieff, Comrie,
Callander and Aberfoyle at the gateways to the moun-
tains.
ii. Agriculture.
Agriculture in Perthshire naturally falls into line with
the two great geological and geographical divisions of
Highland and Lowland. North of the Highland bound-
ary line the valleys are more or less restricted, being
hemmed in by lofty hills, and the country is mainly given
over to the pursuits of the artist, tourist, and the health
and pleasure seeker. The steepness of the slopes prevents
the formation of soil, and farming in its different varieties
is of secondary importance. Crops are cultivated here
AGRICULTURE 75
and there where the valleys widen sufficiently to admit
the existence of a tract of level ground, but such are very
limited ; and no part of the Highland area can properly
be termed agricultural land. In the Highlands the main
valleys would be the first to attract the population, and
for this reason the valley of the Tay, which contains by
far the largest amount of alluvial and arable land, is the
most extensively cultivated. Another factor of consider-
able importance in attracting the population would be the
southerly aspect of the arable land ; and hence we usually
find the largest number of farms and crofts on the northern
and north-eastern sides of the valleys. The nature of the
subsoil has also played an important part in determining
the distribution of the cultivated ground in the Highland
valleys. Thus it can generally be shown that over the
morainic areas the farms are pastoral and give support to
only a limited number of people; while in those areas
where the boulder clay appears, the farms are either
arable or mixed arable, giving support to a much larger
number of people.
The two great agricultural areas of Perthshire are the
level expanses of Strathmore and the Carse of Gowrie.
These make a striking contrast to the Highlands, being
almost entirely devoted to agricultural purposes. They
are everywhere covered with large and thriving farms and
orchards, which indicate the great depth and fertility of
the soil. It is estimated that only about one-fifth of the
entire area of the county is under cultivation, the rest
being occupied by pasture, woods and deer forests. Ex-
tensive tracts of moorland along the northern margin of
76 PERTHSHIRE
Strathmore have been reclaimed while others have been
greatly enriched by the draining and special manuring of
the soils and by the careful rotation of the crops. The
following figures from the Government Agricultural
Statistics give the acreage devoted to the different cereals
during 1909 — wheat 5341 acres, barley 10,602 acres, and
oats 65,662 acres. Two-thirds of the area 'devoted to
green crops is occupied by turnips, the rest by potatoes.
One-third of the total area is permanent pasturage, and
930,000 acres hill pasturage. The arable land is princi-
pally confined to the drier regions of the east and south-
east, where the soil is for the most part fertile. Large
stretches of Tayside and the upper districts of Menteith
are dotted over with orchards, their quick soil being
particularly suitable for the growth of apples. The
number of holdings in the shire is somewhat above 5000,
the majority being under 50 acres each. They are
situated mostly in the Highland valleys and in the neigh-
bourhood of villages and small towns.
The great variety of the Perthshire pastures enables
them to support a corresponding diversity of stock. About
Perth, the Bridge of Earn and the Carse of Gowrie, the
Angus and Fife breeds of cattle prevail. In the High-
lands the Argyllshire breed is most common. The
Lanarkshire breed is found in Menteith, while the Ayr-
shire and Galloway breeds are found at various parts
throughout the county. Black cattle from Devonshire,
Lancashire, Guernsey, and the East Indies have been
introduced and have been blended with the other breeds.
Next to Argyllshire, Perthshire still carries the heaviest
78 PERTHSHIRE
flocks in Scotland. Formerly the sheep were of the white-
faced stock, which required to be housed every night
during winter. The white-faced sheep have now been
almost entirely ousted by the more hardy black- faced
sheep, either pure or cross. Cheviots, South Downs and
Leicesters are also common on the lower runs. Goats at
one time were fairly numerous throughout the county,
but they have almost everywhere given place to sheep
and tillage. Poultry and swine are common everywhere.
Dovecots occur in the neighbourhood of Perth, Coupar,
and the Carse of Gowrie.
The following table shows the average number of
live stock in four of the Scottish counties, including
Perth.
PIGS
8000
14,000
9000
9000
In Perthshire most of the horses are Clydesdales, which
are the only horses used for agricultual purposes.
At one time the whole of the county was covered by
dense forests, the remains of which are still found in the
Black Forest of Rannoch and elsewhere. The former
extent of these forests is clearly shown by the tree trunks
that are even yet dug out of the soil. Unfortunately
during feudal times these ancient forests were sadly
diminished, the common people supposing that they were
inimical to the production of food, while the barons do
not seem to have been sufficiently enlightened to stop the
HORSES
CATTLE
SHEEP
Perth
13,000
72,000
690,000
Ayr
10,000
1 00,000
380,000
Dumfries
8,000
65,000
580,000
Edinburgh
4>5oo
19,000
187,000
AGRICULTURE 79
work of destruction. Large numbers of trees were also
cut down for fuel. In this way the low grounds were
gradually divested of cover. It was this nakedness of
the land that elicited from Burns The Humble Petition of
Eruar Water, addressed to the noble Duke of Atholl, one
verse of which runs thus :
Let lofty firs and ashes cool
My lowly banks o'erspread,
And view, deep bending in the pool,
Their shadows' watery bed ;
Let fragrant birks, in woodbines drest,
My craggy cliffs adorn ;
And, for the little songster's nest,
The close embowering thorn."
When the late Duke of Atholl began the afforestation
of his estate, he had only 1000 acres of wood on his
extensive property. In 1812 Perth had 203,889 acres of
woodland, which was the largest acreage of any county in
Scotland at that time. In 1871 it had fallen to 83,525
acres. In 1881 it stood at 94,568 acres. The returns
of 1891 show that in extent of woodlands Perth with
93,233 acres had fallen to the third place among the
Scottish counties, Aberdeenshire coming first with
108,858 acres, Inverness next with 98,738 acres. Perth-
shire could easily afford to plant an additional 200,000
acres, and it is satisfactory to know that within recent
years a movement has been set on foot to achieve this
end. It was estimated by Mr Hunter that in the year
1883 the value of the woods in the county was about
three and a half million pounds sterling.
1LV V ,*
Falls of Bruar
AGRICULTURE 81
Reference has been made to the great diminution of
the Crofter population in Perthshire within the last
century. The wholesale clearance of tenants from their
Crofts was maintained by them to be a violation of an
implied security of tenure and it led in the past to a
great deal of agitation by the Crofters for the purpose of
securing a consideration of their grievances. The Crofters
Act of 1886, and subsequent amending acts, have greatly
improved the condition of the Crofters. It may be noted,
however, that when that act was passed Perthshire and
Aberdeenshire were exempted as they were supposed to
be under more favourable economic conditions than other
districts, and accordingly not to require the benefits of
special legislation.
12. Industries and Manufactures.
With the exception of the citizens of Perth, the in-
habitants of the county from time immemorial have been
engaged mostly in agricultural and pastoral pursuits.
Other occupations are mining and quarrying; and here
we have to consider textile and other industries. The
linen trade, though long established in the county, has
never become of much importance compared with other
parts of Scotland. The chief centres in Perthshire are
Perth, Coupar-Angus and Blairgowrie. The cotton
industry, though at one time in a flourishing state, has
now passed into a condition of decadence. The principal
mills are situated at Deanston and Stanley. Woollen
M. P.
6
82 PERTHSHIRE
manufactories on a small scale have been established in
several towns and villages. Tweeds are manufactured at
Pitlochry and Killin ; tartans and galas at Auchterarder,
Crieff, Dunblane, Kincardine and Burnfoot in Glendevon.
Several bleachfields in the neighbourhood of Perth have
existed for a considerable time.
During the latter half of the eighteenth century the
city of Perth gave promise of becoming a great commercial
centre, but this was soon blighted. It appears that the
town reached the climax of its prosperity in 1794 or 1795.
At that time linen was the staple manufacture, and it is
estimated that about 1500 looms were then engaged in
the town and suburbs in the manufacture of linen and
cotton, the annual value of which was about ^100,000.
About this time a number of enterprising Perth manu-
facturers established bleachfields and printworks; while
the making of boots and shoes in the city was also of
considerable importance. These articles to the value of
about j£8ooo were shipped yearly to London. Through-
out the city there were various tanneries, which annually
prepared from 8000 to 1 0,000 hides and about 500 dozen
calf skins. Such was the state of trade in Perth towards
the close of the eighteenth century. The introduction of
cotton was the principal cause of the decline of the linen
trade. The Perth manufacturers stuck to the linen trade,
and when cotton goods came into general use, they retired
from business altogether.
During the latter half of the eighteenth century there
were in the neighbourhood of Perth three mills for the
manufacture of paper. About the same period too the
INDUSTRIES AND MANUFACTURES 83
ancient fraternity of the glovers and skinners were doing
a prosperous business : 30,000 sheep skins and lamb skins
were dressed, and from 2000 to 3000 dozen pairs of
gloves were made annually. The printing of books was
also carried on, the yearly output being from 20,000 to
30,000 volumes.
Arkwright Mills, Stanley
Perth cannot now be looked upon as a great manu-
facturing centre. Bleach fields and printworks have passed
out of the hands of her citizens ; and the glove trade is
entirely a thing of the past. The tanneries have greatly
diminished in importance, and the volumes that were
formerly issued by the thousands are now but seldom seen.
At the present day Perth may be looked upon as
6—2
84 PERTHSHIRE
a great central mercantile depot for the supply of the
necessaries, conveniences and luxuries of life to the sur-
rounding districts. It is famous for its cattle markets and
for its dye works, which within recent years have assumed
considerable dimensions. The manufacture of jute and
linen is still carried on at the Perth Jute Works and the
Wallace Linen Works. Of the other industries of the
Pullar's Dye Works, Perth
city the following may be mentioned — the manufacture
of glass, ink, floorcloths, ropes and twine, bricks and
chemicals. Several grain mills give employment to a
number of the inhabitants. There are also breweries
and distilleries, ironworks and foundries.
At one time the merchants of Perth carried on an
extensive trade in their own ships with the Netherlands.
Germans and Flemings at an early period frequented the
INDUSTRIES AND MANUFACTURES 85
city, and many of them settled in it. At that time ships
went up the Tay as far as the Palace of Scone, for in one
of the charters of the Abbey we find that Alexander I,
having granted to the monastery the customs of ships
coming to Scone, gave liberty to English ships to trade
there, and promised them protection on paying customs
to the monks. In 1830 shipbuilding began to be carried
on in Perth ; and some years afterwards the first iron
steam vessel built on the east side of Scotland was launched
from a Perth yard. But this industry has now dwindled.
13. Mines and Minerals.
The metalliferous mines of the county that have been
worked to any extent are practically confined to Breadal-
bane, and to that part of it drained by the upper reaches
of the Tay. None of these mines, however, are worked
at present, though mining for lead was carried on at
Tyndrum up to the year 1862.
At Tyndrum the Ben Lawers phyllites have been
faulted against a series of quartzose rocks, the fault
trending in a north-easterly and south-westerly direction,
and running across the Strathfillan and Coninish valleys.
A belt of high ground terminating to the east in a moun-
tain called the Sron-nan-Colan is the ridge in which the
lead workings are situated, and chiefly in the height
named.
The levels of the workings have been driven into the
Sron-nan-Colan to catch the vein as it passes through
86 PERTHSHIRE
the hill. The veinstone is pure white quartz in the hard
vein, and breccia made up of quartzite and mica-schist in
the clay or soft vein. The principal ore is argentiferous
galena (sulphide of lead with silver), zincblende, cobalt ;
copper and iron pyrites are also found.
The vein at Tyndrum was discovered by accident in
1741. At that time the Breadalbane minerals were
leased to Sir Robert Clifton, who between that year and
1745 raised 1697 tons of lead ore. For the next 15 years
the mine was worked by the Mine Adventurers of
England, who extracted from it 2046 tons of ore.
Between 1760 and 1762 the Ripon Company mined
330 tons of ore; and between 1762 and 1768 Messrs
Richardson and Paton mined 942 tons. In 1768 the
Scots Mining Company acquired the lease and began the
working of the mines in a more vigorous and systematic
manner. Previous to this the ore had been carried by
way of Loch Lomond to Glasgow, to be shipped to the
south. But the new Company erected smelting works
about a mile east of the mine, and between 1768 and
1790 extracted 1678 tons of lead from 3685 tons of ore.
Up to the year 1858 mining was carried on only intermit-
tently. But in that year the late Marquis of Breadalbane
took the mine into his own hands and worked it till his
death in 1862.
On the southern side of Glen Lochay about three
miles from the foot of the glen a bed of serpentine crops
out and was mined — but on a very limited scale — for
chrome iron ore by the late Marquis of Breadalbane. The
serpentine is of a dark colour, mottled with lighter shades.
MINES AND MINERALS 87
The chrome iron ore is disseminated through the serpen-
tine in grains and with it are associated steatite (soapstone),
chrysotile, etc.
