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Meps, pistes, charts, etc., mey be filmed at different reduction retios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames ss required. The following diegrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmis A des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, 11 est filmi A partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en pranant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 I 6 »2X R -n U^ ^ ■ 1 Strathmore: Past and Present, BKING ToroGRArmcAi, ecclesiasticai, and historical skftciies of the TARISHES IN THE CENTRE OF STRATHMORE ; WITH PARTICULAR NOTICES OF THE ABi5i:V OF CUPAR AND THE PRIORY OF ROSTINOTH. BY THE Rev. J. G. M'PIIERSON, M.A, Ph.D., F.R.S.E., MINISTER OP K.-m.vEN; CR ADr A. E WITi. FIKST-CLASS MATIIH V. ATICAL MONOIKS, AM, I.-K SIX YEAKb MATHEMATICAL EXAMINEK FOK DEGKEliS, IN Tilt UNlVIiKSITY OF ST ANDUKWS. PERTH: S. COWAN ar, Arbroath, Dun- keld, St Andrews, and Lindores — and have examined for myself the original, contracted, Latin charters, to ensure accuracy. The liistory of the several Churches has been traced from their foundation, with occasional characteristic extracts from the Parochial records. The Topographical Sketches are from personal observation ; descriptions of the landscape from several points being given. The most interesting /((t(7ia and j^om to be found, the characteristic climate, and the jdiysical features of each parish, are specially described. The Secular History deals with facts and carefully-sifted traditions ; the several Castles being the centres of the narratives. The Antiquities of the dis- trict are full of interest, not only to those living in the Strath, but to all Scotland. The develop.uent of the manners and customs, the vicissitudes of a[^riculture and PREFACF. ▼ trado, nn*T. THE ABBEY OF CUPAR. In ninnv rof-k-systoms tlicro arc sin wouhl l>e diU'erent. Wlicn found lie would s]>litit up with interest, lor he knows from cxporience tiiat the ]ilain-lookin<^ stiiue is not solid, hut hollow. With one stritke of the liammer he crni lay o])en to view a marvellous si'dd : in- numorahle amethyst crystals «rIoriously shine before his entranced eve — a fairv-like transformation lias ])assed over the j)lain stone, Alany familiar thing's are similar to these Drusic cavities. The ordinary matter-of-faet man sees notldng in them ; his attention is never attracted hy them. But when the experienced and in- terested eye observes them, they appear very dill'erent indeed. Throu;;hout the town of Cupar are here and there to be seen in the walls of houses pieces of carved stones; at the south-west corner of the churchvard stands an arch- w.ay, ])artly old, and partly repaired " within the memory of man ; " and some old stone coffins and sepulchral A 2 STRATfiMOUE : PAST AND PRKSENT. monuments, som^ fragments of pillars ami ornamental masonry, are within the cluucli or cluircliyard. The casual visitor sees nothing in these. The ordinary passer- by has no interest in them, th(nigh he has been told some- thing about them. But to the antiipiarian and historian these tell a different tale. Close ins]>eetion reveals to him, in the wall opposite to the chureh, a stone on which is engraved a shield bearing the royal lion of Scotland. The fragments of mouldings and pillars and archway arc evidences of the workmanshi}* of the early English and Decorated styles of architecture, which carry his mind back for centuries to some magniiicent editice of primeval glory, which once stood there. The place to him seems hallowed by accumulated associations. In imagination he rears a building of costly grandeur, and peojjles it with living, earnest workers in mediieval times. The Abbey of Cupar stood there seven centuries ago, and the cul- tured man, familiar with historic lore, carefully informed about the results of antiquarian research, and dee[)iy observant of the st3do of the ruined Abbeys throughuut the length and breadth of Scotland, can, from these frag- ments, create in imagination a stately Abbey, with its cloistered cells, which reveals to his mind the noble words of Milton : — " But let iny due foct never fail To walk the studious cluistors pale, And love the liigli cnibowed roof, With antic pillars, massy proof ; And storied windows, riclily dii;lit, Casting a dim religious ligiit ; There let the pealing organ blow To the full-voiced choir below. In service high and anthems clear, As may with sweetness, through mine ear, Dissolve me into ecstacicg, And bring all heaven before mine eyes." Though such relics tell us of the fact, there is no accurattj evidence of the size or outward appearance of the Abbey. THE ABBKY OF CUPAR. 8 A century apfo a working nuason in Cnpar made plans of tlie edifice, ineliidiniir iletails of its construction. But tli^se were pare creations of fancy; for, a century before that, Spottiswoode, a trustworthy local writer, states in his miscellanies that the Abbey was "nothin;^ but rub- bish." The sad deficiency of authentic records reL,^arding the Abbey of Cupar also prevents us from giving any- thing like a complete history of iety and timorous su})erstition combined to influence the donors' minds ; and soon throughout the land above a hundred Abbeys reared their heads in stately munificence. Soon after the death of the saintly King David I., who connnenced the grand work, the Abbey of Cupar was founded by King Malcolm IV., surnamed the IMaiden. In 11()4, even befoie the more famous Abbey of Arbroath was foundiid, did Cu]mr receive the royal charter for the religious edifice which was to have for centuries such an inlluence in the centre of Forfarshire. Very strangely, the Reverend Robert Edward in his " County of Angus," written in 1078, puts down the date erroneously as 1144, though he mentions the Abbey as "delicated to the blessed Vii'gin by Malcolm IV.^ King of Scotland." Three THE ABP.r.V OF CUPAR. 5 centuries afterwards, Andrew WVntoiin, Supcri-ir of tlio Priorv of Loeldeven, in his " OrvLTvnale Cronykil of Scotland," tlnis accurately relates the fact : — " A thou.^aiul ;i liimdyro and .so\ty ylicro And fown- till tliui till rckyiic clciv, M:ili-( liiir I\yii „' of Scotland, And Jus} lily in it ri^^nami, The elovynd ylurc of iiis Crownc Mad tile funilatyownc Of tlM> Aliliay of < 'uliiyre in Aii'jws And dowyt it \vytli liys jilniw.s."' The origin of the name of Cupar is as uncertain as the correct way of spelling it. J(.'rvibc thiid-cs it may be derived from the Gaelic C//Jiatron Saint in such an appro])riato situation as the centre of the finest Strath in Scotland ? The first charters tell us that the Abbey was dedicated to the Virgin ^Lary, and according to Wyntoun, the moidvs who first possessed it were Cistercians. These took a hiiih ])lace amonu; the score of monkish sects, beiuLi: very moderate in their relii^ious views. The two great Orders were the AuLjustinians and the Benedictines, the followers of the rule of Saints Augustine and Bcnetlict. The Cister- cians were among the latter. They were all dressed in white, except the cowl f.nd scapular, which were black. They were bound by the three rules of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The Abbot over them was Fulc, whose name appears shortly after the foundation of the Abbey, as a witness to a charter of William the Lion, of the Church of Forgan, in Fife, to the Priory of St. Andrews. Think a moment of the immense boon this foundation THE Ar.I5EV OF CUTAR. was to the pco})lo of S.ratliuiorc I It is only the utmost ])rcjudico, founded on the utmost ignorance, which denies tlic good work done by these pure, energetic, and self- devoted monks. A strong centre was needed there for the development of Christian truth. We know that for the success of any mission in a great heathen district, a strong centre, su[)i)orted by earnest men, is still needed. And there was no place where human nature more urgently demanded the strength and comfort of the companionship of men with the same fixed religious purpose, than in tho district to which King Malcolm brought, from a more cultured and symj)athetic comnuinity, these earnest- hearted Cistercians. In the midst of semi-heathenism a Christian colony was formed. Rude natures softened under the benign influence. Hound the })recincts of the Abbey a zone of land, bi-wken up from the morass and forest, soon yielded its due increase of golden grain. In the calm eventide, when the long grass waved in tho western breeze, how awe-inspiring would the saintly Abbey ap[)ear to those conscientious workers, quietly mu.sing on their day's work and their soul ., weal ! Tempests may rage beyond, but here was the " city of refuge." Precarious though life was in that lialf savage age, the dread of turmoil and strife and uncertainty was banished by the sense of hol}^ calm, which dwelt within the Abbey's portals. Ignorant though the people were, c , en though nobles prided themselves on their ignorance, yet, within the cloisters of the Abbey, education was diligently cultivated : the midnight oil was burned for the acquisition of learning, as well as for the cele- bration of the rites ot religion. It was the only school in Strathmore. Carefully and laboriously the monks wrote out copies of the Holy 8crij)tures, and but for this noble though arduous work of love and duty, vl 8 STllATUMOUi: : PAST AND riJESKXT. tlic Bilile iiiiLilit liavc been lost in tl)e hind. Within tlie Abbey walls were many devout and earnest hearts, training for future statesmen and judges on tlie Bench. Jt wa.-; the base of opeiations for aggressive Christianltv. As when, in a ch>ar fi'osty night, wo look steadily upon the crescent moon, we see the grey form of the darkened part, but cannot distinctly make out what it is ; while, when carefully examining this unilluminated part with a l)o\verful telescope, we see a few bright points, which show that there are mountain-])eaks in the moon's surJace so lofty that they catch the sunlight ; so in that early age of darkened Scotland, amid the general gloom of heathen- ism, here and there the Abbeys rose in their majesty to catch heaven's holy light, to manifest the hearty life which still Imrncd within the heart of the land ; the careful eye detects such bright points, that it is able to lill up the picture, and gain a real insight into that period of our country's history. Richly endowed by royal benefactors and wealthy nobles, the Abbey of Cupar was a centre for cncoura'dnar, And fiuiliil nipiiie (.lothcil witli iron mail, Ciiiiit; niiiiistci's of pence, intent to reiir Tlic Mother Cimrcli in yon se(|uestercd vale." The sudden outburst of religious feelini;' from kings to peasants soon took practieal ctl'eet in the building and. endowing of an liundred Abbeys and other religious houses throughout the land, one of the eai'liest being the A' bey of Cupar. AVell did these Kings — David, iMalcolm, and William — know the boon they wei'c establishing i'uv the Scottish people. No system could have so efliciently met the wants and intelligence of the people. The monks wo'o the only scholars of the land, and in the Abbeys Avere trained in the nscful and mechanical arts those youths who afterwards designed and erected the most gorgeous jnles which were an honour to the land. The tralHcking Interests began to make steady and he'^tlthy l)rogress; roads and bridges — the precursors of civilization — became common; and at no pei'iod of the nation's exist- ence, down to the Union of the Parliaments, was it in a more prosperous condition than it was at the unfortunate death of Alexander III. It is only giving these kings their due and lionourable place, to acknowledge frankly how much Scotland is now indebted to them, for their earnest and manly gra])pling with the intellectual and moral diiliculties of their times, and throuLrh the mists of ai:jes to recognise their honest endeavours to advance their country's weal, as truly "Tiic great of old ! the dead But sceptred sovrans who still rule Our spirits from their unis. " ]\ralcolm IV. founded the Abbey of Cupar in the ^entre of a Roman camp, which had Ijcen formed by the army of Agricola in his seventh Expedition. From the TIIK Ar.BKV OF mWR. 11 weal, vcstii^os of this camp, still visible, it aitpcars to luivc boon nearly a ivi^^ular s(|nare ot" twenty-four acres. Here tiie lialf of A^'ricohi's forces encamped, while the other remained at Gainpnniir, two miles south-west. Thus in tlu^ place where. cli'Vi'ii centuries before, lloman niyth(»louy was establi>hiuL!: itself, ^lalcolm niai'k(Ml the reliL;ious ])rou^rcs3 of the land by erectiuLT and dedieatiiiLT to Clod and Saint Mary a Cliii-tian house of prayei*, and endowing it by Tioval charter. It is from the fiacrment of the abbreviated Recrister of the Abbey, now in the library of Pannuire, that its early histoiy is chiefly derived. In this are named two charters, both dated from Tresquere (Ti'a(puiii'), and witnessed, among others, by the Abbot of Kelso, the Bishop of Glasgow, the Chancellor of Scotland, and the ]^:irl of Angus. By one of these deeds, JMalcolm granted to the Abbey all his lands at Cupar (fotd terrc mra de Ciijiro) ; and b}^ the other, certain leasements of all his forests in Scotland and fuel for the pro])er use of the monks. His successor, William the Lion, confirmed these grants by a charter issued at Boxbiughe (Roxbuigh) ; and by several charters gave the monks valuable privi- leges. From Cherletone (Clmrkston) he gave fifty acres for an extended site for the Abbey, as well as the King's chase and all the waste landbeloi.j-ini:; to it. From Perth he endowed the Abbey with the lands of Aberbothry and Kethet (Keithock), as they were ])ossessed in the time of Kino- David. From Edinburfdi he trranted the lands of Parthesin (Persic) and Kalathin (Cally) held by^Iackllolflb except that part on the south side of the water of Ferdil (Ardle) opposite to Clony (Cluny), which was retained for his own use. From Jedworth (Jedburgh) he gave the monks freedom from tollage, passage, markets, and other customs, with power to buy and sell throughout the 12 STIUTIIMOnr : PAST AN'O PRrSFNT. V: \l M'liolc kiiiii^^iloiii. Ill four cliartorH, lie liht'iatctl the monks from Jill secular t'Xiit'tioiis ; i^'avc tluMii ])o\V('r to scarcli tor floods stolen from them ; protected them from heiiiLj ie(l l»y a hermit calliMl ( lillemielnl, on whose deatli tlie monks were to have all his ))rivil(\LC<'s and easements ; and tliis was conlirmed by Kini,^ William at lvin;,diorn. The entire laiuls in tlie Carse of Ci(jwrio which J)avi(i ^•ave to his brotiier William for homaii^c and service, weie conferred by William on the Abbey. lvi<-liard of Hay granted a toft and acre of land in the t(nvn of Inehture ; and llichai'd de la Uattel, a tenant of the Hays, <,a-anted tlie land lying between Ederpole.s and Inehmartvn. Ste[)hen of ]]lair gave tlie lands of Letcassy, and William of Ougelby (Ogilvie) the east half of tlu; land which he hi'ld in Dunkeld ; both charters beinLf contlrnuMl by King William, Alan, the second steward of Scotland, gave a toft in Renfrew and the right of a salmon net in the Clyde ; Adam, son of Angus, an acre of land in Bal- gally ; Jvannlpf, the king's chaplain, a tenement in the bingh of Forfar; Sir Hugh Abernethy, two acres of arable land in the " undllate " of Lur (Lour) near Forfar ; John C!