At Tomnadashan, a hamlet situated on the south
side of Loch Tay about nine miles from Killin, the
mica-schists have been penetrated by a boss of granite and
diorite, in which a number of metalliferous ores were
discovered. Large cave-like openings have been made in
the face of the hill by the removal of the rock containing
the ore. At the bottom of these openings a level may be
seen driven into the side of the hill. This was constructed
under the supposition that the ores were concentrated in
a vein, but as such was not the case, no vein was ever
reached.
The chief ores are copper pyrites (chalcopyrite) and
grey copper (tetrahedrite). The ore is disseminated
through the igneous rock in irregular masses so that its
working must always be more or less precarious. When
stamped and dressed, the ore was shown, on analysis, to
contain very little copper— 3-58 per cent, to 30-28 per
cent, sulphur. At a spot named Corrie Buie on the
south side of Loch Tay argentiferous galena veins have
been worked to a limited extent. Two small lumps
of native gold were discovered in the quartz as it was
being crushed under the hammer.
Silver, copper, lead, and cobalt have been found in
association with the volcanic rocks of the Ochils, the
veinstone being usually barytes. Barytes has also been
worked in the Old Red Sandstone rocks to the west of
Aberfoyle.
88 PERTHSHIRE
Roofing-slates have been quarried at different points
along the Highland border. Many of the old quarries
have now been abandoned, but they are still worked at
Aberfoyle, Birnam and Logiealmond. The chief varieties
are of a pale greenish-blue, and those considered still more
valuable and durable of a purplish-blue or indigo colour.
The slate usually contains iron-pyrites in cubes, commonly
known as slate diamonds, and, occasionally near Dunkeld,
specular iron-ore.
The Old Red Sandstone rocks of the valley of
Strathmore have yielded good building-stones. Along
the Highland border, as at Aberfoyle and Callander, the
conglomerates have been very largely used for building.
Perth has been almost entirely built out of sandstones
from Burghmuir and other places in the neighbourhood.
The long dykes of dolerite which traverse the county
from end to end, and the sills of felsite and other igneous
rocks which occur in association with the Highland schists,
have been extensively quarried for road metal.
Very large deposits of peat are to be met with both
in the Highlands and in Strathmore. They have been
formed by the annual growth and decay of vegetable
matter. The mosses are the most important peat-forming
plants and chiefly belong to the genus Sphagnum. Up till
recent times peat was the principal fuel in the Highlands.
But the increased facilities for the transit of coal from the
south have led to the gradual diminution of its use.
None of the springs which occur in Perthshire, with
the exception of those at Pitcaithly, can be considered
as remarkable. The mineral wells at Pitcaithly, five in
Aberfoyle Slate Quarries
90 PERTHSHIRE
number, are believed to be amongst the oldest natural
medicinal waters in the country, and are esteemed as
highly beneficial in certain complaints. Those grounds
where extensive beds of gravel rest on compact even
boulder clay usually yield the most abundant and pure
supplies of water. Chalybeate springs are occasionally
found. In the Highland area they appear in association
with the black schist. One below Blackcroft in the Pass
of Lyon has a considerable local reputation.
14. Fisheries and Fishing Stations.
The Tay and its affluents with their varied tributaries
afford a splendid breeding ground for the salmon. Along
the whole course of the Tay from the sea to the rivers
Dochart and Lochay, salmon are more or less abundant.
Loch Tay is much frequented by anglers, and large fish
are often caught. Salmon weighing 48 Ibs. have been
caught with the rod ; and a salmon weighing 35 Ibs. is
by no means an uncommon fish. In fact it seems to be
an exception to find any fish under 18 or 20 Ibs. The
Earn, the Lyon, the Tummel and the Isla are also good
salmon rivers.
The commercial fisheries of the Tay are chiefly
situated between Perth and Newburgh, on some six or
seven miles of the river. The fish are caught by the aid
of the net and coble. Many persons find employment
in the working of the different " shots," as the fishing
stations are named ; and a considerable sum is annually
FISHERIES AND FISHING STATIONS 91
paid in wages. The salmon fisheries of the Tay are
owned by various noblemen, gentlemen and corporations,
and have yielded within the last twenty years a gross
annual rent varying from £17,819 to £23,715. It has
been estimated that the number of salmon and grilse
caught in the Tay range from 75,000 to 100,000 a year.
For a period of over 25 years the salmon hatchery
at Stormontfield supplied the river Tay with young
fish, the fry of the salmon (parr and smolts) being
Salmon, 55 Ibs.
reared on what is known as the " piscicultural system."
The ova are laid down in boxes filled with gravel, over
which a stream of water is allowed to pass. In a period
varying from three to four months the eggs are hatched.
The usual time for the hatching of salmon eggs in our
northern rivers is 130 days or between four and five
months. This varies, however, according to the openness
or the severity of the season. Since the closing of the
ponds at Stormontfield the breeding of salmon has been
carried on at Dupplin on the river Earn.
92 . PERTHSHIRE
It is interesting to note that the natives of Perth have
long recognised the necessity for, and displayed great
activity in, the preservation of the salmon fry, as is shown
by the following enactment : " That all cruves and zaires
set in fresh water, quhair the sea fillis and ebbis, the
quhilk destroyis the frie of all fisches, be destroyed and
put awaie for euer mair ; not againe standing ony priui-
ledge and freedome given in the contrarie, under the
paine of ane hundreth schillinges. And they that hes
cruves in fresh waters, that they gar keepe the lawes
annents Satterdaies stop : and suffer them not to stande
in forbidden time, under the said paine. And that ilk
heck of the foresaidis cruves be three inch wide, as the
aulde statute requiris."
For a long period of time the Tay from Perth upwards
was recognised as the principal seat of the pearl-fishery in
Great Britain. In consequence, however, of the great
destruction of the mussels by fishers the number of pearls
obtained has gradually diminished. It has been estimated
that only one pearl is found in every hundred shells
opened, and only one in every hundred pearls is of any
use for ornamental purposes. It will be manifest that
pearl-fishing cannot be considered as a very lucrative
business. Between 1761 and 1764, pearls to the value
of £10,000 were sent from the Tay to London. This
will serve to show how greatly the industry has diminished
in value.
HISTORY OF THE COUNTY 93
15. History of the County.
The history of the county centres to a large extent
round the city of Perth. The site of the battle of
Mons Graupius, in which Agricola defeated Galgacus
the Caledonian general in 84 A.D., is a matter of much
dispute and does not seem as if it could ever be definitely
settled. Many of the leading authorities have placed the
scene of the battle in Perthshire — some at Dalginross,
others at Ardoch, others again at the peninsula formed
by the junction of the Isla and the Tay.
How often and for how long the Romans, after
Agricola's days, made campaigns and occupied strong-
holds in Perthshire, is as yet buried in obscurity. In
later times when the county formed part of the kingdom
of the southern Picts, two of their chief towns or capitals
were Abernethy — as early as the sixth century — and
Forteviot. Scone also became sacred as the place of
coronation for the kings of the Scots. In the ninth
century the centre of Celtic Christianity was transferred
from lona to Dunkeld — an event of deep significance in
the consolidation of the kingdom.
According to Hector Boece the village of Luncarty
situated about four miles to the north-west of Perth was
the scene of the decisive overthrow of the Danes by
Kenneth II.
Perth figures conspicuously during the War of Inde-
pendence. The renowned champion of freedom, Sir
William Wallace, was often at Perth, though exactly
94 PERTHSHIRE
how often it is impossible to say. In 1297 he effected
the capture of Perth then held by the English. It
became one of his headquarters, and consequently, after
his execution, the city was appointed to receive for a
spectacle one portion of his dismembered body. Edward I
was also repeatedly at Perth, and in 1296 when returning
from the north visited Scone and carried away with him
the records of the kingdom and the sacred stone on which
the Scottish mbnarchs sat at their coronation.
In the year 1306 Bruce was crowned King of
Scotland at Scone and shortly afterwards he made his
appearance at Perth challenging, as Barbour tells, the
English governor, the Earl of Pembroke, but the Earl
declined the challenge, saying that the day was too far
spent. He promised, however, to fight on the following
day. Bruce retired with his army to Methven Wood,
where Pembroke surprised him. A short but bloody
battle ensued in which the Scots were routed. Bruce
with the remains of his army sought safety in the High-
lands. In 1311 he returned to Perth and, after besieging
it in vain for six weeks, resolved to try stratagem. He
retired as if he were preparing to abandon the siege, but
returned during the night with a body of picked men,
who waded across the ditch up to the chin in water and
scaled the walls. The town was instantly taken.
The Barons who, siding with the English during the
reign of Bruce, lost their lands and retired to England,
descended on Scotland in 1332 and defeated the Scots at
Dupplin Moor. Then their leader, Edward Balliol, was
crowned at Scone.
HISTORY OF THE COUNTY 95
When invading Scotland, Edward III several times
visited Perth.
In October, 1396, the North Inch of Perth was
thronged with spectators viewing a strange tournament.
The King was there with his court ; churchmen, nobles,
commoners had all gathered. Two clans, usually but
not certainly called Chattan and Kay, had for many a
year waged war with each other ; and now the quarrel
was to be fought out by thirty men a-side, armed with
axe and sword and knife. When the signal to close was
about to be given, one of Clan Chattan (or Clan Kay,
for accounts vary) was found to have deserted. For half
a French crown Hal o' the Wynd, armourer and skilled
swordsman, took the vacant place. A stubborn and
bloody contest followed. Of the sixty combatants only
twelve survived — one on the one side -? on the other,
eleven including the valiant substitute, whom from his
bandy legs the Highlanders nicknamed Gow Chrom,
" the crooked smith." It was his prowess with his two-
handed sword that chiefly won victory for his side.
Which that was, tradition says, he could not tell ; for,
when questioned after the fight, he replied that he fought
for his own hand. Scott makes skilful use of the clan
battle in The Fair Maid of Perth.
In 1407 Perth was the scene of the burning of the
first Lollard martyr, James Resby, who, according to
Bower, was an English priest of the school of Wycliffe.
Resby had been particularly active in spreading Wycliffite
doctrines.
It was at Perth that James I was murdered in 1437.
96 PERTHSHIRE
The court occupied the Blackfriars Monastery and there
the assassination took place. James had made himself
obnoxious to the lords by his arbitrary dealings with
them. On the evening of the aoth February, that arch-
conspirator, Sir Robert Graham, along with a number of
retainers, broke into the royal apartments, where the
King was chatting with the Queen and her ladies. The
bar had previously been removed from the door and the
windows of the room had been securely fastened. The
ladies could do but little to assist the King ; but it is said
that one of them thrust her arm into the place of the
missing bar. The courageous deed has thus been described
by D. G. Rossetti in his King's Tragedy:
" Like iron felt my arm as through
The staple I made it pass —
Alack it. was flesh and bone — no more !
'Twas Catherine Douglas sprang to the door
But I fell back Kate Barlass."
The King retired to a vault below the room, where he
was followed by the conspirators. James made a stout
resistance but was overpowered and fell with sixteen
wounds in his breast. Within a month the chief con-
spirators were arrested and put to death. After this
event Perth ceased to be a residence of royalty.
On the nth of May, 1559, Knox preached, in
St John's Church, Perth, a vehement sermon against the
Mass. His hearers had not left the building when a
priest began to celebrate Mass. A youth spoke irreve-
rently of this, and the priest struck him. The boy aimed
a stone at the priest but broke an image instead. This
HISTORY OF THE COUNTY
97
was like fire to gunpowder, and the " rascal multitude "
— so Knox terms them — smashed the ornaments and
furniture of the church. Not satisfied with this, they
destroyed the Franciscan, Dominican, and Carthusian
monasteries, leaving only the bare walls.
The next important event in the history of Perth,
Gowrie House in 1805
known as the Gowrie conspiracy, took place in the year
1600. James VI was invited to Gowrie House under
the pretext that it contained a mysterious captive with a
pot of gold. An attempt was made to secure the King,
who gave the alarm, and his attendants rushing in slew
the Ruthvens-the Earl of Gowrie and the Maste,
M. P.
98
PERTHSHIRE
Ruthven. It has been asserted that this was a plot by
James to ruin Gowrie and his brother, but the whole
event is wrapt in mystery.
The first battle between the Marquis of Montrose
and the Covenanters took place at Tibbermore on the
1st September, 1644. The Royalists won an easy victory
Gathering Stone, Dunblane
at a comparatively slight loss to themselves, and captured
all the artillery and baggage of the Covenanters. From
the field of victory Montrose proceeded to Perth, which
next day opened its gates.
In the Pass of Killiecrankie, most picturesque of
Scottish battlefields, the engagement took place which
decided the fate of the Jacobite party in 1689. Over
HISTORY OF THE COUNTY 99
the hills came Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee,
with about 22OO Highlanders and about 300 Irish recruits.
General Mackay was sent north to quell the insurrection.
The opposing forces met at the head of the Pass. The
Highlanders reserved their fire till close on the enemy
and then, throwing away their muskets, rushed on with
axe and claymore, driving the royal troops into the valley
below. A general panic seized them and they fled down
the valley in complete disorder. Dundee was killed by a
bullet and died with the notes of victory in his ear.
The last battle on Perthshire soil that we have to
record was that of Sheriffmuir, fought I3th November,
1715, on the north-west side of the Ochils. The Duke
of Argyll commanded the Royalist forces and the Earl
of Mar those of James the Old Pretender. Both sides
claimed the victory, and an old Jacobite song thus
humorously hits off the combat :
"There's some say that we wan,
And some say that they wan,
And some say that nane wan at a', man :
But ae thing I'm sure,
That at Sheriffmuir
A battle there was that I saw, man :
And we ran and they ran, and they ran and we ran.
And we ran and they ran awa, man."
The battle, however, checked the advance of Mar's
Highlanders, and spelled disaster to the Jacobite cause.
The illustration on p. 98 shows the " Gathering Stone of
the Clans" on which the Highlanders are said to have
whetted their dirks and claymores.
7—2
100 PERTHSHIRE
The county of Perth figures prominently in the
annals of the rebellion of 1745. Charles Edward entered
the county town on the 4th September. At the Cross
he proclaimed his father King of Scotland and himself
Regent. Charles remained in Perth for a week, drilling
his troops on the North Inch.
Among the recent events connected with Perth the
Meal Mobs of the latter half of the eighteenth century
may simply be mentioned. What we have said confirms
our original statement that the history of the county has
centred to a large extent round the " Fair City." The
events that were taking place in the other parts of the
shire while Perth was passing through such stirring times,
consisted chiefly of obscure feuds between the Highland
clans; and throughout the Perthshire Highlands there are
many minor battlefields marking the spots where dark
and terrible deeds have been enacted. One of the most
prominent and picturesque figures in the history of these
Highland raids and feuds was Rob Roy, immortalised by
Sir Walter Scott in the novel of that name. Macgregor
Campbell or Rob Roy was in turn cattle-dealer, drover,
and thief. He was involved in a dispute with the Duke
of Montrose, from whose factor, Graham of Killearn,
Rob Roy seized the rents paid by the tenants at Chapel
Errock. Rob Roy pretended to side with Mar in the
rising of 1715 and made preparations for a raid on the
Lowlands by Loch Lomond side. His neutrality, however,
at Sheriffmuir seems to indicate that the members of his
clan who followed him were bent on obtaining booty
either off one side or the other.
ANTIQUITIES 101
16. Antiquities.
To the antiquary Perthshire is full of much of the
deepest archaeological interest. Objects belonging to
prehistoric, Roman, Celtic and later periods are scattered
over the whole county. The remains of the Stone Age
have been found at altitudes varying from sea-level to near
the summits of some of the Highland mountains. Stone
axes have been recorded from Aberfeldy, Rattray, and
Stone Axe, found in Perthshire
other parts. Hammer-heads have been found at Dunning,
Pitlochry ; and one was found along with a food vessel in
an interment at Doune (see fig. above). At Perth a curious
stone knife, or dagger, was found lying beside a stone cist.
It is formed of a piece of mica-schist and its natural shape
has been adapted to form a rude but efficient weapon.
Beside the common type of axe-heads which were attached
to their wooden handles by a thong, there have also been
found axe-heads through which a hole has been drilled
102
PERTHSHIRE
for the insertion of the shaft, some of which appear to
have been used as battle-axes. A beautiful specimen of
this type was found in the Tay at Mugdrum Island.
Probably the earliest record that we have of man in
Perthshire is a " dug-out " canoe which was discovered
underneath the brick-clay at the Friarton below Perth.
This canoe is supposed to belong to the earlier stage of
the Neolithic Period. It shows that man occupied this
district before the formation of the Carse clays and before
Bronze Spear and Sword from Blairgowrie, and Axe
from Comrie (| actual size)
the sea had risen to the 45 feet level. At that time the
estuary reached much further inland, covering the present
site of Perth to a height of 30 feet ; and primitive man
must have been able to paddle his canoe across what are
now the streets of Perth, the river being tidal up to and
beyond Stanley.
The second stage or Bronze Age shows that man had
made considerable progress in handicraft, culture and
civilisation, having now become acquainted with the use
ANTIQUITIES 103
of metals. Numerous relics of the Bronze Age have been
preserved in the county. They include flat and flanged axe-
heads, from Abernethy and Perth ; a fine blade and spear-
head from Blairgowrie (see fig. on p. 102) ; rapier-shaped
blades from Ardoch ; and knives and daggers from Blair
Drummond, Drumlanrick and Pitcaithly. Personal orna-
ments such as bracelets, torques, etc., have been collected
at different localities in the county. Few bronze sickles
have been found in Scotland ; a fine specimen, however,
has been obtained from the Tay near Errol. Throughout
the shire there occur many stone circles, some of them
being in a wonderfully perfect state of preservation.
These are generally known as Druid Temples. But
they have no claim to this distinction. They are now
believed to have been associated with the burial customs
of the Bronze Age. Fine examples of these can be seen
at Dull, Killin, Crieff, Blairgowrie and Blackford.
There is evidence that iron had been used in Britain
before the advent of the Romans ; and it is to the Iron
Age that the great hill forts belong, which are found in
such large numbers throughout the country. Some fine
examples of them occur in Perth, notably the one dis-
covered at Coldoch in 1870. Those windowless and
roofless drystone erections have been considered by some
as the immediate predecessors of the later castle. These
structures seem to have been designed as retreats in time
of danger for non-combatants and cattle. The great
interest of the Coldoch hill fort is, that it is one of three
found to the south of the Caledonian Canal. A stone
fort at Abernethy, which was recently explored, yielded
104 PERTHSHIRE
portions of iron implements, a bronze spiral finger-ring,
fibula, bracelets, rings of jet or lignite, and a polished
stone axe. A similar finger-ring was found in the hill
fort of Dunsinane. The vitrified forts belong to the
same period in time.
Between Blairgowrie and Meikleour may be seen the
Cleaven Dyke, which runs in a straight line for 2000 yards
in a north-west and south-east direction. It is twelve
Roman Camp, Ardoch
yards wide and two yards high. On each side is a level
border protected by a ditch. The total width of this
defensive work is 58 yards. It is supposed that this dyke
was erected by the Picts as a defence against the Romans,
and when it fell into the hands of the latter, they added
a camp, of which traces can still be found.
Considerable diversity of opinion exists as to the many
so-called Roman remains found in Perthshire, but there
ANTIQUITIES 105
can be no dubiety as to the origin of the camp at Ardoch,
the largest and most perfect of the kind in Scotland. It
measures about 140 yards by 125 internally, and is of a
rectangular shape. It is protected by a series of parallel
ramparts and ditches, which are arranged in two rows on
the side of the river Knaik and five on the land side.
The positions of the praetorium and gateways are still
quite easily distinguishable. The traces of Caledonian
camps and hill forts seen in this neighbourhood indicate
that at this point of their advance the Romans encountered
a vigorous resistance. Some authorities place the scene
of the great battle of Mons Graupius in the neighbour-
hood of Ardoch. Another important Roman station was
that of Inchtuthil (in the parish of Caputh), a tract of
land on the river Tay. It rises with steep ascent some
50 feet above the level of the neighbouring plain, and is
a strong strategic position. At its north-east corner there
was a Roman camp 500 yards square, whose stone walls,
9^ feet thick, have now been reduced to the level of the
surrounding ground. To the south-east of the camp
there were two tumuli and a redoubt, the site of which
is now marked by a group of trees. Besides these two
camps there are others at Fendoch, Dalginross, Fortingall
and Dunkeld. Throughout the country there are also
various stretches of Roman road which, as in the policies
of Cask, can be traced with a greater or lesser degree of
accuracy. Here and there casual relics of the Romans
have been found, such as tools and weapons of iron ;
personal ornaments, including brooches and studs ; coins ;
and fragments of pottery.
106 PERTHSHIRE
Cup- and ring-marked sculpturings, sometimes on
separate boulders, but often on the native rocks, occur at
different localities in the shire, as at Killin, Lochearnhead
and Glendelvnie near Caputh. Though the exact age of
these sculpturings is not known, yet there can be no
doubt that they are of extreme antiquity. The exact
object of these cup and ring markings has excited much
curiosity and speculation amongst archaeologists. All
that can be said of them is, that their origin and signifi-
cance have been lost in the dim and distant past. Even
tradition has nothing to say regarding them.
At Meigle, Dunfallandy, and Rossie Priory there can
be seen a number of beautiful examples of Pictish monu-
ments. These have been divided into three classes. The
first and oldest consist of unshaped upright boulders, upon
which have been incised certain mysterious and hitherto
unexplained symbols. The second class also usually
stand erect, and bear similar symbols, but accompanied
by richly decorated Celtic crosses. The stones of the
third and latest class are found in a recumbent position.
The elaborate decoration of the second type is present,
but the mysterious symbols are now wanting. The
large group of these stones at Meigle — 32 in all — have
been collected and placed in a building with a view to
their preservation. They belong to the second and third
classes just described. The great Cross Slab of Meigle
stands about eight feet high. The obverse shows a boldly
executed Celtic cross, and the figures of a man and a
beast — probably representing the story of Jonah. The
reverse shows a hunting scene ; Daniel surrounded by
Celtic Cross, Glencarse
Round Tower, Abernethy
ANTIQUITIES 109
lions; a centaur, symbolic of the man-animal or the
conflict between flesh and spirit. These monuments
are unquestionably of Pictish origin. J. Romilly Allen
considers that the larger number of them are older than
1 100 A.D. The illustration on p. 107 shows the Celtic
Cross at St Madoes, Glencarse, which is an elaborately
sculptured stone.
Another important Perthshire antiquity is the round
tower of Abernethy, which closely resembles a similar
structure at Brechin. These are the only two examples
of round towers in this country, though some 76 are
known to exist in Ireland, having all the characteristic
features of the Scottish specimens. The Abernethy
tower is 74 feet high, and unlike some of the Irish ones,
which are composed of rough rubble, it is built of care-
fully-hewn square stones. A popular idea attributed these
structures to the Picts, but they are now known to have
been built by early Christian architects as watch-towers,
some of which have been afterwards converted into belfries.
17. Architecture — (a) Ecclesiastical.
Before the eighth century there was probably no
ecclesiastical architecture of any consequence in Scotland.
Such buildings as did exist were similar to those of Ireland,
where the arch seems to have come into use in the ninth
century, when it must have been of the simplest and
rudest type. Architecture connected with church building
really began about the tenth century, when the round
towers first appeared.
110 PERTHSHIRE
It is usual to divide architecture between the eleventh
and the sixteenth centuries into certain periods or styles,
which are not arbitrary but represent distinct historical
periods characterised by particular features. It must not
be supposed that the change from one style to another
was suddenly accomplished : as a matter of fact it usually
took about half a century to effect the transition.
The Norman Style was introduced into Scotland in
the twelfth century. It can easily be recognised by its
simple and massive forms and semi-circular arches. The
exterior is generally plain. The principal ornamentation
is connected with the doorways, which are often deeply
recessed, the arch mouldings being decorated with chevron
or zigzag carving. The tower of Dunblane Cathedral
is an example of the Norman style in Scotland.
The Norman style of architecture prevailed in Scotland
for some time after the close of the twelfth century. Then
the circular arch was replaced by the pointed arch, and
there arose what is known as the First Pointed Style.
This style shows considerable advance in the vigour and
treatment of the ornamentation, the mouldings and foliage
begun by the Normans being now greatly improved. The
windows were invariably pointed, narrow and lofty, giving
an effect of great spaciousness with height. The nave in
Dunblane Cathedral is a good example of this style.
The Middle Pointed or Decorative Style prevailed in
Scotland from the middle of the fourteenth to the middle
of the fifteenth century. The details now became much
lighter and more ornate. The windows were enlarged,
and in the tracery the eye was led to dwell more on the
ARCHITECTURE— ECCLESIASTICAL 1 1 1
outlines of the bars than on the form of the aperture as
in the earlier style. Parts of Dunkeld Cathedral show
good examples of this style.
In the Third or Late Pointed Style the geometric
tracery of the earlier periods has assumed a very flowing
character. The tracery was called flamboyant because of
the flame-like shape of the bars. This feature is more
characteristic of the French architecture of the period than
of the English. In England the tracery assumed a rigid
form and the mullions of the windows were carried up in
straight lines from the sill to the arch, so that the style
was called Perpendicular. The exterior of the Scottish
churches of this period is marked by heavy buttresses
often with a great many set-offs. The semi-circular arch
of the earlier styles is also frequently used in doors, pier
arches, and clerestories, as in Dunkeld Cathedral. In
Scotland the buildings of this period consist largely of
collegiate edifices.
The precise age of Dunblane Cathedral is not known
but it is believed to have been founded by David I towards
the end of his reign. The entire building, with the
exception of the tower, is in the Early Pointed style of
about the thirteenth century. The four lower stages
of the tower, which stands on the south aisle of the nave,
are all that remain of the original Norman structure. It
has a shafted doorway and rib-vaulted basement story.