\ il'ard of Polgaven, a right of way through his lands at Inehture ; John of Gillcbar, a stocked toft and buvate of land at Kinnaird ; Thomas of Lundin, royal usher, one nierk of silver annually from his land of Balelmcryrc- iiiath (Balmcrino), on condition that his body be bui'ied in a s[)ot chosen l)y him at the door of the church in the Abbey ; Adam, Abbot of Forlai-, his whole })oasessions, if he died wilhout children (proles) ; Sir William of Mon- tealt, a stone of wax, and four shillings annually out of his manor of Feme in Forfarshire ; and Malcolm, second Earl of Atliole, timber for all time for the construction of I 14 STHATllMOIlE : PAST AND PRESENT. I' the AIjImv, find otlior casements tlironfdi the wliolo woods ofAtliole. Soon nftcr his accession to tin; throne in 1211', Alexander If. hecame a ^'cncrous benefactor of the A)>l»ey, and therel)y, lik(; lils fatlier, stiniuljitiMl tlio nobles to follow his example. At Stirlini,', he i^'ranti'd a charter conferriiiLT on the Abbey the lands of (ilenylif (Glenlsla), ]}elactyn, Freh(|ni ( French ie), Crai^'iieuithyn, Innerchaiia- dethi (Invenjuharity), Fortuhy, ami others, to he held in free forest; at Kiiiclaven, a charter emi)owerin,Lj the monks to recover their fui,dtive serfs (ndtiri) at Glenisla ; at Kelchow (Kelso), a charter eompeHin;^ all, who are justly indebted, to pcay the Abbot and Convent without delay; at Kdinbur^h, a charter bestowing the Church of Erolyn (Airlie); at Forfai, a charter allowini^^ a ri_Lcht-of- way through the royal forest of Alyth to their lands at Glenisla ; at Traquair, a charter giving two hundred and fifty acres of land in the feu of j\Ieikle IJliiir, i:i exchange for the common Muir of Blair granted by his j)i'edecessor; at Scone, a charter confirming two and a half poles of land in Perth, bought by the monks from AVilliam, son of Lean, with other titles of confirmation ; also another at Scone, relieving the monks from a payment (annua li'aijtinija) which they used to make to the royal falconers from the lands of Adbreth ; and at Kinross, a charter be- stowing ten pounds of silver, the rent due to him by the Abbot tor land at Glenisla, of which ten merks yearly were to be given to two monks for celebrating Divine service in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity on the island in Forfar Loch, and the remainder for lights in the Abbey ; also bestowing the common past^'rage on the land of Tyrbeg for six cows and a horse. More in all likelihood King Alexander would have done ; but, when yet a young man, ho took suddenly ill on his way to quell a THE AIIU'A' OF fUPAR. 1.- rcbellion in the West, ainl (I'umI in tlio bcantifiil islauil of Kcnvni, ^vlucll closes in the line bay of Oban, the niodtrn Scottish Ijiii^'hton. Hut wlwit he did Htimulated his subjects to follow his rjood exanij>Ie, Clilbert of Hay, eldest son of David, granted a conunon road throuL,di his estates, and confirmed the pastuni and lishiiiLjs of Kdei'jioii's, witli tlie standing-, as well as the runnin;^^ water of these lands, to^'ether with the mill. Nicholas, his son and successor, gave a Ixjvate of land in the Carse of Ciowric. John de Hay of Adnach- tan, granted one yare on the Mater of Tay and a toll (Galuraw) in the district of Adnaehtan. Thomas of Hay granted a net's fishing in the river lay. Koger, son of" Uanditus, granted a bovate of land in the Carso on the south side of Grangie (Grange). rhili[) of Vallognes, Lord of ranmurc, granted a house, an acre of land, and a light to fishings in his part of Stinchendo (East Haven). Cuming, son of Hemy, third Earl of Atliole, granted the ]>iivilegc of his woods at Glenherty and Tolikyne. Sir William Olifard (Oliphant) granted the lands of Imath, which was confirmed by his su])crior, Thomas, Earl of Athole. At Kaith in Atholc, Isabella, Dowager Countess of Athole, granted her lands of Mortholow (Murthly), which she had in her free gift as " lawful heir of Athole." Sybald, son of Walter hosthtr, of Lundyne, gave half-a- merk of silver annually. William of Montcfixo (^lushet) granted the common pasture in his town of Kergille (Cargill). Allan, royal hosllar, gave two pieces of land in Lintratlien, viz., Clentolath and Balcasa}-. Gaufrid gave twenty shillings annually from Glen- dunock. Simon granted the land between Grange of Balbrogie and Migell (Mcigle). Henry of Brechin be- stowed the toft of Innerkey, which yielded annually two horse-halters and one girth. Sir Alexander of r 16 STRATHMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. r } X ' t A Al)crnetliy granted the lands of Kincrcicli, in tlio. Ijarony of Lour, the mill and pertinents, right to the mill multures, twenty loads of peats to be taken out of the Mo.ss of Baltedy, and the advocation of the Kirk of Mcathie Lour. Henry of Neuith gave two merks of silver. The youiig King, Alexander III, who was crowned in his eighth year, did not directly endow the ALbey ; but during his reign Michael of Meigle granted the Marsh of Meigle ; Sir Duncan Sybald gave annually one stone of wax and four shillings, for light at the Mass of St. Mary , and the Countess Fernelith granted the lands of Cupar. For several years after the unfortunate death of Alex- ander, the country was kept in a state of dreadful com- motion by the civil broils in connection with the claims for the crown of Scotland, and the asja'^essive conduct ot Edward I, of England ; and when the English Sovereii^m had mode Scotland for a time a province of England, in his universal course of spoliation and destruction, he ordered the furniture and silver of the Abbey of Cuj^ar to be confiscated and sold. But by the glorious victory of Banncckburn in 1314, King Hobert tlie Bruce restored tranquillity and freedom to his sorely harassed country- men. At Arbroath Kini; Robert fjranted a chai'ter giving, by special favour, tlie privilege of fishing for and taking salmon, at times prohibited by statute, in the Thay (Tay), Yleife (Isla), Arith, and North Esk. During the reign of The Bruce, Sir John of Inchmartyn granted his lands of Murthly in Mar ; Sir David Lindsay of Crawford granted the lands of Little Pert and Blair ; Sir Gilbert Hay gave two acres of land, and the advoca- tion of the church of Fossoway (the last grant of the generous Louse of Hay) ; Sir Adam of Glenbathlack I I I Tin: ABRHY OF CUPAR. 17 navtyn iiidsay Blair ; ,dvoca- of the itblack I granted tlic lands of Diintay and Dryiiiy.s; Marjory, the Dowa<:,fcr Countess of Atbolo, i^ranted the patronai^e of the Church and the Church lands of Alvetli in Banff- shire ; Sir John of Kinross in diiiercnt charters granted the lands of Camboro, Dunay, and Elarge in Glcnisla, two nierks of silver annually from the lands of Acbinlcsk, with the right of way through all bis lands; Nessus, the king's physician, granted the land of Dunfolemthim, which had been conferred on hiin by David, Earl of Atbole ; Sir llobcrt of Ab^ntealt granted one stone of wax and four shillings annuall}' ; ami Sir William of Fcnton granted tlie lands of Adory (Auchindore) in the district of Rethy (Reedie) with free passage to the servants of the monks. According to the fragment of the Register of die Abbey, there are no more grants of any consequence ; and after this date no relial)le information concerning the grants to the Abbey can be obtained. The exact value of the property of the Abbey at that early period cannot be found, but from the " Book of Assumptions," prepared in 15G1 by royal order,, it is found that then the total rental was in money £1238 ; and in victual, wheat 7 chalders 12 bolls; bear, 75 chalders 10 bolls; meal, 73 chalders 4 bolls; oats, 25 chalders 4 bolls; and if the price paid for articles and the wages to labourers be considered, it would be as good as £8000 a year in our day. Besides, before the compiling of the return, Abbot Donald had given away the estates of Bal- gersho, Arthurstone, Keithock, Denhead, and Croonan, to his five sons ; so, had these been included, the income would have been very high indeed. Being thus wealthy, the Abbey of Cupar was made the occasional residence of the King and Court; King Alexander II. in 124G dated a diarter from the Abbey, by wiiich he granted a hundred shillings to the Abbey B } 18 STRATIIMORE : PAST AND PRESENT, f i' •I P of Arbroatli, From ilic Abljcy also, in 1317, Kiii<^ Koboit the Bruce granted a confirniation-cliartor to Sir John Grahame of the lands of Eskdule. In 1*37 'S Ilobert II. made two visits to the Abbey, and enj(jyed the hos- pitality of the monks. And in 1502 the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots visited the Abbey when on her well-known journey to quell the rebellion of the Eail of Iluntly. Sad is it to think that such a maQ-nificent edifice should have been ruthlessl}'- destroyed I Grieved is the just mind to know that money and Ir.nds, thus given so frankly and honestly, should have been inexorably con- fiscated and diverted from their proper and originally in- tended object. The donors left what to us appear senti- mental conditions, that mass be said for the souls of the dead, and that their bodies be reverently buried within the precincts of the sacred place ; but yet, in those days the purpose was devout, and their intentio s should have been resp^^cted. Such raids upon lands doted for religious purposes surely cannot be uniformly justified; but, alas, for the grasping nature of the human heart and the jeal- ous character of the human mind, when such oppoitunities come within their reach ! And when we tread the ground where once that noble Abbey reared its head into the heavens, we will be excused for such reflections — we will not be condemned for our reverence for the hallowed associations : — •• Wc never tread upon theni, but wo set Our fuut upon some rev'rend history ; And questionless, liere in this open court, Which now i'os naked to the injuries Of stormy "veather, some lie interr'd, Loved the Church so well, and gave so largely to't, They thought it should have canopied their bones Till doomsday : but all things have their end ; Abbeys and cities, which have diseases like to men, Must have like death that we have." i i! 1' THE ABBEY OF CUPAR. 10 alas, jeal- » « * # * Some years a^^3 wc visitci.l with a friend the ruins of the oldest Scottish Cathedral in the island of lona. And what struck us most M'as the ill-designed and grotesque figures which were sculptured on the tops of the four massive pillars. One represented an angel weighing the good deeds of a man against the evil ones, while the spirit of evil is pressing down one of the scales with his claw. Another represents the temptation of Adam and Eve ; the apples hanging temptingly from a widespread tree, with the serpent's body coiled round the trunk, and its head facing Eve's iii the attitude of tem})ting her. These two rudely carved designs showed us that even in the earliest Christian times men of religious thought were endeavouring to grapple with the chief difficulties of our faith ; and, when unable to explain them, they simply represented them in symbol, as the Scriptures did in m^'ths and allegory. Even then, those wdio introduced Christianity into Scotland, rejoiced in the fact that man was not originally depraved, but that righteousness is man's true nature. They made this representation of the 'J'emptation and the Fall and bias to sin, to show that the time was wdicn man had not sinned. And as we studied those rude figures, surrounded by the honoured dust of many Scottish kings and early Christian martyrs, our mind most solemnly realised the great facts of man's responsibility and iunuortality ; and in some measure were our hearts stirred with the feeling, so memorably recorded by Dr. Johnson on his visit there : — " That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow w^armer amid the ruins of lona." Such a feeling should possess us when we trend in imagination the sacred courts of the Abbey of Cupar in V j. 20 STRATIIMORE : PAST AND PRESENT. I r \ i '(1 its earliest and palmiest days. For then purity, charity, devotion were the paramount ti'aits in the character of the dwellers in the cloisters. Not then had luxury-fed gross- ness debased their minds and tarnished the brifjlitness of their sacred office. Not then had the master passion in their breasts, like Aaron's serpent, swallowed all the rest. And thouirh we must lament th') sordid worldliness whicli occasioned in Scotland, as elsew^re in Christendom, the religious revolution of the Reform.