The nave is almost entirely pure First Pointed. The
west front of the Cathedral is particularly fine. Over
the doorway are three very narrow, two-light windows,
with quatrefoils at the heads of the two side windows
112
PERTHSHIRE
and a cinquefoil at the head of the central one. Above
these is a vesica set with a fringe of bay leaves. In
speaking to an Edinburgh audience of this portion of
the building, Ruskin said, " Do you recollect the west
window of your own Dunblane Abbey ? It is acknow-
ledged to be beautiful by the most careless observer. And
Dunblane Cathedral
why beautiful ? Simply because in the great contours it
has the form of a forest leaf, and because in its decoration
it has nothing but forest leaves. He was no common
man who designed that Cathedral of Dunblane. I know
nothing so perfect in its simplicity and so beautiful so far
as it reaches, in all the Gothic with which I am acquainted.
And just in proportion to his power of mind, that man
ARCHITECTURE-ECCLESIASTICAL 113
was content to work under Nature's teaching, and instead
of putting a merely formal dog-tooth, as everybody else
did at the time, he went down to the woody bank of the
sweet river beneath the rocks on which he was building
and he took up a few of the fallen leaves that lay by it,
and he set them in his arch side by side for ever."
Dunkeld Cathedral comprises a seven-bayed nave, a
four-bayed aisle-less choir, a rectangular chapter-house and
a massive tower. All the parts are of Second Pointed
style with the exception of the choir, which exhibits
some portions of First Pointed work. The nave shows
many features of the French Flamboyant, especially the
great west window, which judging from the remaining
fragments of its tracery must have been of a particularly
florid design. Dunkeld appears first "as a Culdee church,
founded shortly before the accession of the Scottish kings
to the Pictish throne." Here Kenneth MacAlpin trans-
ferred the relics of St Columba and built a church to be
the mother-church of Celtic Christianity. The abbot
of Dunkeld was also bishop of Fortrenn. When the
bishopric was transferred to Abernethy, the abbot of
Dunkeld came to be a layman. Early in the twelfth
century Alexander I established a Roman bishopric at
Dunkeld. Sometime about 1320 the present building
was commenced and was finished about 1500. After
the Reformation the choir was transformed into the parish
church. One of the most exciting episodes in its history
was its defence in 1689 by a small band of Cameronians
under Clelland against 5000 Highlanders.
The Church of St John, Perth— originally the Kirk
M. P. 8
ARCHITECTURE-ECCLESIASTICAL 115
of the Holy Cross of St John the Baptist— was in the
twelfth century one of the most magnificent churches in
Scotland. As it now stands, it is of various dates, the
western part being the oldest. It is cruciform with a
square central tower surmounted by an oak spire covered
with lead. In 1227 the church was granted to the
St John's Church, Perth
monks of Dunfermline, who allowed it to fall into
disrepair. Bruce ordered its restoration in 1328, but
that ceased with his death. In the fifteenth century the
magistrates completely renovated the eastern portion.
The church remained fairly complete till 1559, when
the " rascal multitude " wrought great destruction on it.
8—2
116 PERTHSHIRE
Throughout Perthshire there are the remains <
numerous ecclesiastical edifices which in their day mu
have been structures of great importance. There wei
Abbeys, for example, at Scone, Coupar-Angus an
Inchaffray, and CoHegiate Churches at Methven ar
Tullibardine, but little more than fragments of the
can now be seen.
Prior to the Reformation there were in Perth and th
neighbourhood numerous important monasteries and oth<
religious houses of which no trace has now been lef
The Dominican or Blackfriars Monastery, situated c
the north side of the town, was founded by Alexander 1
in 1231. The Scottish kings frequently took up the
abode in it, for which reason it was sometimes spoke
of as a palace. There was a church in connection wit
the monastery, in which several parliaments were hel<
The Carmelite or Whitefriars Monastery at Tulilui
goes back to the reign of Alexander III. The Charte
house or Carthusian Monastery, the only house of its ordi
in Scotland, was situated near the spot where James VI
Hospital now stands, and owed its origin to James I an
Jane his Queen in 1429. The Franciscan or Greyfria
Monastery, which stood on the present site of Greyfria
Churchyard, was founded by Lord Oliphant in 1460.
ARCHITECTURE— CASTELLATED 117
18. Architecture— (6) Castellated.
The mansions of the Scottish nobility were, till com-
paratively recent times, mostly feudal strongholds; and
numerous fine examples of these are to be found within
the boundaries of the county. Some of them are still in
a good state of preservation while others are now in ruins.
These castles tell of the habits of a people who, inured
to war, had little care for their ordinary dwellings so long
as their cattle and movable possessions could be safely
placed beyond the ravages of the predatory invader. The
history of the county shows how the invader could hope
to meet with little plunder until he had reduced such
places of strength, behind which the natives were en-
trenched and from which they continually issued to
harass their foe.
On the summit of Dunsinane Hill there are vestiges
of a strong ancient fort, which according to Shakespeare
and tradition is the Castle of Macbeth. In 1857, while
excavations were being made on the site, a doorway and
underground chamber were discovered.
Huntingtower Castle is situated on the Crieff Road
about 2| miles from Perth. Originally called Ruthven
Castle, it belonged to the Earls of Gowrie. Historically
it is interesting as being the scene of the incident known
as the Raid of Ruthven (1582) in which the Earl of
Gowrie played a prominent part. The castle consists
of two massive square towers separated by a space of nine
feet called the " Maiden's Leap." The story, according
118
PERTHSHIRE
to Pennant, was that the first earl's daughter leapt it one
night when her mother had all but surprised her with her
lover, with whom she eloped next morning.
Doune Castle stands on a steep, woody, greensward
peninsula at the junction of the Ardoch Burn with the
river Teith. Though now roofless and ruinous, it is
Doune Castle
still a majestic pile, with its two massive square towers,
turrets and high embattled walls. The interior is full of
long winding stairs, corridors, passages and deep gloomy
vaults, which are well worthy of a careful examination.
The castle is said to have been built about 500 years ago
by Murdoch, Duke of Albany. It was to this castle that
the hero of Waverley was borne by his Highland captors.
ARCHITECTURE-CASTELLATED 1 19
Elcho Castle is a fine ruin, which some time ago was
re-roofed, so that it may yet outlive many generations of
mankind. It is situated on the right bank of the Tay
about four miles below Perth. There is no inscription
Elcho Castle
upon the present castle to tell when it was erected
though it must be of considerable antiquity. The style
of its architecture seems, however, to show that a still
older and equally strong structure stood upon the same
120
PERTHSHIRE
ground, but wanting the decorative details of cornices,
architraves and abutments, which enrich the present
building. Elcho Castle makes its first appearance in
history, when Wallace and his heroic band lodged here
in November 1296, previous to his attempt to recover
Perth from the English.
Drummond Castle, near Crieff, is the Scottish seat of
Drummond Castle
the Earl of Ancaster. On the castle rock stand two
structures of widely different periods. The ancient castle
was built in 1491 by John, first Lord Drummond. It
was often visited by James IV, and twice by Queen Mary
in 1566. During the campaign of Cromwell it was
almost demolished by his troops, and fell into even greater
dilapidation after the Revolution of 1688. The remains
were greatly strengthened and garrisoned in 1715 by the
ARCHITECTURE— CASTELLATED 121
royal troops. Jane Gordon, Duchess of Perth, who was
an ardent supporter of the House of Stuart, caused the
walls to be levelled to the foundations during the "Forty-
five " lest it should again fall into the hands of the royal
troops. The castle was partly rebuilt in 1842 and a
portion is used as an armoury containing a large collection
of Celtic claymores, battle-axes and targets.
Kinclaven Castle crowns a strong and picturesque
eminence upon the right bank of the Tay opposite the
point where the Isla flows into it. It it said to have been
built by Malcolm Canmore in the eleventh century, and
for a long period of years it was a royal residence. Wallace
won it from the English in 1296 or 1297, when, according
to Henry the Minstrel, it was commanded by Sir James
Butler, " ane agit cruell knicht." Visiting Perth under
disguise, Wallace learned that the garrison was to be
strengthened by 90 horsemen from Perth. He hastened
to Kinclaven and attacked the castle with a handful of
men, putting the entire garrison to the sword. Henry
describes the engagement, and the flight of the English
towards the castle, where
" Few men of fenss was left that place to kepe,
Wemen and preistis upon the wall can wepe:
For weill thai wend the flearis was thar lord;
To tak him in thai maid thaim redy ford,
Leit doun the bryg, kest wp the yettis wide.
The frayit folk entrit, and durst nocht byde."
The castle, now in ruins, must have been abandoned
for many centuries as old fruit trees are growing in the
courtyard.
122
PERTHSHIRE
Castle Huntly near Inchture Station in the Carse of
Gowrie occupies a conspicuous position on a precipitous
rock that rises, on all sides except the north-west, sheer
from the dead level of the Carse. The castle was built
Castle Huntly
about the beginning of the fifteenth century. About the
end of the eighteenth century it was converted into a
modern residence _ with wings, battlements, round towers
and corner turrets. The stone of which the castle is built
was obtained from the great quarry of Kingoodie, which,
ARCHITECTURE— CASTELLATED 123
by the way, also supplied the blocks for the Waterloo
Bridge over the Thames. The interior combines all the
features of a modern residence and an ancient strong-
hold, the rock-dungeon being particularly gruesome. The
castle has been described as one of the best specimens of
an old baronial residence in Scotland and as one of the
most remarkable combinations of old and modern masonry
Tower of Kinnaird, Carse of Gowrie
in the kingdom. It was built by the second Baron Gray
and tradition says that he named it after a daughter of
the Earl of Huntly. Afterwards purchased by the Earl of
Strathmore, it was known as Castle Lyon and subsequently
came into the possession of the Paterson family. In the
Carse of Gowrie also stands the Tower of Kinnaird, a
square building of freestone which was visited by James VI
in 1617.
124 PERTHSHIRE
The Castle of Inchbrakie near Abercairny is an
ancient ruin surrounded by a moat. It is said to have
been destroyed by Oliver Cromwell to punish the pro-
prietor, Patrick Graeme, for his adherence to the Royalist
Cause. Another old castle in the Crieff neighbourhood
is InnerpefFray, beautifully situated on the banks of the
Earn. Built in the sixteenth century, it has offered a
stout resistance to the ravages of time. Its walls with
a staircase and some of its apartments are still in a fair
state of preservation.
The castles in the Highland area are neither so
numerous nor so important as in the Lowland. Grand-
tully Castle, which is situated about three miles to the
north-east of Aberfeldy, is a fine example of the Scottish
baronial, dating from 1560. It has recently been restored
in the old style. The main building consists of two five-
storied towers, whose walls are nine feet in thickness.
Later additions of gables and pepper-box turrets have
been made.
Garth Castle stands on a bold promontory formed by
two branches of the Keltney Burn about a| miles north-
east of Fortingall. The keep or tower, of which only
three sides remain, is from 60 to 70 feet high measured
from the ground inside. The staircase, which gives
entrance to the various stories, occupies the centre of
one of the walls, which vary from six to seven feet in
thickness. The position of the staircase seems to indicate
that the castle must be of considerable antiquity as no
such arrangement is to be met with in castles of a
comparatively recent period. The castle was completely
ARCHITECTURE— CASTELLATED 125
restored in accordance with the original plan by the late
Sir Donald Currie, when it fell into his possession. During
the latter half of the fourteenth century the castle was
a stronghold of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, the
" Wolf of Badenoch."
Meggernie Castle stands on the left bank of the river
Lyon at the head of the inhabited portion of Glen Lyon.
This picturesque castle, built in the simple and severe
baronial style, is in keeping with its mountainous sur-
roundings. The older portion is a large square tower
of the fifteenth century, with a high peaked roof and
four corner bartizans. The interior contains dungeons,
secret apartments, and strongly barred doors as well as
a number of relics, all of which are characteristic of the
period when it was built. Other castles in the Highlands
are Castle Dubh — in ruins — near Moulin village, supposed
to have been built in the eleventh or the twelfth century;
Castle McNiel, an old feudal tower near Cashlie in Glen
Lyon; and Finlarig Castle, Killin, the ancestral seat of
the Campbells of Lochow, from whom the family of
Breadalbane takes its origin. The interior of this castle
shows the dungeons with the old fetters still fastened to
the walls.
19. Architecture — (c) Municipal and
Domestic.
The Municipal Buildings of Perth, at the north corner
of High Street and Tay Street, form a fine edifice in
the Tudor style, and include a copy of the old tower of
126
PERTHSHIRE'
St Mary, a prominent feature of the town-hall and police
station which formerly stood on the same spot. The
spacious council chamber contains five beautiful stained-
glass windows, the subjects of which comprise scenes from
Fair Maid's House, Perth
Sir Walter Scott's Fair Maid of Perth, the capture of
Perth by King Robert the Bruce in 1311, and representa-
tions of Queen Victoria and Prince Consort. Further
south and also facing the Tay stand the County Buildings,
erected in 1819 on the site of Gowrie House. Designed
ARCHITECTURE— MUNICIPAL 127
after the style of the Parthenon at Athens, they are con-
sidered by competent judges to be a model of good taste-
correct, simple and dignified, yet not deficient in ornament.
The handsome buildings in the Scotch baronial style
running along Canal Street and Tay Street include the
Opera House and Public Halls, the Natural History
Museum and other institutions. One of the oldest
Scone Palace
houses in the city is that known as the " Fair Maid
of Perth's" House, at the corner of Blackfriars Wynd
and Curfew Row. Here Simon Glover, the father of
the " Fair Maid," is supposed to have resided. Formerly
a niche in a corner of the house held an image of St
Bartholomew, the patron saint of the glovers' incorpora-
tion, who at one time met in this house.
128 PERTHSHIRE
Only a few of the mansions and private seats in the
county can be described here. Scone Palace, which belongs
to the Earl of Mansfield, was built, in 1803, on tne s^te
of the old palace. Facing the river Tay and surrounded
by beautiful gardens and woods, it is a castellated edifice
of imposing dimensions situated in a park extending to
upwards of a thousand acres. On the south front is
Queen Mary's tree, said to have been planted by her
own hands, while near the river there is a magnificent
oak planted by James VI. The interior of the palace
can boast of priceless treasures of painting and sculpture
as well as historical relics. The furniture includes a bed
which belonged to James VI, and another the hangings
of which were worked by Queen Mary when imprisoned
in Loch Leven Castle. The music hall occupies the
site of the old great hall where the coronation of the
Scottish kings took place.
Delightfully situated in an undulating woodland at
the base of Kinnoull Hill, is the Castle of Kinfauns,
a seat of the Earl of Moray. It is a vast modern castel-
lated building with a central tower 84 feet high and
a noble portico at the entrance. One of the relics of
the olden times preserved in the castle is the two-handed
sword of Thomas de Longueville, the compatriot of
Wallace. The sword is a formidable weapon, measuring
five feet nine inches long and two feet six inches broad
at the hilt.
Another fine example of domestic architecture is
Dupplin Castle, the seat of Sir John Dewar, near Forteviot
Station, which is the successor of an older castle, destroyed
ARCHITECTURE— DOMESTIC 129
by fire in 1827. A splendid Tudor structure, it commands
a magnificent view of nearly the whole of Strathearn
The collection of books in the library is famous for many
rare editions of the classics.
Rossie Priory, finely situated on Rossie Hill, looks
down upon the Carse of Cowrie and surveys a wide scene
of singular beauty. Built a century ago, it is the seat
Rossie Priory
of Lord Kinnaird. It is an imposing pile of monastic
appearance, spacious and elegant, and contains a valuable
collection of Roman antiquities.
In Highland Perthshire there are many fine houses
belonging to the nobles and gentry, most amid very
picturesque scenery. Taymouth Castle, the seat of the
Marquis of Breadalbane, is at Kenmore near the exit of
the Tay from Loch Tay. It is built of a light grey stone
M. P. 9
130 PERTHSHIRE
(chlorite schist), very soft and easily dressed when taken
from the quarry — so soft that it can be cut with a knife or
axe — yet remarkably hard after being some time exposed,
and very durable. The present castle, built where stood
the Castle of Balloch, consists of four stories with round
towers at the angles and a massive quadrangular tower
Taymouth Castle
rising in the centre of the main building to a height of
150 feet. The Queen's room, the banner hall and the
Chinese room are gorgeously fitted up. The castle con-
tains paintings by Titian, Rubens, Salvator Rosa, Carracci,
Teniers, Vandyke and other great masters. The mag-
nificent library contains many rare and valuable works.
The pleasure grounds comprise a circuit of fully 13 miles.
ARCHITECTURE— DOMESTIC 131
Blair Castle, near the mouth of Glen Tilt, about three-
quarters of a mile north-west of the village of Blair Atholl,
is a fine four-storied mansion, turreted and battlemented
in the Scotch baronial style. The present edifice has
gradually grown up round the original part called Cumins
Tower, built by John de Strathbogie, grandson of Macduff,
the sixth Earl of Fife, in the thirteenth century. The
Blair Castle
castle has many historical associations. It is supposed
that James V, in 1529, and Mary Queen of Scots, in
1564, must have visited it when hunting in Glen Tilt.
It was occupied by Montrose in 1644; and in 1653 '*
was taken by one of Cromwell's officers and destroyed.
In 1689 it was garrisoned by Dundee previous to the
Battle of Killiecrankie. The young Pretender lodged
9—2
132 PERTHSHIRE
in the castle for three nights during the month of August,
1745. In March of the following year it was held for
a fortnight by Sir Andrew Agnew for the government
against Lord George Murray, the Duke of Atholl's
brother. The garrison was reduced to great straits but
was saved by the withdrawal of Lord George under
orders from headquarters.
It will readily be understood that the architecture of
the county has been affected to a considerable extent by
the nature of the materials available for building. In the
valley of Strathmore good building stone can usually be
obtained from different parts of the Old Red Sandstone
formation. Thus along the Highland boundary such
towns and villages as Blairgowrie, Comrie, Crieff and
Aberfoyle have largely availed themselves of the finer
and more suitable beds of conglomerate that are so ex-
tensively developed in the lower parts of the Old Red
Sandstone. Along the central and southern districts of
Strathmore fine-grained white and red sandstones occur
in the higher parts of the Old Red Sandstone, and these
have been extensively used in the building of the city of
Perth, and of Coupar-Angus, Auchterarder and Dunblane.
Many of the buildings in this area have been roofed
with slates from the Birnam, Craiglea, or Aberfoyle
quarries.
In the Highland area, no sandstone being available,
the inhabitants have had to make use of the most suitable
materials in their neighbourhood ; and as the Highland
schists cannot be worked with the same ease into decorative
designs as the sandstones, little or no ornament is found
ARCHITECTURE— DOMESTIC 133
in the Highland buildings. Even to hew out simple blocks
of schist is a much more difficult and laborious task than
the hewing of sandstone. Notwithstanding this, many
large and substantial edifices have been erected out of
such bands as the Ben Ledi Grits, the Green Beds and
the Moine Schists. The town of Aberfeldy has been
largely built out of the Green Beds of the neighbourhood.
Cottages at Killin
This stone, of a dark-green or greenish-grey colour,
presents a very handsome appearance and can be fairly
easily dressed. Another stone which has been used in
the Aberfeldy district is the talcose schist of Bolfracks
Quarry. This stone is homogeneous in structure, dark
green in colour, soft and somewhat soapy to the touch.
Easily wrought, it can be used for rough carving while
134 PERTHSHIRE
it offers a greater resistance to the weather than any of
the other stones in the district. The ornamental work
on the church tower at Kenmore and the pillars upon
the Tay Bridge at Aberfeldy have been executed in this
stone. In the more north-westerly parts of Highland
Perthshire, as at Blair Atholl and Kinloch Rannoch,
certain siliceous bands in the Moine rocks are chiefly
used for building. In some places handsome villas and
other edifices have been built of dolerite from the long
east and west dykes. The black graphitic schist of Ben
Lawers has also been used for roofing.
20. Communications— Past and Present.
Throughout Perthshire there are numerous evidences
of the former existence of Roman roads. Even before
Roman days, the original inhabitants of the county no
doubt had tracks or paths of which no traces now remain.
Stretches of Roman roads have been identified at Gask,
Abernethy, Meigle, Cargill and other localities. At Gask
the Roman road from Ardoch to Orrea, which, says
W. F. Skene, lay near the junction of the Earn with the
Tay, intersects the parish running along the ridge which
forms the highest ground. The road, about 20 feet broad,
is formed of a causeway of rough stones laid closely
together; and along the side of the road were stations,
remains of which are still visible. At Meigle traces have
been found of the great Roman road leading from Coupar
to Battle Dykes; it passed near the camp at Cardean.
COMMUNICATIONS 135
Speaking of the road from Ardoch, Dr James Browne
says, "Having crossed the Tay by means of the wooden
General Wade's Road, Glen Ogle
( With other roads and railway line)
bridge (about two miles north of Perth), the Roman road
proceeded up the east side of the river, and passed through
136 PERTHSHIRE
the centre of the camp at Grassy Walls. From this posi-
tion the remains of the road are distinctly visible for a mile
up to Gallyhead, on the west of which it passed and went
on by Invertrust to Nether Collin, where it again becomes
apparent and continues distinct to the eye for two miles
and a half, passing on to Drichmuir and Byres. From
thence the road stretched forward in a north-east direction,
passing between Blairhead and Gilwell to Woodhead, and
thence pushing on by Newbigging and Gallowhill on the
right, it descends Leyston-moor, and passing that village,
it proceeds forward to the Roman camp at Coupar-Angus
about eleven and a half miles from Orrea."
Soon after the Rebellion of 1715, General Wade was
sent to the Highlands to make an inquiry into the con-
dition of the country and its people. Shortly afterwards
he began to make a system of metalled roads, which can
be seen in different parts of the county. In Glen Ogle,
as elsewhere, Wade's road has fallen into disuse, and its
bridges have been allowed to crumble to pieces, yet it
can be distinctly traced intersecting the present road in its
course through the glen.
His roads greatly improved the means of communica-
tion in the Highlands and his work has been commended
in the well-known lines:
" Had you seen but these roads before they were made
You would have held up your hands and blessed General
Wade."
The present roads of the county are well constructed
and well kept, together with the bridges over which they
COMMUNICATIONS 137
pass. The Edinburgh road, which passes through Queens-
ferry, Dunfermline and Kinross, enters the county a few
miles to the south-east of Perth, which it reaches across
the South Inch. The Glasgow road passes through
Stirling, Dunblane and Auchterarder. The road from
Dundee approaches from the east passing through the
Carse of Gowrie. A fourth road from Comrie, Crieff
and Methven enters the town on the north-west. The
great Highland road starting at Perth runs along the
valley of the Tay, the Tummel and the Garry, passing
through Bankfoot, Dunkeld, Pitlochry, the Pass of Killie-
crankie and Blair Atholl. This important road with its
numerous side roads, parliamentary roads and bridges was
planned and carried out by Telford in the nineteenth
century. From Perth a road runs to Forfar and Aber-
deen through Strathmore by way of Coupar-Angus. At
Coupar-Angus a branch forks off to the north leading
through Blairgowrie, Glen Shee and Glen Beg into
Braemar. In addition to these main thoroughfares there
are numerous smaller roads by which the surrounding
districts are made accessible.
The principal railway systems in the shire are the
Caledonian, the North British, the Highland, the Callan-
der and Oban, and the West Highland. The Caledonian
main line enters the county a little to the south of the
Bridge of Allan and runs north-eastwards through Dun-
blane, Auchterarder, Perth, Stanley to Coupar-Angus,
a distance of 46 miles. A branch line runs off from
Crieff Junction to Crieff, Comrie and St Fillans, joining
the Callander and Oban line at Balquhidder. From
138 PERTHSHIRE
Perth a branch line runs to Crieff through Methven,
while another runs to Dundee through the Carse of
Gowrie. Other branch lines run from Coupar-Angus
to Blairgowrie and from Meigle to Alyth. From Dun-
blane a branch is thrown off to Doune and Callander,
where it joins the Callander and Oban line, which con-
tinues up Strathyre, Glen Ogle and Glen Dochart to
Tyndrum. The North British line enters the shire
near Newburgh in Fife, and proceeds to Perth by the
Bridge of Earn, a distance of nine miles. A direct route
between Perth and Edinburgh by the Forth Bridge passes
through Glen Farg. The same company's Aberfoyle
branch of the Forth and Clyde line lies for the most
part in Perthshire. The West Highland Railway from
Craigendoran, after passing up Glen Falloch and Strath
Fillan, leaves the shire for a short distance but re-enters
it near the headwaters of the river Leven. The Highland
Railway branches off from the Caledonian at Stanley and
ascends the valleys of the Tay, the Tummel and the
Garry, with stations at Dunkeld, Ballinluig, Pitlochry,
Pass of Killiecrankie, Blair Atholl and Dalnaspidal. It
is 51 miles in length from Perth to Dalnaspidal. A
branch eight miles in length runs from Ballinluig to
Aberfeldy.
Steamboats ply on Loch Tay from Killin at the head
of the loch to Kenmore at the foot. The piers on the
north side of the loch are Lawers and Fernan and on the
south side Ardeonaig and Ardtalnaig. They have con-
nections with the Callander and Oban Railway, and
with a coach that runs between Kenmore and Aberfeldy.
COMMUNICATIONS
139
Steamboats also ply on Loch Katrine between Stronach-
lachar and the Trossachs, and on the Tay between
Perth and Dundee. Some of the larger Highland lochs
have ferries at various points.
There used to be a number of ferries on the Tay
between Perth and Dunkeld, but these are gradually
being replaced by bridges. The old ferry boats were
Kinclaven Ferry
worked by chains ; and besides passengers, they were
able to carry light vehicles. Perhaps one of the best
known of these ferries was that at Kinclaven, but it has
been superseded by a handsome stone bridge. Along
the Firth of Tay between Perth and Dundee there
were many little harbours which have now fallen into
disuse. These were situated at Kingoodie, which was
140 PERTHSHIRE
formed for the exportation of sandstone quarried in the
neighbourhood, Powgavie south of Inchture, and Port
Allen near Errol. These ancient harbours, now silted
up and overgrown with weeds, are witnesses of bygone
days when the shortest route for the transference of
merchandise from Fife to Strathmore lay across the Tay
and from thence, by the numerous roads through the
Sidlaws, to Blairgowrie, Coupar-Angus, Meigle, Alyth,
Kirriemuir and Forfar.