^ tion, yet we must not blame the early monks. After thioe centuries of noble self-devotion to tiie good of men, the monks of Cupar fell from the high ideal of moi'al AV'orth which they had so long rejoiced in ; and when they did evil, they followed the universal law of individuals, connnunities, and nations ; and went down and were swept away. But never let us forget that the abuse and dc^a-adation of a o O thing, which is in itself good, is not peculiar to any ago or system; let us shut our eyes to the wickedness of those who called down John Knox's anathemas upon them; and let us think of the Abbey of Cupar at its best, when it was an undoubted blessing to all around, and when it was laying those foundations of intellectual, moral, and social good which have had their lasting cftcct upon the inhabitants of Strathmore. " From kirk anrl choir ehbcd far away The thoiigiit tiiat gathered day by day ; And round the altars drew A weak; ludettercd crew." Established by the Royal Charter of Malcolm the Maiden in 11G4, and richly endowed for many generations by kings and nobles, the Cistercian Abbey of Cupar took a higii place among the Abbeys of the land. Dressed in white, except the black cowl and scapular, the twenty monks who settled in the North from Melrose must have had an imposing appearance in the eyes of those who THE ABBEY OF CUPAR. 21 ■tA were livini^' tlie semi-savacrc life, "like a beast with lower j)leasurcs, like a beast with lower pains." Their poverty, chastity, and obedience must have had a powerful effect. Their time was carefully scheduk'd out for ditferent duties. Seven times together they worshipped daily in the Abbey Church. Seven times together they daily met in the Chapterhouse for discipline. During their meals — strictly regulated, and frugally indulged in — one of their number by turns read aloud to the rest the Scriptures or pastoral counsels. The rest of the day was occupied with some useful work, such as copying manuscri})ts for the good of the people ; illuminating passages of Holy Writ with devotional cheerfulness ; decorating the Monastery and ornamenting the buildings ; practising gardening and en- gaging in agriculture. Under the supervision of the Abbot, the monks divided the labour, taking appointed duties by arrangement — carrying on the work with co- o}>eration and hearty mutual etlbrt. To a great extent the Corj)oration was independent of the Bishops, acknowledging by permission of the Pope their subservience to the head of their Order alone — the Abbot of Citcaux in France. In social rank, the Abbot was next to the Bishop, and maintained due dignity and state. With two country seats, one at Cupar Gi'angc (two miles north), and the other at Campsie (three miles south-west), he kept up a high position. The latter was the Abbot's principal country scat, the former being generally occupied by the steward, who, managing the affairs of the Monastery, often in troublous times prepared there a retreat for his brethren. The domestic affairs of the Abbey were seen to by the cellarer. This functionary originally held high raidv, for one of them was raised to the oftice of Abbot, lie gener- ally got the name of " Lord Cellarer." Next to him was \y^ 22 STRATIIMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. k I 'i T"! 't the portor, who lived at the Abbey-gate and was the dis- tributer of abns. The " Cuningar " hjoked after tlie jjrame-covers and rabbit-warrens. Tlie forester-general sii))erintended the foresters in protecting the plantations, which were considered useful for provi(Ung slielter, bene- ficial for checking malaria, and beautifying for improving tlic appearance of the country. The superintendent of tlic fisheries had extensive work in looking after the various net fishings, and getting the salmon kippered. The gardener looked after tlie orcliard, fruit, and vege- table gardens. Tlie Abbo}'' workmen bore as family designations the names of tlieir handicrafts, such as Wi-ight, Mason, Slater, Millar, Smith ; and the gatekeeper for many generations had the same name, Porter. For the mananement of th'nr secular business, a certain number of lay brethren, called converts, were admitted. From what we will afterwards show in the details of some of the leases in the Rental Book of the Abbey, pre- served in the General Register House, it will be seen that the monks were very careful and shrewd and far-seeing in their arrangements with their tenants. Their practical godliness — " diligence in business and service of God " — is thus expressed by Wordsworth : — *' Wlio, with the ploii,c,'lisharc, clove the barren moors, Aiul to ^^Tceii meadows ehaiigod tlic swampy shores? The thouLrhtful monks, intent their God to please, For Ciuist's dear sake, by human sympathies. " They were the originators of leases, wliich liave made Scotch farming what it is, holding now the highest place in the world, if we consider the generally comparatively poor nature of the soil on which our farmers have to work. These leases were, according to circumstances, generally from seven to nineteen years. Rents were paid in produce, service, and iii; I THE ABBEY OF CUPAR. 23 to a small extent in monc}'. Pi-f xliico consisted of poultry, pigs, calves, lambs, meal, barley, oats, and straw ; and, in some cases, butter. Service was exacted in casting and driving peats, harvesting, making nets and fishing-tackle. 'J" here was occasionally a strict clause, that any tenant, believed to be smitten with an infectious disease, had to remove from his farm till he was considered quite better. Interest in looking after the morals of their tenants may be seen in some leases, which require sobriety, temperance, and kindly intercourse with their neighbours. Decency of apparel was exacted from some tenants, the monks condemning "ivagyt clathis," and requiring that their tenants " sal bo honest in thar cleything." All the tenants had, when called, to defend the Abbey neighbourhood from wolves, robbers, and sturdy vagi'ants. There were two classes of tenants — farmers and cottars — the foi'iner having not less than thirty-three acres of arable land, and the latter from one to twelve acres. The monks, considering wisely that vegetables were essential to keep the blood from becoming too heated by the constant use of oatmeal at all diets, ordered the cottars to have " green kail in their \-ards ; " and this exemplary precaution is carefully attended to by all tho ploughmen and country })eople still. Not long ago a young medical man, who began practice in a countiy district, one day, in conversation with tho beadle, was remarking that the people were very healthy there. "Aye," said the beadle, " ye'U find that tae yer cost ere lang ; the yaird's (churchyard) dune very little for 'ears, for a'body, ye see, gangs in for big kail- vards." The monks carefully proportioned tho number of cottars to each farmer, thereby keeping down pauperism. 24 STRA.TI1M0RE : PAST AND PRESENT. [^M\ Tenants were required to take in a certain part of marsh, proportioned to their holdings. Pasture lands had to bo regularly watered from adjoining streams. A system of rotation of crop was rigidly enacted in most cases ; and very strict injunctions — under threats of severe penalties — were jjiven to keei") down the troublesome wild mariirold in the fields. Specific regulations were maious man ; for at his death he was esteemed worthy of being buried near his sainted predecessor, Waltheof ; and a strange stoiy is told about this burial. AVhile the grave was being made, some of the monks looked ill and removed the cover of Waltheof's tomb ; when, by the lighted taper — it being evening — they saw the body of the holy man as it lay uncor- rupted, and clothed in garments apparently fresh and beautiful. Several Abbots arc mentioned as witnesses to royal charters. During Alexander's incumbency, the Convent- ual Church of the Abbey was dedicated to Saint Mary in 1233; and a very protracted dispute took place between the monks, as Cistercians, and the Papal legate, about their non-adherence to his order, to cease from the cele- bration of Divine service during the existence of the Papal interdict. s 20 RTRATIIMOIIE : PAST AND PRKSENT. i I ii :'^' i 1 1 ; Mil! ' Y'i * ^r , i; t? ■.■ i i 1 ''I Abbot Andrew was at tlic Convention asscniljlctl at Bri^^diain, near lloxlmi'L^di, in 12S0, wliicli consented to tlio proposed marriaij^o of their infant Queen Mari^'aret, in liei- (iiglith year, witli Prince Edward of iMi^'land. Twice did lie pay liomaijjo to Edward I. — first in llie cliurcli of tlie Friars' Prcaidjcrs at Perth, and next at Berwick-on- Tweed. He built a chapel at the expense of the Abbey, in t1ie island of Karuelay (now Kerrcra, near Oban), and cnrrn<>-cd three monks to celebrate divine service there in memory of King Alexander, for a certain sum of mone}', which tlie Abbey had received from the King. The earliest known seal of an Al)bot of Cui)ar is one of tlie 3'ear 1292, now in the Chapter-House, Westminster ; it is a small counter-seal, with the design of a hand vested issm'ng from the lef, side and holding a crozior between two JIt'iirs-(Je-Us. Andrew appears to have been the only Superior of Cu]iar Abbey who was raised to the Episco- pate ; for his high character and virtues he was made Bishop of Caithness. King Edward I. of England, in his general spoliation of Scotch Abbeys, in 1200, seized all the jewels and silver-plate of the Abbey of Cupar, to bo broken up and made into new vessels for the Lady Elizabeth, his daughter, " against her passage to Holland," details of which are still extant in the Wardrobe Account in the British Museum, Abbot Alan was a member of King Edward's Privy Council in Scotland ; and sat in the Parliament of King Robert the Bruce. Dr. William Blair was an Abbot of learning, ability, and importance ; and was appointed visitor of the Cistercian Order in Scotland. Abbot Tliomas of Livingston was nominated Bishop of Dunkeld by the anti-})ope Felix V. , but, though conse- crated, he never obtained possession of the see. By a Papal Bull from Pope Paul, in 1464, Abbot David Bane had the privilege of using the mitre and pontificals, and Tin: AIUJKV OF CUPAH. 27 the r'v^hi of consccratiiii:^ clmrclies anaf, the second mend)er takini; the title " f-i\)»erior." Abbot Jcjhn Sdianwell, beinointment, and lie never assumed the title. In 15G() he attended the Parliament when the Reforma- tion of rcliLTion received the first le^^al sanction. Durinc; his tenure of oflicc three different Abbey seals were used. Tlic princi[)al seal, appended to a tack of the lands of Murthly, is of a ricli desiii-n ; within a Gothic niche is a lii^ure of the Virgin in a sitting posture, her right hand holding a brarxch of lilies, her left supporting the infant Jesus, who stands on a seat beside her ; below is an Abbot with a crozier kneeling at prayer, with a shield on either side, the one bearing the arms of Scotland, and the other the arms of the family of Hay, who contiibuted so much to the endowment of the Abljcy. To his live sons he gave the fine estates of I'ldgersho, Arthurstone, Keithock, Denhead, and Croonan, all in the neighbour- hood of Cupar ; — for his lineal descendant, the late Lord Chancellor Campbell, asserts that he was married before he was made Abbot ; — to James Ogilvy, heir of James, Lord Ogilvy of Airlie he gave the lands of GlentuUacht and Auchindorye ; and to other relations similar grants from church lands. From the Rental Book and Register of Tacks we find that the Abbots were exceedingly careful in their letting THE AHRKV 01' CUPAR. 29 iboiir- Lord )cfore laincs, ilaclifc k-ants find of the clmrch lands. Tlio first entry in IW^ is tlic tack of a croft of two acres and a liouse for live years, pnyin;^ yearly three hens anrl findinL,' two harvest men in autumn witii usual service. Five years seems to have been for a lon<^' period the ;,0'neral extent of the lease; yet wc have several instances of four years, seven years, and nine years. Some farms wow. taken l>y shareholders, in eiL,diths or twelt'ths ; the tack restrictin^i,^ (under ])ain of forfeiture), the holder of an eii,dith to the emjdoyment of three cottars, and the holder of a twelfth to two. The agreement contained the conditions that cottais without kailyards were to be at once ejected; that calves found in the blade-corn after the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, and more than one pig fouihl on each twelfth of the farm, ^vere to be forfeited to the monasteiy ; and that at reajdng-timo any one, who introduced sheep into the corn before all had made a full leading in, had to pay a line. It was Abbot David who in 14G2 introduced the most particular details into the leases. In one tack the tenants shall duly sow all the parks for two years together, ac- cording to ancient customs ; and after sowing they shall re- store and fence the parks, satisfying the keeper of the lields of the monastery ; at their own expense the tenants shall keep in proper order the princi[)al barn of the grange and scedhouse; those remaining shall recompense those retiring for the houses, according to common law and custom in such matters; the tenants shall have the manure of the great stable and of the yard of the brew-house ; also the ashes of the bake-house and oven, and of the peats in the kitchen. Particular attention is to be directed to drain- ing and recovering the marshes. In most of the 240 tacks, tenants are required to weed their lands carefully, and especially to destroy the wild marigold, taking a change K» ■ ■•"" ' ■ 30 STRATHMORE : PAST AND PUKSENT. 