21. Administration and Divisions —
Ancient and Modern.
In early times the county was divided into districts
under the jurisdiction of hereditary governors, viz.
Menteith, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Methven, Atholl,
Strathardle, Glenshee, Stormont, Gowrie and Perth.
Though these districts have no longer any judicial or
civil existence, yet the names are in constant use in
referring to the geography of the shire. Menteith and
Strathearn were stewartries, Breadalbane a bailiary with
separate jurisdiction of its earls, Methven a separate
regality, and Atholl a regality of very great extent. The
judicial president of the county was the shire-reeve or
sheriff, who was the official deputy of the crown and was
responsible for the enforcement of law and order. This
office was hereditary and was usually in the hands of some
leading landowner, not necessarily possessed of any legal
qualifications. By degrees these hereditary powers were
ADMINISTRATION AND DIVISIONS 141
reduced, till after the "Forty-five" the Act of 1747 was
passed entirely abolishing them, and appointments to the
office of sheriff were made on the present method.
Three distinct classes of burghs have existed in Scot-
land from very early times — Royal Burghs, Burghs of
Regality, and Burghs of Barony. The Royal Burgh
is the most complete and perfect form of burghal
constitution in Scotland. This corporate body, created
by a charter from the crown, has the right of self-
government by a magistracy and council, and for the
payment of fee, farm rent or burgh mail possesses many
important privileges. The charter of Perth (the only
royal burgh in the shire) is dated 12 October 1210, in
the reign of William the Lion, who, in a subsequent
charter, is styled "The founder and instaurator of our
said royal burgh of Perth after the visitation and ruin
thereof by the inundation of the said flood and river
Tay."
The Burgh of Barony is another kind of municipal
corporation, of which Alyth, Crieff and Blairgowrie are
examples. A Burgh of Barony consists of the inhabitants
of a definite tract of land within the barony, placed under
the authority of magistrates and a council, whose election
is vested either in the baron superior, or is in the hands of
the inhabitants themselves, according to the terms of the
charter. A later kind of municipal government is a Police
Burgh, which is constituted by the sheriff for the purposes
of improvement and police, and is granted to populous
places, with boundaries fixed in terms of statute, the local
authority being the police commissioners.
142 PERTHSHIRE
. The county of Perth is governed by a lord-lieutenant,
a vice-lieutenant, and a large number of deputy-lieutenants
and justices of the peace. The law is administered by a
sheriff and sheriff-substitute.
The most important administrative body in the shire
is the County Council, which looks after the finances,
roads, bridges, public health, and the general administra-
tion. By the Redistribution of Seats Act (1885) Perth-
shire was divided into two divisions — the Eastern and
the Western, each of which returns one member to
Parliament.
The county was divided at an early period for
ecclesiastical purposes into parishes, of which there are
now 71, as follows — Aberdalgie, Aberfoyle, Abernethy,
Abernyte, Alyth, Ardoch, Arngask, Auchterarder, Auch-
tergaven, Balquhidder, Bendochy, Blackford, Blair Atholl,
Blairgowrie, Callander, Caputh, Cargill, Clunie, Collace,
Comrie, Coupar-Angus, CriefF, Dron, Dull, Dumbarney,
Dunblane, Dunkeld and Dowally, Dunning, Errol, Findo-
Gask, Forgandenny, Forteviot, Fortingall, Fowlis- Wester,
Glendevon, Inchture, Kenmore, Killin, Kilmadoch, Kil-
spindie, Kincardine, Kinclaven, Kinfauns, Kinnaird,
Kinnoull, Kirkmichael, Lecropt, Lethendy and Kinloch,
Little Dunkeld, Logierait, Longforgan, Madderty, Meigle,
Methven, Moneydie, Monzie, Monzievaird and Strowan,
Moulin, Muckart, Muthill, Perth, Port of Menteith, Rat-
tray, Redgorton, Rhynd, St Madoes, St Martins, Scone,
Tibbermore, Trinity Gask, Weem. These parishes are
divided among the presbyteries of Dunkeld, Weem, Perth,
Auchterarder and Dunblane in the synod of Perth and
ADMINISTRATION AND DIVISIONS 143
Stirling; the presbyteries of Meigle and Dundee in the
synod of Angus and Mearns ; and the presbytery of Kin-
ross in the synod of Fife. In many cases parishes are
found in detached portions as Dull, Weem, Kenmore,
Killin, Caputh, Kinnoull, etc.
A number of the parishes are of great extent, as Blair
Atholl, which is 30 miles by 18, and Fortingall which is
37 miles by 17. It is interesting to compare the size of
these two parishes with the county of Clackmannan, the
smallest in Scotland, which is only nine and three-quarter
miles in greatest length and eight and three-quarter in
greatest breadth.
Within the Highland area there are lands common to
several parishes, such as Blair Atholl, Logierait, and For-
tingall. There are also some 2326 acres in the county
not claimed by any parish.
Formerly Perthshire was divided into the bishoprics
of Dunkeld, Perth and Dunblane, and accordingly these
towns have been designated cities. The division of the
county as given above into parishes is used for such civil
purposes as the administration of the poor law, the regis-
tration of births, deaths and marriages, and taxation, as
well as for the parochial and the political franchise.
Since the great Education Act of 1872, the manage-
ment of education in Scotland has been entrusted to School
Boards, which are elected every three years by the rate-
payers. These boards are established in every parish and
burgh in the country, and are responsible for the manage-
ment of the schools and the appointment of teachers.
Compulsory attendance for all children between the ages
144
PERTHSHIRE
of five and fourteen years is universal in Scotland. This
primary education is free.
Secondary Education is supplied by endowed schools,
Higher Grade Public Schools, and by proprietary and
other schools. Trinity College, Glenalmond, now one of
Glenalmond School
the leading schools of Scotland, was founded in 1847. ^n
1888, the Education Department instituted a system of
examinations for leaving certificates, which has been taken
advantage of by all the best secondary schools in the
county.
THE ROLL OF HONOUR 145
22. The Roll of Honour.
It is curious to note that the Perthshire roll of honour
is comparatively small. Though its scenery has inspired
such great poets as Scott, Wordsworth and Burns, yet the
shire has not produced any poet of the first order. Though
it has reared the rank and file of such famous regiments as
the "Black Watch," yet it has given us no outstanding
warriors but Lord Lynedoch. Though it has supplied
the material for the deductions of such pioneers in geo-
logical science as Hutton and Playfair, yet it has been
the birthplace of no great geologist with the exception
of Dr Croll. We cannot here enter into a discussion
of the various factors that have governed the distribution
of genius in our country, but it must be frankly admitted
that Perthshire shows a remarkable dearth of prominent
men.
Among the Perthshire poets the following may be
mentioned. Henry Adamson, born in Perth, was author
of The Muses Threnodie with a description of Perth and an
account of the Cowrie Conspiracy. Robert Nicol, poet and
journalist, who has been described as Scotland's second
Burns, was born in Auchtergaven parish in 1814, and
published Poems and Lyrics in 1833. Perhaps the most
distinguished of the Perthshire poets, and certainly the
most widely known, was the Baroness Caroline Oliphant
Nairne, song and ballad writer. She was the daughter
of Laurence Oliphant, and was born in the old mansion
house of Gask in 1766. Towards the close of the
M. P.
Lady Nairne
THE ROLL OF HONOUR 147
eighteenth century her songs, many of which were
Jacobite, were sung in every district of the kingdom.
They include Will ye no come back again ?, The Laird o
Cockpen, The Land o' the Leaf, The Auld Hoose, and
Caller Herrin\ David Malloch, born at Crieff about
the year 1700, was another of the Perthshire minor
poets. Settling in England, where he changed his name
to Mallet, he wrote tragedies, as Elvira, and the ballad
William and Margaret. On weak grounds, the author-
ship of Rule Britannia has been claimed for him.
Duncan Ban Macintyre, or the fair-haired Gaelic
poet, was born in Argyllshire in 1724, but much of his
poetry refers to Perthshire. In his early life he was
employed as a forester on the Breadalbane forest of the
Blackmount, and his poem on Beinn Doireann, in that
district, is considered to be one of the finest examples
of modern Gaelic poetry. One of Duncan's best pieces,
The Last Farewell to the Hills, was written when he was
seventy-eight.
Another Gaelic poet was Dugald Buchanan, born in
Balquhidder. At Kinloch-Rannoch he settled as school-
master and catechist, and there he wrote the most of his
hymns and poems.
Painting is represented by Thomas Duncan, born at
Kinclaven in 1807. Perhaps his best known work is
"Prince Charles entering Edinburgh." Other of his
pictures are "Martyrdom of John Brown of Priesthill,"
"Abdication of Queen Mary," and "Wishart dispensing
the Sacrament."
The only sculptor of note born in the county was
10 — 2
148 PERTHSHIRE
Lawrence Macdonald, born at Gask in 1798. He pro-
duced many fine busts, and well-known classic groups, as
"Ajax bearing the dead Patroclus," "Ulysses recognised
by his Dog," and others.
The only eminent musician is Neil Gow, born at
Tnver near Dunkeld in 1727. He was renowned as a
violinist and composer, and in his day was considered to
be unrivalled in the playing of strathspeys and reels.
Among the literary men of the county notice must be
taken of George Gilfillan, author and clergyman, who was
born at Comrie in 1813. Two of his principal works are
The Bards of the Bible and The Martyrs of the Scottish
Covenants.
In the domain of science Perthshire has few outstand-
ing names. The distinguished physicist and geologist, Dr
Croll, was born at Little Whitefield in 1821. His life
work consisted principally in an endeavour to find a true
cause for the great extension of snow and ice in northern
Europe during the Ice Age, for which purpose he invoked
the aid of astronomical and terrestrial physics. His theory
was received with much enthusiasm by geologists. His
chief works are Climate and Time in their Geological Re-
lations and Discussions in Climate and Cosmology. David
Douglass, botanist and traveller, was born at Scone in
1799. He assisted Dr Hooker in collecting the materials
for his Flora Scotica. In 1823 ne was sent to tne United
States on a botanical expedition by the London Horti-
cultural Society. He also surveyed the Columbia River
District, 1824-30.
The only soldier of note that the county can claim as
Neil Gow
150 PERTHSHIRE
a son is General Sir Thomas Graham, Lord Lynedoch,
born at Balgowan near Methven in the year 1748. He
was aide-de-camp to Sir John Moore all through his
Dr James Croll
Peninsular campaign. Made Major-General in 1810, he
took command of the British and Portuguese troops in
Cadiz, then blockaded by the French. He afterwards
THE ROLL OF HONOUR 151
joined Wellington's army, fought at Ciudad Rodrigo, at
Badajoz, and at Vittoria, where he commanded the left
wing.
General Sir David Baird was another eminent soldier
closely connected with the shire, though not born in it.
He took part in the storming of Seringapatam, and after
serving in Egypt was made commander of an expedition
to Cape Colony. He assisted Sir John Moore, whom he
succeeded in command after Corunna.
William Murray, first Lord Mansfield, was born in
Perth in 1705. A distinguished lawyer and statesman,
he was successively Solicitor-General, Attorney-General,
and Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
Another distinguished legislator belonging to the county
was the Hon. Alex Mackenzie, Premier of the Dominion
of Canada, who was born in the village of Logierait in the
year 1823. He was the son of a local mason, with no
advantages of birth, fortune or education, but his ability
and sterling character procured for him both fame and
fortune. His five years' ministry, during which Lord
Dufferin was Governor-General, has been described as
the purest administration which Canada had experienced.
Associated with the county are the names of many
eminent divines. Patrick Adamson, born at Perth in
!537> was macle Archbishop of St Andrews in 1576.
Donald Cargill, a Covenanting preacher, was born at
Rattray about 1620, and ordained to the Barony Charge,
Glasgow, 1655. He opposed Episcopacy and took to
field-preaching. In 1681 he was seized at Covington,
tried at Edinburgh, found guilty of treason, hanged and
Sir David Baird
THE ROLL OF HONOUR 153
beheaded. John Brown, born at Carpow near Abernethy,
became Professor of Divinity under the Associate Synod.
His Self-Interpreting Bible achieved considerable popularity.
John Barclay, the founder of the Berean Sect, was born
at Muthil in 1734.
Though the county has a comparatively small roll of
honour, yet the number of distinguished names in litera-
ture and science which have been connected with it in some
way or other is very considerable. Many of the scenes in
Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake^ Rob Roy and The Fair
Maid of Perth lie within the boundaries of Perthshire.
Burns made a tour through Perthshire, and some of his
most exquisite lyrics have been inspired by its scenery,
as The Birks o1 Aberfeldy, The Humble Petition of Bruar
Water and On Scaring some Waterfowl on Loch Turrit.
Many of the Jacobite songs are associated with the shire,
chief among these being Hogg's Cam ye by Atholl. Words-
worth's Stepping Westward was suggested by an incident
which occurred to him at Loch Katrine.
The scenery of Perthshire has been painted over and
over again by many British and foreign artists, whom even
to enumerate would be impossible. John Ruskin spent
much of his childhood in Perth and he tells us his father's
sister " lived at Bridgend and had a garden full of goose-
berry bushes sloping down to the Tay, with a door opening
to the water, which ran past it clear-brown over the
pebbles three or four feet deep, an infinite thing for a
child to look into."
The botany and the geology of Perthshire have also
attracted many eminent scientific men to the county.
William, First Earl of Mansfield
THE ROLL OF HONOUR 155
The discovery and description of the granite veins in
Glen Tilt by James Hutton, the founder of physical
geology, form a most important event in the progress
of geological science. It was on Schiehallion that Dr
Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal, made those observations
and experiments by which he ascertained the power of
rock masses in attracting the pendulum and determined
from the result the mean density of the earth. Maskelyne
was followed by Professor Playfair and his calculations
were so far corrected in a complete mineralogical survey
of Schiehallion. Playfair was also a disciple of Hutton,
and in his Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory explained
and defended the great principles first advanced by his
friend. Many of his illustrations are drawn from Perth-
shire and he must have made a careful examination of
the rocks of the county.
In 1771 Pennant, naturalist and antiquary, published
a Tour in Scotland in 1769, followed in 1774 by an ac-
count of another journey in Scotland. In them will be
found a description of the topography and general con-
ditions of the county of Perth at that time. M'Culloch,
in his work on the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland
(1824), gives an account of Highland Perthshire, in which
he deals principally with its scenic features.
23. THE CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES
OF PERTHSHIRE.
(The figures in brackets give the population in 1911, the asterisk
denoting parishes. The figures at the end of each section
are references to the pages in the text.)
Aberfeldy (1592), finely situated five miles from Taymouth
on Moness Burn, is a great tourist resort. At this point the Tay
Monument to Black Watch
is spanned by a five-arched bridge constructed by General Wade
in 1733. It was in a field to the south of the bridge that the
famous Black Watch regiment was first embodied in 1739.
CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 157
According to Pennant there were within the area of Loch Tay
and Glen Lyon at that time 1000 men capable of bearing arms—
a striking contrast to the present population. Aberfeldy is noted
for the manufacture of tweeds, tartans, plaids, etc. A short
distance from the town are the celebrated falls of Moness, the
scene of Burns's song The Birks of Aberfeldy. At this point the
Moness Burn makes a succession of leaps, falling about 100 feet
•**•• . f^ > '
* ,••- 4 «- jrv*
r-7>-*, ••
Aberfoyle
within a distance of a few hundred yards. Some years ago a
quarry was made in one of the basalt dykes above Gatehouse, and
the stone, extensively used for mending roads, is conveyed by a
ropeway to the railway station and deposited directly in the
waggons, (pp. 101, 124, 133, 138.)
Aberfoyle (i 147)*, Gaelic abhair-a-phuill, "confluence of the
pool," is the terminus of the Strathendrick Railway. Situated in
a region of glens, mountains, rivers, cascades and lakes, it lies on
158 PERTHSHIRE
the north bank of the Forth, here known as the Avondhu
(Black Water). It is closely associated with many of the scenes
in Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake and Rob Roy. On rising
ground near the manse there are ten large stones in a circle with
a still larger one in the centre. These were originally upright
but have now fallen and been more or less buried in the ground.
From the stones the kirk of Aberfoyle was called the "Clachan."
Aberfoyle makes a convenient centre for visiting the Trossachs
and the numerous lochs in this region. About three miles to the
east of Aberfoyle is the Lake of Menteith. On the island of
Inchmahome are the ruins of a priory, which was the refuge of
Queen Mary as a child. See Dr John Brown's Qjieen Mary's Child
Garden, (pp. 16, 36, 64, 74, 88, 132.)
Abernethy (1267)* stands on the right bank of the Nethy,
eight miles from Perth. Perhaps the most remarkable feature
about the village is its fine round tower. It was once a Pictish
capital and a religious centre, (pp. 93, 103, 109, 134, 153.)
Aberuthven is a village situated in the north of Auchter-
arder parish. The ancient parish church dedicated to St Katlan
is now a roofless ruin. Near it stands the mausoleum of the
Dukes of Montrose.
Almondbank is a village lying about three quarters of
a mile north of a station of the same name on the CriefF and
Methven Railway. The inhabitants are principally employed in
the bleachfields of the neighbourhood.
Alyth (2937)* is a town situated on the Alyth Burn in the
east of Perthshire and on the confines of Forfarshire, in which
part of the town lies. On Barry Hill are the remains of a fort
which must have been of considerable strength and importance.
Alyth is a burgh of barony, under a charter of James III.
The parish church (1839) is of Norman structure with a lofty
spire, taking the place of the ancient Second Pointed church of
CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 159
St Moloe. The houses are excellently built and the town has
linen, flax, woollen and jute works, with bleaching, dyeing and
calendering, (pp. 7, l6, 45, I38, HO, HI.)
Auchterarder (3 1 75)*, Gaelic uachdar-ard-thir, " upper high
land," so called because of its situation on the brow of a low hill,
on the left bank of the Ruthven Water, i3f miles south-west
of Perth. The town seems to have existed in the year 1200.
It has the remains of a small castle, supposed to have been a
East Mill, Auchterarder
hunting seat of Malcolm Canmore (1088-93). It was a royal
burgh and the chief burgh of Strathearn. About half a mile to
the north are the old parish church and the well of St Mackerrok.
After Sheriffmuir the Earl of Mar, fearing pursuit by the Duke
of Argyll, burned Auchterarder to the ground. The town was
closely connected with the events which led up to the Disruption
of the Church of Scotland in 1843. It has cattle fairs, and
manufactures of tartans and galas, (pp. 64, 82, 132, 137.)
CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 161
Bankfoot (2167)*, or Auchtergaven, situated on the high
road between Perth and Dunkeld three and a quarter miles from
Strathord station, is best known as the birthplace of the poet
Robert Nicol, in whose memory a fine monument has been erected
there. The antiquities are St Bride's well, which marks the site
of Logiebride Church, and a stone circle. The staple industry is
weaving, and many people are employed in the Airleywight linen
works, (pp. 1 6, 137.)
Birnam is a village, much frequented by tourists, with a
station on the Highland Railway, 15^ miles from Perth. Behind
it rise the steep and rugged sides of Birnam Hill. The royal
forest immortalised in Shakespeare's Macbeth has long ago dis-
appeared, and its place has been taken by a young and thriving
plantation of firs and birches. An oak and sycamore near the
hotel are pointed out as the only survivors of the ancient forest.
From the summit of the hill a magnificent panorama of Strathmore
can be obtained, (pp. 7, 16, 88, 132.)
Blackford (1374)*, on the northern base of the Ochils
17^ miles south-west of Perth, near the confluence of the Danny
Burn with Allan Water, is a clean and well-built village with
several breweries as well as weaving and boot-and-shoe factories.
When James IV returned from his coronation at Scone in 1488,
as the treasurer's accounts state, 12 shillings was paid ' quhen
the king cum furth of Sanct Johnistone for a barrel of ayll at the
Blackfurd." (p. 103.)
Blair Atholl (1580)*, Gaelic "plain of the pleasant land,"
is a small village in the north of Perthshire at the confluence of
the Garry and the Tilt. At the mouth of Glen Tilt stands Blair
Castle, the principal seat of the Duke of Atholl. The district is
famous for its wild natural beauty, for its great wealth of deer,
grouse and salmon, for the general richness of its fauna and
flora, and for its geological structure, (pp. 38, 131, 134, 137.
138, I43-)
M.P. "
162
PERTHSHIRE
Blair Drummond is a small village on the right bank
of the Teith six miles north-west of Stirling. The inhabitants
are mostly employed on the Blair Drummond estate, which has
some of the finest trees in the county. The neighbouring
Kincardine Moss has yielded many interesting antiquarian
remains, including a number of small Roman relics and two
curious ancient wooden wheels. Blair Drummond Moss was
Blair Atholl
reclaimed by cutting canals through it in the direction of the
river Forth. Water was raised to the canals from low levels by
a species of undershot water wheel. The moss was cut and
floated away to sea through the canals, at very little cost. The
earth below was so rich that gravel had to be used to reduce it
and lime to break it up. Afterwards the ground was colonised;
and, according to John Ramsay, the crofters lived in great cheer-
fulness and content.
CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 163
Blairgowrie (4319)*, G<ae\\cblar-ghobhart "plain of the wild
goats," on the river Ericht, is the terminus of a branch of the
Caledonian Railway. During the last century it has risen from
a mean collection of thatched houses to a well built residential
town. Though situated at the opening of the passes that lead to
Kirkmichael, Pitlochry and Braemar, it has but few historical
associations of interest, unless with Skene we make Blair Hill the
scene of the Battle of Mons Graupius. On the other side of the
river is the tourist-haunted village of Rattray. At the Hatton of
Rattray Donald Cargill, the martyr, was born. The scenery of
the Ericht above Rattray is very picturesque, especially the deep
canon which the river has cut through the Old Red Sandstone
conglomerates, upon a spur of which is built the mansion-house
of Craighall. On an island in Loch Clunie, between Blairgowrie
and Dunkeld, stand the ruins of Clunie Castle, a former
residence of the Earl of Airlie. Blairgowrie has numerous
thriving industries as flax-spinning, linen, carpet and jute-mills,
sawmills, malt kilns, a farina factory and an agricultural imple-
ment factory, (pp. 7, 29, 81, 103, 104, 132, 137, 138, 140, 141.)
Bridge of Earn is a small village on the river Earn
four miles south-east of Perth, named after the ancient bridge
which here spanned the river. A mile to the south are the
celebrated Pitcaithly mineral wells, supposed to be the oldest
natural medicinal waters in the country, (pp. 40, 138.)
Callander (2215)*, on the Teith i6| miles north-west of
Stirling, lies in the centre of some of the finest hill and lake
scenery, commanding fine views of Ben Ledi and the Pass of
Leny. Callander is the great centre for tourists visiting the
Trossachs and has also many summer residents. The village,
which consists of one long street, is regularly built and contains
numerous handsome villas, (pp. 7, 9, 16, 74, 88, 137, 138.)
Comrie (1745)*, finely situated on the left bank of the Earn
at an altitude of 200 feet above sea-level, is a favourite summer
II — 2
164 PERTHSHIRE
and autumn resort. Comrie is celebrated chiefly on account of
its earthquakes, which are regarded as due to the proximity of the
great Highland boundary fault. On the summit of Dunmore
Hill is a granite monument to the memory of Lord Melville,
while another to Sir David Baird stands on a hillock a little to
the east. (pp. 7, 16, 74, 132, 137, 148.)
Coupar- Angus (2749)*, a town of considerable antiquity,
stands almost in the centre of Strathmore near the left bank of
the Isla, about 15! miles from Perth. In the neighbourhood
traces of the Romans are still to be seen, including what appears
to have been an important camp. For a long time the town was
in a somewhat decaying condition but within recent years it has
made considerable progress and is now the centre of a flourishing
trade, (pp. 78, 81, 116, 132, 136, 137, 138, 140.)
Crianlarich, a small village at the mouth of Strathfillan
at an altitude of 522 feet above sea-level, has one station
on the Callander and Oban, and one on the West Highland*
railway. In Strathfillan is the site of the ancient priory of
St Fillan, founded by King Robert Bruce. The square-shaped
bell of St Fillan, which lay on a gravestone till 1798, was stolen
by an English traveller. It was afterwards restored and is now
preserved in the Edinburgh Antiquarian Museum.
Crieff (6089)*, sometimes called the Capital of Upper
Strathearn, stands on the left bank of the Earn. Through
feudal times and till the abolition of hereditary jurisdiction, the
town was the seat of the civil and criminal courts of the district.
When Scott visited Crieff in 1796, the gallows still stood on the
Gallow Hill, on the spot now marked by a lime tree. In the
High Street stand a large sculptured stone and the old Town
Cross. In 1716 the town was burned amid circumstances of great
cruelty by the Chevalier's Highland adherents. Prince Charlie
visited the town towards the close of the rebellion (1746), and it
again narrowly escaped burning. The town has linen and woollen
166 PERTHSHIRE
factories, leather works, barley, flour, bark, flax, linseed oil, saw
and turning mills. Before 1720, when the Falkirk trysts were
established, it had the largest cattle markets in Scotland. Its
excellent climate attracts visitors and invalids, (pp. 7, 9, 74, 82,
103, 120, 124, 132, 137, 138, 141, 147.)
Deanston is a neat little hamlet on the right bank of the
Teith about a mile west of Doune. It has extensive cotton-mills,
founded in 1785. (p. 81.)