1 of seed as often as possible. For keeping and governing the whole farm, where there are several tenants, an overs- man chosen by the Abbot shall see that " gud nycht-buryt (neighbonrhood or neighbourliness) be kepit." Five land oflicers, with districts allotted, were empowered to see that the tenants fulfilled the conditions of their leases, to keep an account of the sheep belonging to the monastery fed on different lands, and of the rent in kind paid by the tenantry. He connnenced the system of giving life-rents, which was almost universally carried out by Abbot Ponald in his time ; and, if the tenant thought that ho would be better in another j^laco, he should have the free consent of the Abbot, on condition that he gave in six months' warning before the term of Whitsunday. In some cases a tenant had libcrt}'' to sub-let part of his farm. If one of the shareholdinix tenants left his land unlaboured, the others were to labour it and be paid compensation. The ^Id L-ustoin of riding the marches is mentioned ; in one tack, the tenaiit of Auchindore shall " kep and defend our marches as thai war redyng at the last ridyng and declaracioun." Security had to be found in many cases ; and o-rassum was exacted in renewing tacks. Fines were levied on those who did not keen their lands clean accord- ing to the lease. A curious grant was given b}^ Abbot William in 1508 " to Sir Alexander Turnbull, chaplain, of ail and whole the chaplainry of the Chapel of the Aisle of St Margaret, Queen of Scots, near Forfar, for life, providing that ho shall make personal residence in the ministry of the said chapel, and rule in priestly manner accordingly to the rule of the sacred canons ; that he be dilifjont and earnest in building and repairing the chapel and buildings thereof; and that he do not receive temporal lords or ladies or strangers of whatsoever kind v^* .ex to stay there without ning v'crs- )uvyfc land ) that keep •y f^^^ )y the ■rents, Abbot Kit be iie fveo in six ^y- In s farm, boured, isation. icd; in defend ng and cases ; cs were accord- 1 i THE ABBEY OF CUPAT^. 31 leave asked and obtained by tlic Abbot, and that no women dwell there except those lawfully permitted ; also that the said cliaplain plant trees without and within, and construct stone dykes for the defence and prccervation of the loch." Co'-.traots were made with the several trades- men. In 14C2 a mason was hired by the Abbot in pres- ence of three monks, for five years, at five merks yearly and his dinner daily (half-a-gallon of convent ale, and live wheaten cakes with tish and llesh), with a stone of wool for his bounty ; also free house and toft of 2^ acres, with the Abbot's old albs reachins: to the ankles, [n the samej'car a slater was hired for one year on similar terms, but if he sh.ould happen to fail at any time, for every day's failure he had to work two days beyond tin year. At the same wages two carpenters were hired for one year, taking an oath to be faithful both in skill and work. A smith was hired for a year for the common smithy-work of the Abbey at the same wages, receiving extra his daily quart of better beer. Apju'eutices were indentured for from six to nine years ; they must not murmur at the conniion and usual sei vice in victual and other things ; their wages being from one to two merks during service. A contract was made in 15"'? with an'Edinburgh plumber, " ane honourable man," for his lifetime, that for £5 Gs. Sd. Scots he shall uphold, mend and repair water-tight the Abbey, Kirk, choir, steeple, and all other leaden work within the Abbey, well and sutliciently, as he did at St. Andrews (he and his servants receiving board when engaged in work), and that he must come as often as re- quired on eight days' warning. Above a hundred carefully drawn out leases are signed by Abbot Donald, most of them being for life, and even including the life of the eldest son, or next male heir. Feu-titles were completed by the Bailie -depute attending i r. 32 SmATllMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. > f «fl : I i> K t,r on the land and giving the feuar some earth or tlkitch to prove possession. The privilege of brewing ale and sell- ing it with bread and wine was granted to a portion of the tenantry. Corn mills driven by water power were in every district ; and " thirlage " to the mill was en- forced, being put in the leases as "doing debt to the mill," which debt was the twenty-first sheaf of corn in the fields. Walk-mills for pressing and fulling cloth were established in several places; but there was no thirlage attached to them. On the death of a tenant of a farm, the best horse or ox was (claimed by the Abbot. Muirland tenants had to keep hounds to hunt the fox and wolf, and to be ready to pass to the hunt when the Abbot or his bailies required thern. Tenants, wl\ose farms touched the Isla, had to provide a boat and fishing- tackle for the monks. All had to cut, dry and drive a certain quantity of peats to the Abbey ; and all carriages had to be willingly attended to. As the buildings were now much in need of repair, the Abbot exacted in life-leases a composition of from one to two hundred pounds Scots in cash, for the fabric of the Abbey. Due provision was very considerately made for aged tenants ; to keep such from being panpers, those succeeding to their leases were bound to provide thom in meat and clothes and other necessaries. Oiphan children of deceased tenants were assisted by the Abbey funds and had guardians appointed for them. In some leases it w^as made a condition that cottars were not to be re- moved. The principal tenants were required to provide two armed horsemen for the service of the Queen and Abbot in time of war or civil broils. Leases after lo44 had a heresy clause inserted, and "give it happinnis, as God forbeit, at the sai'i to hakl ony oppinnionis of heresies and byde obstinailie thai^t/, it THE ABBHY OF CUPAR. S3 I to icll- a of vcrc en- tlio n in cloth IS no t of a Lbbot. le fox jn the wV.ose Isliing- h'ive a Triages lair, the one to of the lade for L those 1th om in ;luldren ly funds G hiascs be re- provide ,een and j-ted, and Ihaid ony ! sail be tinsall of tho tak 1)ut [withuur] ony forder procos of law." In ono tack the exact hcreisy is mentioned (1. >"*{)) : — "If they shall fall into tho Lutheran madness (rabies) and heresy, or if thev shall obstinatel}' hold new o])inions contiarv to the constitutions of the Church the said feu shall revert to the Abbey." The records of the Abbey of Cuj)ar contain more de- tails about Scottish husbandry and rui'al alfairs during the fifteenth iind first half of the sixteenth centuries than any other to be found. Most chartularies of the Abbeys iire chieily valuable in connection with the history of lauded property. Eut fxoni these we can judge of tho shrewd, practical interest which the Abbots of Cupar took in aduunisterin'j- their estates and conductinfj their aliairs ; their fairness to their tenants ; their reasonable, sympathetic co-operation with those who were, by n\anual labour, supporting them ; tiieir care in securing the proper training of workmen in their several pro- fessions ; their consideration for the farmers' dependants ; their sense of responsibility in making the best use of the I'.ivl for the common £rood; their encourao-cment of clean- ■j'f's.-- economy, and the spirit of honour, charity, and ;;.'i!ii ly kindness in the household under them; and thoi'" l^onest endeavour to Hue religion as well as to 2) reach it. Whatevor may have been the faults of the Abbots ot Cu})ar, they cannot be considered as lit subjects for the bitter sarcasm whicli John Skelton, in 1550, exj^ressed aL'aiuot most of the ecclesiastics of his time : — " Tlie laymen call them barrels Fail of ,L,luttony And of hypocrisy, That counterfeits and paintd As they were very saints. For they will have no ](<3 Of a penny nor a ciocd S4 STRATHMORE : PAST AND PRESENT. ', 111 i 1 i 1 Of their predial lands That coineth to their hands, And as far as they dare set All is fish that coincth to net." In 1553 Donald and the fifteen monks signed a solemn bond in which they all resolved, '* God being their guide, to lead a regular life, and to order their manners accord- insx to the reformers of the Cistercian Order ; each of them to have sixteen ounces of vvheatcn ijrcad, and a like quantity of oateis V-- •.'• 1, two quarts of beer daily, besides an annual allowam £13 Gs. 8d. Scots, for flesh, fish, butter, salt, and othci- spices ; and figs, soap, and candles for the refectory, hall of grace, and infirmary; and an allow- ance of 53s. 4d. annually for clothing ; the cellarer and bursar to give in a statement of accounts twice a-year, and any surplus revenue to be disposed of as they shall then sec fit." The monks of C 11 par were of a purer and hii^her character than the average of the age, and came nearer to the training and tone of those thus described by Tennyson in Harold : — ** A life of prayer and fasting well may .oee Deeper into the mysteries of Heaven." Yet to a great extent the simple arrangements of three centuries had over Scotland begun to show unmistakable signs of deep-seated corruption. The grand mediteval or- ganisation was losing its motive power and wa.a helplessly decaying. True devotion was supplanted by grovelling worldliness. Seven hundred of the working churches were held by the Bishoj^s and Abbots ; the poor working vicars being almost as ignoi-ant as the peojde to whom they preached. Benefices were sold at the Roman Court. The monks no longei had their hereditary right to elect their Abbots, nor Cathedral Chapters their Bishops. The Sovereigns sold these offices for needy cash to men in ino;st cases unworthy of them and unable to perfoi-m THE ABBEY OF CUPAR. 85 3mn litle, orcl- h of , like sides fish, ,nclles lUow- r and L-ycar, y shall ■er and I came bed by / >f three Itakable ;val or- klplcssly ovclUn^- thuvchcs ^vorhing p whom In Court, to elect The men in perform ns. thoir required duties. The spiritual interests of the people were disregarded. Still did the monks of the Ab- bey preach, but all el«o was spiritually dead. The nobles were hankering after the wealth of the Abbeys. The celibate system — which had, when revered, unmistake- ablc advantages o\er the semi-starved, family-burdened, care-worn Protestant clergy of our day — was being abused, and was producing humiliating and disastrous results. The intolerance of the Roman Catholics to give due res- pect to the reformed doctrines v/hich culminated in Luther, and the bitter obstinacy to reform the Church from within, could not fail to turn the tide against them. Tradition had greater weight than the written Word. Departed saints werehonouredas unmis;takcable mediators. Penances were enouQ:h to make men righteous. Doubtless, Abbot Donald and his brethren in Cupar Abbey Y/ei)t in secret over these abominations, and longed for the dawn of a better day ; for he, though appointed to the See of Brechin, was not inducted on account of the sus])icion of his leanings to the reformed faith; and this in the fiice of the heresy clauses, which, by Papal Author- ity, he had to put into the leases of the Abbey tenants. But for his association (as Lord Privy Seal) with the Eoman Catholic Queen ]\Iary, whose fascinating powers made almost all ecclesiastics, who came into her j>i'e- sence, yield their better judgment rather than be on unfriendly terms with her, Abbot Donald of Cupar might have been one of the .staunchest reformers, lie tried in his own limited way to do what would have saved the Church, had it been universally adopted over Euro])e, to reform it fromwitliln. And it is to some extent a pity that so many noble minds abandoned the old Church, and did not persevere in their efforts for its revival. For with all the tflorh^iis results of Protebtantism t'O the indi- ■«liw^3» 36 STR.VTII.MORE : PAST AND rilKSI^XT. !'i^ il'.: f i ^t' # ii\' vidiial, it lias not been a success in the world. The unity of the Church was sacrificed. Freedom of thought is a blessing which is dear to man, yet it was dearly bought ; for it is no doubt the root princii)ic of all the sects and schisms which must split up and w^eaken the Protestant Cinu'ch. Intolerance is not confined to the Church before the Roforuiation. Heresy -hunting and hair-splitting of reliizious tenets have not yet died out in our enlightened age. And there is often felt the Avant of that authority, which at times would be very desirable, from the consen- sus of religious thought. Abbot Donald saw that, and regretted the want of energy and life in the Church around. Those who burned the martyrs had no symjia- thy from him. And among the members present at the Convention of Estates in Scotland, held in Edinburgh in August, 1560, assenting to the ratification of the now " Confession of Faith " as the standard of religion in P ot- land, and tlio annulling of all authority and jurisdic ion within the realm of the " bischope of Rome callit the Paip," and prohibition of saying or hearing " the messe," under pain of death for the third infringement, was "Do- nald Abbot of Coupar." ^r Some two thousand years ago there was in Athens a wonderful collection of broken fragments of most ex- quisitely-formed human statues, brought from all parts of the known world. One day a stranger entered the hall, where the artists were wrangling about which of the fragments bore the evidence of being a part of the ideal statue of man. He looked at them as no other man looked ; and they were awed by his presence. And ho said, " Sirs, why strive so among yourselves ? Put these bits together, and you will find that they fit into each THE Ar.BEY OF CUPAR. 