Doune, Gaelic "the hill," on the left bank of the Teith
eight miles north-west of Stirling, consists of one main street
and two smaller ones, which radiate from an old market
cross. Doune was at one time famous for the manufacture of
Highland pistols and sporrans. The pistol trade was introduced
in 1646 by Thomas Cadell, and the weapons sold at from 4 to
24 guineas a pair. In 1 745 Prince Charlie occupied Doune
Castle. Twice a year cattle markets known as the Doune Fair
are held. (pp. 101, 118, 138.)
Dunblane (4591)*, Gaelic "hill of Blane," an ancient city
on the left bank of the Allan Water five miles north of Stirling
and 28 south of Perth. The principal street is crooked and
narrow and the houses mostly old. It is a favourite summer
resort. Much of the interest of Dunblane centres round the
remains of its ancient cathedral. The wool and worsted mills
of Keir and Springbank give employment to a number of the
inhabitants, (pp. 64, 82, no, in, 132, 137, 138, 143.)
Dunkeld (1081)*, Gaelic dun chaillin, "fort Caledonia"
on the Tay 15 miles north of Perth, is an ancient city but
now more like a village, entered by a handsome stone bridge
built about the beginning of the last century by the Duke of
Atholl. The view obtained from the bridge is very impressive.
It would be hard indeed to conceive of anything more beautiful
than the Tay flowing deep below amidst the noble oaks which
skirt its banks and winding round the wooded pyramid of
CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 167
Craig-y-Barns on the one side and under the wild acclivities of
Craig Vinean on the other, with the hoary cathedral nestling among
Doune Pistols
the trees upon a level stretch of haughland in front. The city
consists of two main streets with the old cathedral and Dunkeld
House at their heads. It has a large retail trade and is much
168 PERTHSHIRE
frequented by summer visitors, (pp. 23, 25, 29, 74, 88, 93, 105,
in, 113, 137, 138, 139, 143, 148.)
Dunning (1145)*, Gaelic dunan, "small fort," lies nine and
a half miles to the south-west of Perth. Dunning was burned
by the Highlanders in the retreat from Sheriffmuir. The parish
church (early thirteenth century) is built in the Early English
style of architecture. A good deal of the original building still
remains, the massive square Norman tower being a striking
object. The church was almost entirely rebuilt in 1810. (p. 101.)
Errol (2083)*, a small village on rising ground in the
Carse of Gowrie eleven and a half miles east of Perth, is almost
midway between Perth and Dundee and serves as a business
centre for the Carse. The parish church, built in 1831, is a
cruciform Norman structure with a massive square tower, (p. 140.)
Forteviot (549)*, seven miles south-west of Perth, was
an ancient capital in Pictish times and later. The palace, of
which no trace remains, stood on Halyhill to the north-west of
the village. A sculptured stone which once stood here, having the
figure of a king — supposed to be Alexander I — with crown and
sceptre, and a bishop with mitre and crozier, is preserved in the
Antiquarian Museum, Edinburgh, (pp. 93, 128.)
Gartmore is picturesquely situated on a hill between
the river Forth and the Kelty Water. The old Peel of Gart-
farren stood about a mile from Gartmore. In the neighbourhood
is Flanders Moss, in which have been found embedded the
remains of large trees, relics probably of the Great Caledonian
Forest.
Huntingtower, three miles north-west of Perth, with an
ancient castle, has extensive bleachfields, some of which were
founded as far back as 1774. (p. 117.)
Inchture (545)*, Gaelic Innis-tuir, "island of the tower," in
the Carse of Gowrie 14 miles east by north of Perth, occupies the
CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 169
summit of rising ground, which at one time must have been
completely surrounded by water. Hence its name. Near Inch-
ture is Rossie Priory, (pp. 122, 123, 140.)
Kenmore (1106)*, Gaelic ceann-mhoire," Mary's headland,"
is a picturesque village at the eastern end of Loch Tay. Over
the chimney piece of the inn parlour Burns wrote what has been
pronounced by Lockhart as among the best of his English heroics.
Wordsworth and his sister visited Kenmore in 1805. On an
island in the loch opposite Kenmore there are the ruins of a
priory, where Sibylla, daughter of Henry I of England, and
consort of Alexander I of Scotland, was buried, (pp. 22, 23,
129. r34, 138, 143-)
Killin (1412)*, Gaelic cill-Fhinn, "Fingal's burial place," lies
at the head of Loch Tay. Dr MacCulloch described the Killin
neighbourhood as "the most extraordinary collection of extra-
ordinary scenery in Scotland — unlike everything else in the country
and perhaps on earth and a perfect picture gallery in itself, since
you cannot move three yards without meeting a new landscape."
At the upper end of the village a bridge of five unequal arches
spans the Dochart. The view up the river from this point is very
fine and has been painted 'by many artists. At Auchmore House,
the seat of the Marquis of Breadalbane, may be seen the largest
vine in the world. A monument has been erected in the village to
the Rev. James Stewart, the first to translate the New Testament
into Gaelic. There is a tweed factory in the village, (pp. 22,
41, 43, 82, 87, 106, 125, 138, 143.)
Lochearnhead, a small straggling village at the west end
of Loch Earn, is much frequented by tourists. In the immediate
vicinity are the Edinample falls and Glen Ogle. Behind the
village is an interesting group of stones with cup and ring
markings, (p. 106.)
Logierait (i 6 1 8)*, Gaelic lag-an-rath, " hollow of the castle,"
lies on the north bank of the Tay about half a mile above its
n-5
CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 171
junction with the Tummel. On an eminence near the village
there has been erected a splendid Celtic cross to the memory of
George, the sixth Duke of Atholl. Logierait was the seat of the
Court of Regality in which the Dukes of Atholl administered
feudal justice from the twelfth century to the abolition of
hereditary jurisdiction, (pp. 143, 151.)
Longforgan (1997)*, in the Carse of Gowrie, commands a
fine view of the whole Carse. The village consists of a straggling
street, which formerly served as an appanage of Castle Huntly.
Luncarty, a village in the Strathmore district of Perthshire
four miles north-west of Perth. Here the Danish invaders
suffered defeat about the year 990. During the battle, according
to the legend, Kenneth was greatly assisted by a peasant-ancestor
of the Hays, who for his services obtained a large grant of land.
(P- 93-)
Methven (1847)*, lying about six miles to the north-west
of Perth, has in its neighbourhood several famous trees including
the Pepperwell Oak, which, with a girth of over 15 feet, is known
to be over 400 years old. One of the most celebrated places in
the neighbourhood is Lynedoch Cottage, the scene of the touching
story of Bessie Bell and Mary Gray. (pp. 94, 1 16, 138, 140, 150.)
Muthill (1269)*, three miles to the south of Crieff, was a
seat of the Culdees in the twelfth century, and later the residence
of the Deans of Dunblane. The old church, now a most inter-
esting ruin, is said to have been erected by Bishop Ochiltree in
1430. (p. 153-)
Perth (36,669)*, both from an historical point of view and
from the great beauty of its natural surroundings, is one of the
most interesting towns in Scotland.
With the exception of the modern suburbs, it is almost
entirely situated on a spacious plain lying but a few feet above
the level of the river. It is bounded, north and south, by the
fine meadows called the Inches, the name indicating that they
172
PERTHSHIRE
were at one time islands. On the opposite side of the river Tay
rises the Hill of Kinnoull, its sides highly cultivated and studded
with elegant villas. On the west the slope is gradual and easy.
The ascent on the south is more abrupt and forms the Hill of
MoncriefF, Friarton and Craigie. Towards the north there is
no elevated ground between Perth and the Grampian mountains
from 10 to 12 miles away.
At a very early period Perth was walled and fortified, and
Perth, from Kinnoull Hill
girded by a ditch or fosse supplied with water from an aqueduct
from the river Almond. The Castle was situated at the north-
east corner of the town, and a high tower or turret stood at the
West Port near what is now the junction of the High Street and
Methven Street. A general idea of the extent and shape of
ancient Perth will best be formed if we remember that the
aqueduct still keeps its course to the Tay round what was
formerly the base of the city walls. After the town was taken in
CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 173
1651 by Cromwell, the fortifications were allowed to go to ruin.
The only remaining part that can now be seen is that lying
between George Street and Skinnergate.
Up till the year 1720 the town consisted simply of two long
streets which ran parallel in an east and west direction— the
High Street and the South Street. Between these two streets and
running off them were several narrower ones known as gates and
Tay Street, Perth
vennels. The principal parts of the town were then situated in
the neighbourhood of the Watergate and the Speygate. The
position now occupied by the Jail and County Buildings was the
site of Gowrie House. The Skinnergate, the Castle Gable and
the Horse Cross were at that time the principal business centres.
Many of the old houses stood a foot or two below the level of the
street, and had arched doorways and windows. On the front wall
there was placed a superstructure of wood about six feet in breadth.
174 PERTHSHIRE
The ground-floor was open, forming "channels," as they were
called, and it was here that the goods for sale were displayed.
About 1760 the town began to be extended, (pp. 2, 23, 25, 49,
59, 64, 66, 68, 69, 78, 81, 82, 90, 92, 93, 100, 101, 102, 103,
113, 116, 125, 135, 137, 139, 141, 143, 145, 151, 153.)
Pitcairngreen, Gaelic pitht-a-chairn, "hollow of the cairn,"
on the left bank of the Almond four and a half miles north-west
of Perth, is, like the other small villages in this neighbourhood,
principally engaged in the bleachfields. When the village was
founded towards the close of the eighteenth century, it was
predicted that it would become a rival to Manchester.
Pitlochry, 350 feet above sea-level on the left bank of
the river Tummel, 285 miles from Perth, is much frequented
on account of its salubrious climate and beautiful scenery. After
leaving the village, the main road to the north winds through
the Pass of Killiecrankie, one of the narrowest and most beautiful
in Scotland. Though now possessing all the modern conveniences
of life, yet at no distant date Pitlochry was a rude Highland
village with only a few slated houses, (pp. 82, 101, 137, 138.)
Scone (2341)*, a flourishing village two miles north-east of
Perth on the road to Blairgowrie, is known as New Scone to
distinguish it from the hamlet of Old Scone, and dates from the
beginning of the nineteenth century. A monument has been
erected to the memory of David Douglass, the celebrated botanist,
a native of Scone. The hamlet of Old Scone was situated about
a mile to the west but it has now all disappeared with the excep-
tion of a fine old cross surrounded by lordly trees. In the eighth
century Old Scone was the capital of Pictavia. There the Stone
of Destiny, says tradition, was transferred from Dunstaffnage by
Kenneth Mac Alpine. The Scottish princes were crowned on the
Stone of Destiny until it was removed to Westminster in 1296 by
Edward I of England, to form part of the English coronation
chair. A legend was woven round the stone, which acquired a
Coronation Chair
176 PERTHSHIRE
sacred character as influencing the destinies of the Scottish nation.
This was expressed in a Latin rhyme, which has been translated
"Unless the fates are faithless grown
And prophet's voice be vain,
Where'er this monument is found
The Scottish race shall reign.
The stone is identical in every respect with the sandstone rock
of the neighbourhood, and the story is probably nothing more
than a myth. Parliaments were often held at Scone. In the
year 1841 part of the buildings of the Abbey of Scone was laid
bare in the old burying ground. The Abbey was sacked and
burned in 1559 by a mob from Perth. The "Moot Hill" is
another interesting object situated within the Palace policies,
from whence it is said the early Scottish kings promulgated their
edicts, (pp. 85, 1 1 6, 128, 148.)
Stanley (1388), on the right bank of the Tay seven and a
quarter miles north-west of Perth, grew up in connection with the
cotton mills established by the Arkwrights. Stanley House was
once the seat of the Lords Nairne and has many Jacobite associa-
tions. Within the Stanley policies is a remarkable round structure
of great age, now in ruins. According to tradition it was a reli-
gious house in connection with the Abbey of Dunfermline, but
it has more the appearance of a baronial fortalice. (pp. 81, 137,
138.)
DIAGRAMS
177
Scotland
30,902 square miles
Perth
2551
square
miles
Fig. i. Area of Perthshire compared with that of
Scotland
Scotland
4,759,445
Perth
"4.339
Fig. 2. The Population of Perthshire compared with
that of Scotland (1911)
178
PERTHSHIRE
Lanarkshire 1633
Perth 49
Sutherland 10
Scotland 157
Fig. 3. Comparative density of Population to the
square mile in ign
(Each dot represents 10 persons)
1831
1851
1891
1901
125,583
142,166
138,660
126,184
123,283
124,339
Fig. 4. Diagram showing increase and decrease of
Population in Perthshire since 1801
DIAGRAMS
179
Other Crops 137,768 acres
and
Permanent Grass 112,484 acres
Fig- 5- Proportionate area under Corn Crops compared
with that of other cultivated land in Perthshire (1910)
Fig. 6. Proportionate area of chief Cereals in
Perthshire (1910)
180
PERTHSHIRE
Fig. 7. Proportionate areas of land in Perthshire (1910)
Fig. 8. Proportionate numbers of chief Live Stock in
Perthshire (1910)
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Understanding 9/11