37 lUy is a ^ht ; and taut eforc ig of ,encd ority, nscn- t, and hurcli y^inpa- at the rgh in c new ^ P ot- Hc ion it the messe, "Do- iliens a ost ex- )arts of lie ball, of the lie ideal ler man Lnd l>c it these [to each other." Tlicy did so, and all the parts fitted in exactly j but the head was awanting. Tiiey were sorely saddened at this crowning loss. But the strangei', without a word, drew from beneath his cloak the head which had been so long lost, and crowned the statue. Tlie perfect thing was now before them. The pure ideal was now before the Grecian artists' eyes. In a similar way, men had been puzzled with the iVagmcnts of religion which they col- lected from the different nations of the woi-]():>, when Andrew Lamb, royal chn])]ain, succeeded. But Land) was appointed ]]ishop of JJrechin four years afterwards, and an Act of Parliament was passed dissolving the Abbacy and erect- ing it into a temporal lordship in favour of James Kl[)hinstone, son of the secretary, Lord Balmorino, witli the title of Lord Coupar. In this Act of rarliament, dated Dectiiber 2()th, TOOT, King James VI., anxious to " suppress and extinguish the memories of the Abbacie," gave a charter of all the lands to JJaron Coupar, a weak man of a mean capacity, who went l)y the epigrannnatic cognomen of " that howlit Cowper." In IGIS, the spirituality of the benefice was under the Great Seal transferred to the Protestant minister, and a new kirk was erected, tlie patron being Lord Coupar, In the same charter the remaining Abbey-lands were erected into "ane liaill and free lordshij) and barony called the lordship and barony of Coupar, and the Abbey Place of Coupar to be the jtrinciind me.ssu ■ ^e ; to be holden of the Crown in fee and heritaiie, free lord- ship and baron}', and free bui-gli of barony, forever." Cupar gave for this the service of a baron in Parliament with 800 morks ; and paid yearly to the minister 500 merks Scots, and to the ministers of the Churches of Airlie, Mat hie, Glcnisla, and Fossof|uhy the yearly rents and Communion-elements' allowance. LordConpar took the part of the Covenanters, and thereby excited the wrath .in 4X STRATIIMORK : PAST AND PHMSENT. i; 1 s I fi ■ i!i of tlic Marquis of AFontrosc, who, in 1(!4."), ojavc orders to 200 Irisli sol'.lierH to wreck and ])lini(ler the Ahboy. In tlio assault, (hiring Lord Coupar's al)sen('o, tlio parisli minister took the leadership of the defence, which hecon- diict(!d very hravely, fallini,' nioitally woiUKh'd in his en- deavour to repel the invaders. In KJ.H LordCoupar was fined by Cromwell £.S0()() (afterwards reduced to £7''>0) ; and in 1 ()()() lie was timm lined c£4S00 for not conformiii'' to Episcopacy. He died, without leaving children, in 1(!(!9 ; find, in terms of the entail, the title and estates devolvecl on his nephew, the third Lord Balmerino. The sixth Lord Balmerino took part in the reljellion of 174."), and was beheaded ; and, along with the rest of his ]>roperty, the Abbey lands were confiscated. These were held by the Barons of Exche(|uer for ten years, when they were sold to the seventh Earl of Moray, and nephew of the last Lord Balmerino. In course of time the Hon. Archibald Stuart, brother of the Ninth Earl of .Moray, succeeded to them, and held them till 1832, when his eldest son, Francis Archibald Stuart, became possessor. This gentleman died in 1875, and the constabulary of the Abbey, extend- ing to 145 acres, devolved by succession on his nephew, Edmund Archibald Stuart Gray, now the heir presump- tive to the Earldom of Moray. But, although the Lordship of Cupar Abbey has de- scended in this line, the ollice of Hereditary Bailie of the Regality of the Abbey had been previously vested in the Ogilvies of Airlie (as formerly mentioned), James, Lord Ogilvy, having been appointed in 1540. When, however, the hereditary jurisdictions were abolished in 171"7, the Earl of Airlie received £800 in compensation for the loss of that office. The Ogilvies also became Hereditary Porters of the Abbey, by charters still preserved in Cortachy Castlo. Abbot John, about 1500, gave John i I THE ABnrV OF f'TTAR. 4n |s de- If the the I Lord lever, ', the loss [itary in Llolm i Porter the oflico, with the use of a chamber near tliecjnte, a monk's portion from tlie cellar, a dwcllini^'-house nt liateelK'l, tlien inlmhited hy liim, six acres of land free from all " |[,^1rbal teinds," L,M'ass for seven cows and two horses. This liereditary otlice was partly commntt-d in l')C3, when the Monastery was secularised. In 1 .'),S0 a contract was cntenMl into between Willlatn Oi^ilvy of Easter Keilour and John Faryar, "printM|tal porter of the nfir yet of theAhhoy of Cupai' in Animus," dlsposini^ of all Ills rii,dits and allowances for the sum of £i()() Scots. \n 1009 Archibald Ogilvy sold these to James, Lord Ogilvy; the instrument of sasine mentionin*^^ that the privile!.,a\s of the hereditary oflico includeentii\g very curious features, both in costume and attihide. Among the Errol Papers is included the " Copy of the Tabill (pihilk ves at Cowper of al the Erles of Errol, quhilk ves buryd in the Abbey Kirk thair," from lolG downwards. THE ABBEV OF CUPAR. ■'5 ut of The G sar- ) high iidcly- )nk of Ivary t the i) (lieil ilated inour> f the ahlcts reprc- rclief, e aiivhat common sense and the spirit of a conmiunwealth require — the greatest good to the greatest number of men. Even a hundred years ago, we read in the Satistical Account of Scotland of tlio high character of the peo])le of the district, from their hereditary trannng. " lliey were sober, frugal, and industrious ; hospitable and obliging to strangers, and charitrble to the poor; in their dealings, open, unsuspecting, and sincere." It was not from their high wages, but from strict economy and religious integrity, that this character couM be sustained ; for we find that a ploughman's wages we; o then £9 a year, a female servant's £2 lOs., a mason's watiies Is. 2d. a day, a tailor's 8d., a man's hire for the harvest 22s., a woman's 15s. May that character for integrity and economy and charity long continue to prevail among the working-classes of our country ! Long mJiy they be in idly and meanly succumbing, after a mis-sj^ent life, to the " In- surance Society" of Scotland's weakest act of Parliament — the Poor Law's pittance 1 The laonks of old taught sli icfc 46 STIlATHxMOiiE : PA^r^ AND PRESENT. I economy, dignified honest labour, and carried their religion into all their life's duties. In the advance of thought and experience, we ought not to judge of them w:th too high airs of superiority, for they did their duty ; and we now reap the fruit of their work. Every system has its day — national life has changing phases like individuals. Yet such a work as these monks inauGrurated established a national personality which has still a commanding influ- ence. May that influence be never weakened by our work ! May we be grateful to the sovereigns and nobles who, in a semi-heathen age, saw before their times, and endowed the training places for future good to the nation, and to those early religious educators who unselfishly and judiciously moulded the nation's mind ! Politically, morally, mentally, even spiritually at times there can be no rest for man. " Onwards " is the watch- word, " Excelsior " is tlie motto. The whole world has been moving, and continues to move, to that far-off Divine event, about which the Abbots of Cupar tried hard to teach those around ',hom: — " the Parliament of Man,tlie Federation of the Vvorld." And woe betide those who stand in the way of the march of true progress ! " For wc are a stage too — not tlie end ; Others Avill come yet our w ork to mend. And tliey too will wonder at our poor ways, jiut 'tis tiod A\lio guides the worhl's allairs, And ever it rises by winding stairs, bcrowing its way to the better days." 11*11 ■■iiiir^"-^^-^*-'-^ •- -w BLAIRGOWRIE. Nature has been particularly favourable to the inhabi- tants of East Perthshire — for they live in the most magnificent valley that Great Britain contains. Strath- more (or tlie Great Valley) is an almost uninterrupted plain of from one to sixteen miles in breadth, stretching for eighty miles from Aberfo^de to Stonehaven. But the Strath proper, from Methven to Brechin, can be easily taken in by the eye on a clear dty from any of the lesser heights on the northern slope ; whereas the " Howe of Strathmore," to which we are to confine ourselves in these articles, may be considered generally as extending from Kettins, Cupar- Angus, Bendochy an 1 Kinloch on the west to Kirriemuir and Forfar on the east ; the lower Grampians bounding it on tlie ni i and theSidlaws on the south ; altogether, according to ii,d\\ d iii 1G78, " the most plain pleasant and fruitful part oi^ tue whole of Strathmore." What an enchanting panorama is before one, when In looks at Strathmore from Barry Hill in Alytli Parish How beautifully variegated with wood and pasture-land among the highly cultured fields — in front the wooded Sidlaws ; behind the heaven-kissing Grampians ! With all his passion for Nature, Christopher North could not have exaggerated the varied beauty and fertility before him. Studded with small towns, its teeming population — with aU the wild dance of insect life in late spring — lends enchantment to Nature's beauty. Elegant man- sions, embedded in warm, wooded spots, give evidence of the numerous jiroprictors who love to dwell in this I' -I { 48 STltATiniORK : PAST AND PKKSEXT. i I lii' iJ picturesque plain. Well could Nature's poet, Thomson, have written of Stratlimore : — ♦' Iluchautin.L; viile ! Bnyond whato'ci- the Miue IIa!j of Acli;iia or Hospcria suii;^' ! O vale of l)li.s.s ! softly swellin.; hills, Oil -which the power of cultivation lies, Aiul joys to see the wonders of its toil ! " And beautifully cons[)icuons in this earthly Paradise lies the lovely town of Blair*:;'o\vrie. Approaching it from the east on a clear June evening, wo know no more en- chanting scene. Virgil has some descriptions of natural scenery which, in h* ; matchless harmony of song, seem aptly iitted for this rural scene. The harsh gi'andeur of the Northern and Western Highlands is hero supplanted by a clieerful mildness and a sylvan joy. The giants of Highland story give place here to the elves and fiiiries who ever tri}> about from dewy morn to heaven-flushed eve. Rich pasture-lands with lowing kine ; lusty swains an('' litugliing maidens in nmtual labour at the hearty haymaking ; knots of wood with their unscorched green foliage ; extensive fields of freshly-shct corn and darker- hued potato, surround the happy town, basking in the golden light, which the western hills have mellowed and cheered and freshened by the constant flow of Ericht's rapid stream. The name of Blairgowrie is by -ome derived from the Gaelic hlar — (jltohliar " the plain (jf the wild goats ; " but we think more simply and more reasonably by others from hla)\ a place where moor and moss abound, and gowrle, the ancient name of the district possessed by that unfortunate family. The contour of the parish (quoad ck'illa) is very ij-rogular, being frc'iucntly inter- sected by the parishes of Kinloch, Bendoch}", and Rattray; and its area is about IQl square miles. Since the High- land portion of Persic and the south-we-:>tern portion of BLAIRGOWRIE, 40 n tlio *" Inifc itliera and .1 Lv an Ai liitcr- tray; m of St. AFary's liavc been removed as now quoad sacra paiislies, the original parish has become more rci^adar and managcaljle. In the original parisli the upper division extends for Fcvei'al miles along the west side of Glen Ericht, a marvellously romantic glun, through which, in the stormy wars between the Highlands and Low- lands, many a chivalrous band passe 1. The Marquis of Monti'ose went through this in his hostile descents from the Highlands. The Ericht, called " Ireful " on account of its rapidity, flows through the glen, in a very rocky channel. About two miles north of the town the rocks rise perpendicularly to the great height of 300 feet, and stand like hewn walls of 700 feet in extent. The })lace Avhere this phenomenon is presented is called Craiglioch, or " The Ea^jle's Crac;." At the base of this rock is a cave which seems to have been cut out by the violent removal of masses of rock. Here the scenery is awe-inspiring, one of the most grandly romantic in North Britain. Suddenly at this precipitous point the scene changes with kaleidoscopic variety. Strangely savage does Nature now appear. The rocks, commanding and irreg- ular, overhang a deep and sombre chasm, at the bottom of which the Ericht forms a sullen and inky pool of great depth. No wonder that, in the strongly imaginative mind of the Hiii'lilandcr, these weird associations created a m3'sterious legend to charm the romantic scene. On the very edge of the precii)ice, and on the angle of the rock, the remains of a circular tower are still discernible ; ruins which show that the building must have been of great strength and height. It went by the name of Lady Lindsay's Castle. According to the legend, some cen- turies aojo a dauji;hter of the valiant house of Crawford had committed some deep and deadly sin. Nothing but tho expiation of His Holiness at Rome could restore her D 1^ |!< 50 STRATRMORr. : PAST AND PRKSENT. l' ■ i i . ^ * ' 1 i! II; •■ ¥ !•! ill peace and tlio honour of her house. And this par- don was granted only on condition of a life- time's pcnanco. The lady subniitted, and was confinetl within that gloomy tower for tlie remainder of lier life. On tlie other side of the river is the mansion- house of Craighall, to be described in the article on Kattray. Close to the town, the Erichthas a considerable descent to the valley of Strathmorc, and forms a natural cascade, considerably improved by art, called the " Keith." Tiiis is peculiarly adapted for obstructing the salmon in their ascent for spawning. The river then flows on, bounding the parish, till it joins the Isla on its course to the Tay. The Hill of Blair is the first of a series of elevations which rise steeply from the plain. On its summit is finely situated the Parish Church, Avhieh commands a grand view. Close behind is a deep ravine, finely wooded, descending precipitately to the bed of the rivei-. Again there rises higher another ridge, called Knock-mu-har, partly cultivated and partly planted with Scotch fir, sloping abruptly to the Lornty burn. Beyond this is a still higher and more extensive ridge, called the Maws, on which arc well-cultivated and ""ood m-ain-producinn^ farms. "West of this lies the ancient lairdship of Drundochy, the ruins of Avhose fortress arc still seen in the enormous thickness of the loopholed walls. Above this again is the great peat moss of Cochridge, which, in the " dry year " 1826, was accidentally set on fire, and continued to smoulder underneath the suiface till extinguished by the following snows. The northern extremity of the parish is called Kingseat, on the west side of the Hill of Colliemore, 1000 feet above the level of the sea. The lower division of the parish stretches south of the town to the middle of the Strath, where BLAIRfJOWRTK. 51 1 tlioro is an extensive tract of flat moor, called the " Muir o' Blair," pai tly Avoodctl, and partly laid out with fields of strawberries, for the Dundee and Glasgow markets. There is a chalybeate spring in the Cloves (cliffs) of ]\Iaws called the " hen oh well," the water of which has been found very beneficial for skin diseases and derange- ment of the stoniach. Six lochs adorn the parish, especi- ally Stormont Loch, which in winter is the scene of many a tussle at the " roarin^: game." On an island in the middle of it are the remains of an old building, in which tradition says treasures were concealed in perilous times, thus acquiring its name. Some antiipiai'ians are of opinion that the battle between the Romans under Agricola, and the Caledonians under Galu'acus, was foucrht in the Stor- mont in A.D. 84. Skene, in his " Celtic Scotland," con- siders the Mons Grampius of the Koman historian to be the Hill of Blair, GOO feet high. There are many places c'dled "Cairn," as Balcairn, Cairn Butts, kc. ; and as it was a custom with the ancient Britons to raise these cairns or heaps of stones as monuments for their fallen chiefs, it is not improbable that these antirjuarians are correct. J\foi'eover, early in the last century, there was dug up, out of a moss bog in the neighbourhood, the body of a Roman soldier in full armour anl()ying two thousand hands. Half the land is now under cultivation. A railway is up to its door. Three first- class hotels invito visitors. A weekly newspaj)er, printed ill it, gives it some social imjtoitance. Eight or nine churches show some strong religious energy. Auction markets draw excellent specimens of cattle. ]janks arc thriving. The old complaint of ague, occasioned by the bad drainage, is now little known ; thou<:j;h the rheuma- tism, in the low rimy parts at times shows itself. Kents have very much increased ; the valued rental being now £20,378. The population has in little more than a cen- tury increased from 1500 to 5000. Now it is a grand .start-i)oint for the Iloyal drive to Bracmar ; and an ex- cellent and healthy resort for summer visitors from the sea coast. It is to be feared that, as Avith all other country parishes, the morals of the people have not im- proved with corresponding social and economic improve- ments ; but wc must wait patiently till the waves of heathenism and pessimism, now sweeping over our whole land, have departed and given \Aace to better times. \ ^ RAT I HAY. Rattray is a small paiisli wedge 1 in Ijctwoen Blairiijowne and BendiH'liy, witli the exception of a small portion (Eastei Bleaton), which is now incltided in the quoad sacra parish of Persie. In the old charters it is also sjx'lled Ratro, Retra, Re trey, Retro, Retref, Retrife, Retriil"', Rettra, Rettray, Rettref, Rottrefe, and Rethrife. The name has Lclonged to tlie parish and the principal proprietor for a very considerable period, as there are records which bear it as far Lack as the days of William the Conqueror. The river P]richt flows alonnr its west and south side, separating it from Blairgowrie ; and the general slope of the long narrow strip of the parish is from north to south. Thus facing the sun, and under the shelter of the several ranges of the C.am})ians, it is very mild in climate. The soil, too, is dry and light, over a gravelly subsoil, which renders the parish very healthy. The Ericlit (z. c, the rough or raj)id stream) is formed by many small rills that precipitate themselves from the mountain sides ; but it receives its most powerful ally from Glenardle, the Ardle joining it at the Strone of Cally. Often in heavy rains, or after the thaw of severe snow-storms, these streams get suddenly swollen ; and by the time the Ericht reaches the low land in the south of the parish, it is in flood, which in autumn is often very destructive, sweeping away entire fields of cut grain. In 1847, when in full flood, the Ericht destroyed two arches of the Rattray Bridge. It is one of the most picturesque and romantic streauis in Scotland ; and its associations 58 STllATJIMOllE: PAST AND I'RKSKNT. I i have made the district specially note*!. It is the one matter worthy of note in the whole j'arish, but it is enough to let the parish never be forgotten ; as the poet says of the songsters of the grove, that, though the sub- ject and prime mover of all their song is " only love," yet " that only love is theme enough foi praise." Three miles nortii of the village of New Rattray the course of the river lies for nearly two miles through a dee]) ravine, the sides of which are often like parallel perpendicular walls of hewn stone, at other times steep banks clothed with copse and hazel, here and there re- lieved by tall and graceful trees. One of the most re- markable of these precipitous conglomerate crags is on the Blairgowrie side, called Croigliach or "The Eagle's Crag," and is a huge rock with a vast grey front, so unbroken on its surface as to resemble the hewn walls of some gigantic fortress ; relieved, however, of the awful barrenness of the southern Skye-rocks by the fringe of forest trees upon its summit. No description can teU the effect of this scene; for it is gi'and and savage beyond the ])o\vcr of w^ords. The rocks above, lofty and threatening; the chasm below, deep and gloomy ; the river at the bottom, giid-'ng into a dee]) and sullen pool, black as midnight, and sombre in the deepest degree ; r Jl entrances the spectator. Vivid is the poetic description of W. L. Bowles : — " ' Fi'owu e\cr opposite,' the angel cried, AVlio with an e,\rtlii[Uiik(j's might an.l giant hand Scvcr'd tlicso riven ruclcs, axid b; dc them stand Scver'd for ever. " Occupying a eoimuanding position on the summit of a precipitous clilf on the Rattray-side of the Ericht, stands the mansion-house of Craighall. Sir W. Hooker describes it as "clinging like a swallow's nest to the crau'o-iest sunnnit of the eastern bank, and harmonizing .\ \ \ ■>{ KATTRAY. 59 tiio Dom, the L. of a iclit, )kcr the t^.uig i } perfectly with the adjacent rocks ;" and Pennant, in his tour tlirough Scotland, thus particularises the magnilieent position of Craighall — "The situation of it is ronianti(i beyond description ; it is placed in the midst of a deep glen, surrounded on all sides "svith wide extended dreary lieaths, where are still to be seen the rude monuments of thousands of our ancestors who fought and fell." The whole of this scenery has been moreover, invested with a new and powerful interest since Mr. Lockhart published to the world in the life of his father-in-law, Sir Walter Scoit, that Craighall was the prototype of the Tully- Veclan of Waverley. Sir Walter having visited this part of the country in the course of a liighland excursion, Mr. Lockluxrt thus mentions it: — " Another resting-place was Craighall, in Perthshire, the seat of the Kattrays, a family related to Mr. Clerk, who accompanied him. From the position of this striking place, as Mr. Clerk at once perceived, and as the author afterwards confessed to him, that of Tully-Veolan was very fVathfully C()pied, though, in the description of the house itself and its gardens, many features were ado]:)tcd from Bruntstield and Ravel- stone." Thus looking down we have a rare combinatiijii of " The gleam, The shadow, and the peace supreme." The Rattrays of Craighall are the lineal descendants of the ancient Rattrays, the ruins of whose fortilied man- sion may still be traced on the summit of a rising ground, wdiich is south- enst of the village of Rattray. This mound still goes by the name of the Castle-hill. Ii is oblong, something resembling the shape of an inverted ship ; but the eastern corner of it is circ< Jar, cis if sucked up by the action of a whirlpool when t^^'^ waters were re- tiring from the etu'th. The fami]y must have removed 60 STRATIDIORE : PAST AND PRESENT. i \ from tliis hill to Crai,i[,^liall during some of the perilous times, when they considered it safer to have some better natural protection from the sudden incursions of their enemies. Standing upon a precipitous rock of 21i feet in height, it could not be attacked on the west side ; arid ditches were on the north and east. It is only ac- cessible in front, which is from the south ; and on each side of the entrance, a little in advance of the house, arc two round buildings, evidently intended for protection, with some openings for the archers. Here young Wo.vcrley in 174i5 heard the half-crazed simpleton, David Gellatly, sing to his dogs this song, with its local allusions: — " J[io away, liic away, Over bank and ovoi' lirae, Where tlio copsewood is the greenest, Wliore the fountains glisten siieenest, Whero the Indy-fern grows strongest, AVhere the morning dew lies longe.st, "Where the bhiek-cock sweetest sips iL", Whore the fairy latest trips it ; IFie to haunts riglit seldom seen, Lovely, lonesome, eool and green. Over Ijank and over brae, Hie away, hie away." Above the river, south east of the village, in a beautiful situation, are the remains of a Druidical temple. The principal stones have been carried off; but a few still ap- pear in the field of a farm, which goes by the name of the " Standing-Stanes Farm." A very large earthwork (already referred to as the Castle-hill, but also called the ' Hill of Rattray '), consist- ing of a mound of earth and resembling a ship with its keel uppermost, occupies several acres of ground. It is similar to the one in the parish of Dunning called TeiT- navie, i.e., terrae navis, or earth-ship, on account of its form. Superstition has conferre'l a sacredness on it, by the associat'on of legends of a primitive character. It is ) 1^\TTPAY ni Til th( the Isist- its [t is leiT- its by is said that a profane clown, when ciittinj:^ turf on the side of it, was suddenly ap])allod by the vision of an old man who appeared in the opening he had made ; and, after demanding with an angry countenance and voice, why he Avas tirring his house over his head, as suddenly van- ished. After passing between New Rattray and Blairgowrie the " Ireful " Ericht impetuously rushes down and forms a cascade of water 10 feet high, called the Keith, which was heightened by artificial means in order to secure the salmon on their progress up the river from the sea in the spawning season. Of course the salmon netting on the Tay has now entirely deprived the proprietors up the water of the chance of getting salmon at the Keith cas- cade ; but a hundred years ago the fishing at Rattray was very keen, as 've may conclude from the description given in the first Statistical Account of the parish last century : " The mode of fishing is curious. They make what they call a drimuck, resembling thin wrought mor- tar, which they tlu'ow into the pool to disturb the clearness of the waters. The fishers stand on the point of the rock with long poles, and nets upon the ends of them, with which they rake the pool, and take up the fish." In the civil history of the parish Donald Cargill de- serves the first place according to authentic records. Born in IGIO, on the estate of Hatton, in Rattray, he was educated at St. Andrews for the ministry, and became minister of the Barony in Glasgow, This situation gave him an opportunity for carrying out his innate religious enthusiasm, and, joining the Covenanters, he got involved in their troul.^les. Apprehended for his fanatical zeal in ]G80, he was tried at Edinburgh, and sentenced to be hanged ; but such was his confidence, that when about to r ri i f 02 STRATI DIORE : TAST AND PRESENT. mount the ladder to the scaffold, lie nobly said, ''The Lord knows that I ,c(o on this ladder with less tear and perturbation of mind than ever I entered the pulpit to preach ! '' Tradition says that a little above the village, at a narrow part of the Erich t, bounded on each side by huixe overhanmni:; rocks was the scene of "Carixill's loup." This he leaped, when, as a Covenanter, he w^as flying for his life from a troop of dragoons. Long after the event, some one is said to have remarked to Car^-ill : — " That was a guid loup ye took, wlien ye loupet the Linn o'Ericht." " Ay," M'as the hero's reply, " but I took a lang race till't, for I ran a' the way frae Perth ! " Tradi- tion also sa3'S that the Earl of Argylo halted his men in July 1040 for the night in the haughs at the village of Ilattray when on his way to demolish "the bonnie house o'Airlie." In its ecclesiastical liistory, the references are very few indeed. We observe (in the lives of the Bishops of Dun- keld), that Bishop Gregory of Dunkeld (1127-1109) gave the church of Rattray (which was in his diocese), to a certain Succentor, called Quasdub. In 1170, King William the Lion, by a charter signed at Kinross, granted two jdoughgates of land in the district of Rethrife to the Abbe^^'^of Cupar, and that shortly after Eustace of Rattray granted Diinnnio. William Lacock, chaplain of St. Peter and vicar of Rattray was an exemplary man, "sweating intensely at the repairs of the chapel and its pertinences, which otherwise Avould have been reduced to ruins." The tempei'ature of the atmosphere during winter is rather higher than in the districts north or south of it; but it is subject to frequent and sudden variations. It may interest our readers, who were lately startled with the accounts of the sudden earthquake in Sussex in England, to know that in Rattray and neighbourhood, a i '/ RATTRAY. G3 'tcr ling Ices, IS it; It lith in a ! violent shaking of the earth took place on October 23nl, Ls39. According to one who cxpericncou the shock (Mr. Soiitor of Blairgowrie), "it was accompanied by a noise resembling distant thunder, or the ra])id passage of a lieavy loaded vehicle over a newly mettled road. In some houses the shock was so severe as to excite very great alarm in the inmates ; in one case the motion forced open the doors. Several people who were asleep were wakened by the shaking of their beds ; and one thought the bed had been heaved up, and pushed first to one side and then to the other, and afterwards shaken violently, ac- companied with a loud noise. The river Ericht fell several inches below the level it had attained during the day, although the rain had, in the interval, continued with unabated violence." The Parochial registers have been kept with commend- able care since IGGO, and contain several interesting com- ments on the moral and spiritual history of the parish, similar to those of Blairgowrie. In connection with the Glebe-feuing Act (18(>G), in the case of Katti'ay (18G8), where two offers from conterminous proprietors (within the statutory time of the process) were made for the same portion of the glebe, the Court of Teinds preferred the the second ofi'erer in point of time, he being the higher in point of value. The po[»ulation has increased from 500 in the begin- ning of the century to 8000 now. During that period an entire village — New Rattray — has been built. The in- crease is owing to the mills wdiich have been set to work in tl e parish and neighbourhood. There arc three chuiN. ■''s in the parish, which, strangely, is in the Pres- bytery ^. Dunkeld, whereas it should naturally iit into the Presbytery of Meigle. The famous artist Robert llerdman, R.S.A. was born in the Manse ; his father and I hi i . I STRATHMORE: PA!.T AND PRESENT, two brothers being successively the Parish ministers, ^lany tourists pass through Rattray on their way to Bracmar, by the royal route made under the direction of Prince Albert; for there are few healthier and more pleasant drives than this thirty-six miles' drive past Craighall, Strone of Cally, Persie, the Spittal to Braemar, the higliest situated village in Great Britain, and within a few miles of the mountain home of our beloved Queen, I fi i 1 J i ' i i i i :: I i 'i i li t 2rs. to of ant lall, lest lies I fi BENUOCHY. ?Iany liavo pnzzlc'l tlioir Lrains tiyiii,^ to find out tlio roiTCct name, and the accurate meaning of the name, of tliis quiet semi-liii^ldand pavisli. The two most cele- brated ministers of tlio jiarisli dilTcr wid(.'ly in tlieiv views. j\Ir. Plnyfair in 171)7 and Dr. Barty in IS-l-:), in tlie two valuable Statistical Accounts, have their own theoi'ios, which wc cannot pretend to comment n])on. The former adheres to the name Bendothy, as the Com- numion cups were thus inscriljed in 17'->0. The latter styles this spelling as cleai'ly unwarrantable and without authority. In 1700, it took the name which it still re- tains, and which we cannot trace exactly beyond lo!)5, when the teinds were gi'anted to Leonard Leslie, iho Commendator of Cupar Abbey. Although the popular pro- nunciation has always been Bennethy, probably its derivation is from ben, " a hiil," do., a veibal particle prefixed to the future in Gaelic, and cAi, the future of the verb to sec, thus meaning, " the hill with the a'ood view." This is boi-ne out by the situation ; for the ris- ing ground, on the southern base of which the church and manse stand, is nndway between the Grampians on the north, and the Sidiaws on the .soutii, of the u'reat valley of Strathmore; and here the view is extensive, varied and beautiful. This parish lies near the eastern boundary of Perth- shire, the Church being two njiles fiom Cupar-Angus, filteen from Perth, and seventeen from Dundee. Originally it consisted of a Highland and a Lowland nortion. The former is now^, along with parts of tho 'FW^ no STlJATIIMOnr. : T'AST AND PrjESFNT. t i' ri 1? \: noighboiirini? parislios, wltliin the quood sacra parish of Pcrsio ; tlic latter is dividod into two nearly efjual [tarts bj- llie Krielit ; the pnit which lies west of the river, and in which the Clnirch, Manse, and Schoolhouse arc sitnated, heiiiL^separatcd from the parish of Ca])ar-Angus on tlie soutli by the river Isla, and bounded on the west and north by IMairu^owric ; the other stretching north between Ilattray and vMvth across the main road whicli ioins Dunkeld and KiiTiemuir. The Ericht has, before joining the Isla, h)st its rapid flow ; and silently the Isla glides on, nnless swollen by heavy rainri or melting snows. The Isla is here about 225 feet in breadth and 10 feet in depth ; but in high Hoods it has reached half-a-mile in width and 24 feet in de})th. In 1774, the river rose within six inches of the top of the lowest arches of the Bridge of Coutty ; and it took nine years to let the land recover its soil and vegetable powers. Some farmers used to drag their corn in harvest-time to higher grounds ; others trusted to the season. Two neighbours had adopted these respective methods ; one jeered the other for want of faith in Provi- dence ; but in a few daj^s the " rain descended and the floods came," and the provident farmer retorted, " Whaur is your ftiith now, neighbour? It's doun the water wi' your corn," Tliis reminds us of an occasion when the late Drs. Norman Macleod and Archibald Watson (the two extremes of physique), were boating in a western loch. 1'hc wind rose suddenly and fiercely. A nervous old maid in the boat asked the clero-vmcn to beseech the protection of Providence. But the shrewd old boatman retorted, "The little ane can pray if he likes, but the big ane mun tak' an oar." Generally, however, the Isla nicanders gently at its own sweet will, " In many a winding bout Of linked swee* ^ss lontr drawn rmt. 1 of s v>y (1 in iteil, aiitU hl.y Ltvay I and L, lost mlcss sla is ; but nd •i4< inclics outty ; )i\ and ir corn to tbc K'ctive Piovi- nd tbc KVbaur Ilt ^vi' en tbe in (tbe [vestern lervous lecb tbe joatnian tbe big ,10 Ifila ) Tlie low lianci-li BKNDOniV. its ]>ank 67 lie iow lian^-iis on its hanKs aro composed of tran- sported soil, beinL,^ tlie aHuvial deposit of ninny cen- turies. "Wben tlie Isla overflows, a iiue sediment of tbe nature of vii-giii cartb is dejiosited, forming witb tbc natural elay a soil of L,n'eat fertility, and adding annually to tlie stajile of tbe soil. The principal property in tbis locality is Cu par-Grange, wliicb at one time was one of the country seats of tlic Abbot of Cupar. According to tbe Rev. Dr. Robertson in bis "Agriculture of Pertli- sliire," published in 1790, "tberc was discovered at Coupar- Crango some years ago a Druidical tem})le of a construc- tion similar to tbe greatest one in the County of Kii'k- micbael, and nearly of the same dimensicms. Tbc diameter of tbe inner circle was sixty feet, tbc wall itself was live feet bigb. At tbe distance of nine feet, an outer wall of tlie same beigbt was carried round. I'iic space between tbesc concentric circular walls was filled with ashes of wood and bones of ditlercnt animals, par- ticularly sheep and oxen. A paved way led across tbe area, from west to east, to a large free stcjne, standing erect between the circles and rising 4.V feet above tbc pavement. This stone, which seemed to have been tbe altar, was flat at tbe top and two feet scpiare." At Cui)ar- C range the Abbot's steward resided, who, manacring the aliairs of tbe I\Ionastery, often in troublous times pre- pared there a retreat for liis brethren. A century ago it was celebrated for a particular quality of sced-oats, whicb for a long time M'ent by the name of tbe Cupar-Grange oats; and which I'ose cleaner, whiter, and more substantial from kindly soil, sometimes three feet in depth. Tbc principal property in the other portion of the parish, cast of the Ericlit, is the Grange of Abcrbotbry. It is all level, manageable ground, with a gentle ascent north-east- ward. Most of tbe lands are of clay of a whitish nature ns STRATHMOPK: PAST AND PRKSENT. I ')• ii; I in the bottom, Imt cnvicliod Avitli dark vo'^rtiiljlc deposit, excellent for producing oats. Here and there throui;!) tlio parish are singular ridgesof natural format ion, called drums, from (/ovsujii (Latin), tlie back; all having a parallelism to on(! another, and declining eastward. Whatever cause may have produced the mountains and the strath, these drums appear to have been produced by the tides of the ocean, of which Strathmore was then a channel, and to have been formed (like banks in channels of the sea), by the tide of the flood. They are in length nearly perpen- dicular to the line of ascent of tlie Grampian ridge, and are most ]"»revalent in that part of the ascent which is flattest. Several subterraneous Imildings, supposed to be of Pictish origin, were about a hi'udred years ago dis- covered in the grounds of Mudhall. When clearetilen(ial dis- ease. In 14G2, Abbot David Bane let the church of I'en- achty to David Blair for £20 Scots annually. Aberbothry was let eleven years after this fnr 42 lueiks, 2 dozen ca))ons and 2 hens. In 1477, a connuission was grantetl by the Abbot of Duuferndiue to David Hush to grant a ])icce of land belonging to the ]\Ionastery, and crntiguous to the south i)art of the cemetery of tlio i'aiish Church of Bennachty for the cnlargeiuent of the said cemetery. Two years afterwards, John Coul, clerk of the olHco and church of Ijondachv, resinned said oflice. In 1.5()S, Abbot William of Cupar petitioned the Bishop of Dunkeld to con- firm the ]n'esentation of Sir Paul Brown, chaplain to the vicaiage of Bendachi. In 1542, £25 were given for the rent of the \ icarage of Benethy. Seven }ears afterwards the tenants of Aberbothrie Merc bound to do " their dewi- ties ielelie and trewlie, but [without] fraud or gyle to the lady-priest .cud parochc clerk of Bennoth}'." The years following, similar injunctions were given, when the name is spelled Bendocthie, Bendochty, Bennethe, Benathe, and Benathy. In 155S, the tenants were to do " their det to oure miln of the Blacklaw, boitman of Hay, lady-priest and paroche clerk of Bennathy ; " but immediately after- wards the last part is altered to " the dominical chaplain and the chaplain of the blessed Mary and the ])arish clergyman." The teinds of Bennethie were valued in 15(51 at G8 chalders (two-thirds meal and one-third barley), and the vicarage £G 13s. 4d. Scots. In 1509, this parish and Kettins ^\'ere conjoined with a stipend of £22 4s 5d. h 70 STILVTILMUKK : PAST AND I'ltKSENT. 1 1 !■' ( ullacc was aftciwanls ailded — James AncUr^uii being tliu mini^tur ut' the tlirec cliari^'es. lu KJlJo, Henry Maleohn, minister of JJendoeiiy, was eierk of Synod. In 1G'.>l', David JJankin, anLlior of several works, was minister. In ITIO, James llamsMy dissented from the resolution of the General Assembly to depose the eight seceding brethren. A century ago, the seats of Keitliock in Cupar i)aris]i stood in the Chui'ch of Uendociiy. Tlic walls of the Chureh are understood to be very old. Tlie }>ul[)it is in the style of Joh'i Kn(.)x's, to be seen in the Museum of St. Andrews University. In the back wall of tlie church is a stone erer,ted, in loST, to tlie memory of !*Nieol Campbell, proprietor of Keithock, son of T)(mald, Abbot of Cupar, and grandson of the Karl of Argyle. Another, in the west passage, was erected, in l.'^)4, t(; the memory of his brother David, ])roprietor of Denliead, in Cupar ])arish. There is also a stojie to Leonard Leslie, Connneii- dator of Cu[)ar Abbey, who died in IGO"), aged 8L And there is a figure in tlie wall, of date l(j()(i, representing John Cummin, pro])rietor of Couttie, in Ijendoehy parish, dressed in a coat of mail, and standing on a dog. On account of the inconvenience of crossing the Ericht, especially when in Hood, there was in the good old times a chapel at St. Fink, under the name St. Findoce, for the people on the cast side. The houses near it are called the Chapelton ; and the ruins of the foundations still remain. Around the chapel there liad been a burying- ground ; for on several occasions skulls without a body^ each enclosed between four square stones litted to hold tlie head, were dug up, evidently of soldiers who had been slain at a distance. Below a cairn of stones, among the loose earth, wdiicli was black with burnt ashes, were found human bones half burned : and further down two DKNDOCIIY. 71 invcrtofl urns, ailunicd with rmle ,sc'ul|ituro ami fontalniiiL;' hiiiiiuii boiios, l)()tli in perfect prc.-ervatiun. Tliiseliaix'land nnotlieratCallie ^i^avo cviilcnce tlmt.so far at least as provld- ini,^ reli^'ious acoiuniodatioii for the [)e()|>le was coneerned, tlie Aliljotsof Cnjiar had done tlieir duty. For the last i'rw years the niinlsterof the parish — the Rev. CJeorL;-e I'mwii — has been doiii, soniethinLj to meet the wants of the oM and the convcnienee of all, by having a place fitted up for occa- sional services on Sunday evenings. This laudable move- ment deserves all encouragement, and the great nund)ers, who avail themselves of this opportunity of attending Divine service, satisfactorily prove that there are chajjcls jtlanted and supported in less necessitous places by our Home Mission O^nnnittee. To show the attachmei\t that the peo})le of Dendochy parish had to the Avork done by the Catholics and Episcopalians, they retained the E[)is- copal minister twelve years after the Revolution, and adhered to him even after the settlement of his Presby- terian successor. It was in ]jendochy Church that the deputation from the Tron Church of Glasgow heard Thomas Chalmers, then minister of Kilmany, who was awakening from the sense of f[xilure of his work, when conducted with the nicety of mathematical exactness, to the broad evangelical life which so marvellously stirred the souls of a generation. For nearly half-a-century the parishioners had the rare privilege — rare in a small country pai'ish without even a village — of having as their minister Dr. James BartA-, a man of distinguished scholar- ship, legal acumen, and i)reaching power, M'ho was raised to the ^loderator's chair of the General Assembly. With indefatigable energy he set about improving the position and strengthening the work of the preacher at Persie chapel, which had been erected in 1785, by having a man.'se built, a glebe allotted, and the parish endowed ; 72 STJJATH.Molli: : i'AhT AND I'liESE^T. iind all tliis lie livfl to s-jc act'(»ii-i])li,shod ai-cordlng to his Lest wishes. 'r\\c old ecclesiastical hauteur, blended with poetic taste, was stroiiLjIy marked iu his countenance and manner, which can I'u easily inferred from this note in Ills article in the New Statistical Account of the parish : — " The manse is sweetly situated on the banks of the Isla, snu';ly cmbosf.med in its own little ji^rove of wood, and oh I ye my successors, lift not uj) the axe against the trees. Touch not the olt! a.^-h that has stood for a century th(! sentinel of the manse, u'uardinu" it ivoui the eastern blasts, and lu-otectins: from the storm the L-'raceful birches that weep and wave their branches below." The highest ])rizo for entrant students of divinity at tlio four Univer- sity seats — the l>arty prize — is derived from the interest of money rai'^ed after his death, by his well wishers, as a memorial of Ids worth. Principal Playlalr of St Andrews was a native of the }iarish of Bendcchy ; and Ibr a time the Rev. J. Honey was minister, a man of liiLiantic stature and remarkable strength (the true iype of nnis- cular Christianity), who will be long remcndjcred for his daring and heroic feat, when a student at St. Andrews in Ih'MO, in rescuing from imminent de;ith live shipwrecked sailors l.)y successively swinuiiug with them — one by one — through the boiling surf, at the hazard of his own li!e ; for wlueh he had the honour of the freedom of the City conferred on hiri. The Parochial registers are contained in seven volumes, from 1G42. The}^ give the usual ample proof of rigid discipline and in(|uisitorial surveillance exercised by the kirk-sessions of those days. One ofi'endei* " the session thouyat litt to bring iu sackcloth, till he acknowledge his guilt on his knees." Another female delincpient ap- peared for the twentieth time belbie the conuiciiation on tlic stool of I'cpentance. A young lad having struck a ij I'.r.NDOCH'. < •) iitic llllS- his s in ,'ke(l one li;c ; liL;id the ssioji boy on tlie tSal)l>atli day for throw iiii;' a stone anionL;- tlio cliihlicn, confessed that ''he went out, and only sliot him over ; tlio mem Iters, after discoursinL;- of it, tlioii^iit lift to dismiss hiri \\ ilh the session rebook ' A Uiird was re- l)uked for voiiiLi" out with liis o-un on the Fast-(hiy " onl\- to lleg the tod iVom liis sheep." The session accepted four pounds nine shiUini^'s from a farmer "as satisfaction for his dauglitev's resiling- from ]>ui])'). e of marriage after tlic })ublicati(tn of l»anns.' The elders used to ii;o through the parish duriuL;- K The hoar-frost on the ice of the river was half-an-inch long (rennnding us of the niarveUously fairy-like a]ii)ear- auce of the hoar frost of December 1882; ; but for ail the YpjTijpr 74 STllATiniOilE : PAST AND PIM-SKNT. t J i i* til Ij 'i , fir frost, there was a pool of still water in tiic Isla (100 feet alxjve sea level), that did not freeze. According to Dr. Barty, on the l.'>Lli FeLriiary lSo8, the thermometer read 8 de- grees below zero (or 40 degrees of frost) ; when water spilt in a bedroom, in wliich there had been constant fire night and day for ten days previously, almost instantly con- gealed. The crop of 1705, which followed the intense cold of the winter before, was so deficient that the price of grain was doubled. In March of that year there was rain with a flood ; on ]\Iay 9th it was snowing heavily — the tliermometer never rising above 48 degrees during the whole month, noi- above GO degrees during the whole summer ; so that, on account of very broken sveather, the ears of the vmcut oats sprang, standing u])right in the fields, and the harvest was not taken in till the 24th of October, when from Loch Brandy (due north) a leeving wind helped the husbandman's laoours. The state of agriculture has altered ver}^ materially since the accounts of 17''30. Then it was conducted in the runrig system, i.e., each field was divided into as n)any ])arts or ridges as there we^'c farmers in the village. In Cupar-Grango alone there wcto fifty families, having its brewer, carrier, miller, and shop. It was a self-protection ])olicy to ward off the Highland de})redators. In these ridges the good and bad land was ecpially divided among all, but the pastu^'age was common. They })loughed with eight oxen; and their corn was very good in (prility. They used tumbler sledges for carts. There was no glass i:i the windows, but only wooden boards ; and the houses w^e 'e vile with smoke for want of vents. All the time of harvest a \)\peY was kept for playing to the shearers at the usual harvest fee, the slowest shearer having al vays the drone behind him. The population of the parish was therefore very much higher than now, I f ,vith ity. las.s the the the aver m of low, I BENDOCIIY. t arish. In 1840, Mr. Archer erected a farina-work at Coutty Bridge, which is occasionally a great boon to farmers when potatoes are either diseased or plentii'ul ; and nolhiiig can 'fp^ 76 STJlATiniOl'.E : PAST AND TRESENT. I)C lliicr or more L 'aiitiful than tnc Hour there maiiufae- tured. The Coutty Brul^'o over the Lshi was built Ly the Government in 1700; but it is now inconveniently narrow for tlie increased traiiic. Tlie pari.sli is purely agricultural; but lew parishes can equal it in the value ci' its stock or the weight of its grain. Quietly, in general, do the peo})le live. Daily viewing the Creator in His works, they contemplate the Divinu economy in the arrangement of the seasons; " away from the madding crowd," their natural affections arc cherished more purely than in the bustle of town life ; their habits become their })rinciples, and they are ready to risk their lives to main- tain them. Long may this continue, without tlie con- tamination of the foul disease of Connnunism ^\ hicli is being generated in the great centres of population ! Virgil's inimitable description of the pleasures of a rural life may aptl}^ suit Bendoehy : — " An easy, quiet, aij.l a .safu retreat, A liannlcris life devoid of foul chicane, And home-bred plenty the rich owner wait. With I'tiral pleasures spo/tiiig in lu;r train. Unvex'd witli quari-els, uiuli.sturb'd with noi.:ie. In peaceful industry time alides away; He, living lakes and llow'ry lielils enjoys, Woods, hills and dales, and streams that thro' theju pl-iy." 1 i I CUPAR- ANGUS. '.^' . !> In tlio voiy "IIowo" of Strathmore lies tlio ]»ai'ish of Cupar- Angus. The greater part is situated in Purtlishirc, but the original part is inForfarshire, hence it is designated "of Ancius." The or^Lnn of the name of Cuiiar is as uii- certain as is the correct wa}'' of spelling it ; but Ihis has been fully discussed in our arliclc on the Abbey (on ])age 5). More than likely the name was given in honour of the famous Saint Cuthbert, monk of Melrose, who is said to have had twenty-three churches conse- crated to his name. According to Skene, in his "Celtic Scotland," Cubert was one of the four royal manors or thanages of the division of Gouerin (Gowry), which paid " Can " to King Malcolm the Fourth. The river Isla separates the parish on the north from Bendochy. From the Taxatio of the Abbey of Arbroath (1275), the river is called Uliffe, which means a ilood, or inundation ; and tliis is characteristically ap[)ropriate, for the haugh-land, of considerable extent, was, before em- bankments were erected, very often subject to sudden submersion, which often occasioned very great loss to the crops, especiall}' during harvest-time. These embank- ments average in height above seven feet, and in brendtli, thirty-six feet at the baso, and three at the top. llising in Canlochan Glen, the Isla winds its serpentine way for forty miles ; and, fed by the Frichc, and Dean, falls into the Tay three miles beyond thewestern boundary of the })ansh. North-east of Cui)ar lies the jiarish of Meigle, which now quoad sacra contains Kinloch and Balmy le, formerly in Cupar parish, and still quoad civilia in it. Kettins 7S STRATITMoRE: PAST AND PRESENT. Pt 'i \ ' \ bounds Cu])ar on tlie soutli-easfc, and Carc;-il1 on the south- west. The whole parish, about fb'C miles loni,^ and two miles broad, is divided by a ridj,o of some height, aloiiLj vdiich runs tlie 1,'reat rond fn^m Perth to Aberdeen. The soil in the lowlands i^ of a cla3'ey or loamy nnture, jiroducinc,^ excellent cro})S of grass rjul grain. In elevated parts the soil is light and ^n-avelly, more suit- able for potatoes, when well manured. There was a common of 250 acres, called the AVatton Wuq, to which in olden times the parishioners used to go for turf and sods to eke out their fuel ; but since the railway has given facilities for the conve3''ance of coal up to the very door, no advanta<]:e is now taken of this. Dr. llobertson in the " Airri- culture of Perthshire," in 1700, mentions that the common then belonging to Cupar consisted of sixty Scotch acres. The view from Beach Hill, north of the town, is sincru- larly beautifid. On the one side, you see the Isla mean- dering through a fertile plain, " like a wounded snake, dragging its slow length along," On die other side, you are entranced with the grand panorama of the majestic Grampians, towering in their cjld beauty into the clouds ; the prominent peaks of Ben More, Schiehallion, and Ben Voi)-lich being quite distinct on a clear, hard day. Look- ing south,you have the wooded Sidlaws and Dunsinane, on which, in Macbeth, Shakespeare has throv/n a tragic charm. In quiet nooks and secluded dons some rare plants are to be found, especially the Water Soldier, Avhich throws out from the mud, near stagnant water, rigid prickly leaves, like those of an aloe, and in July a six- inch sin Ik with delicate white flowers at its summit. It is said that this very rare plant (though common in ditches in the cast of England), was planted in Forfar Loch, by fhe enthusiastic and talented discoverer of Forfarshire flora, George Don ; and found its way by the Dean to the Isla. 1 lean- mko, you ostic )U(1s ; Ben ook- c, on larm. s are rows ickly atiillv that I the the flora, Tsla. CL'PAr.-ANGiTS. 70 Tlio raro plants, tuftt'il Loosestrife (witli its small yclk)W wliorl), Henbane ((kangeronsly narcotic), and tlie dwarf Elder (with its licrbaccous stem), arc found in tlie parish; bnt in these days, when any mention mad"- of the favourite hrin;;ts of noted ferns causes a " Seimaclierib" rusli for specimens, -wliieh sooner or later extir[iates them, wo will not name the locus of tlu'sc plants, n'he remains of a lloman camp are still visible im- mediately to the east of the churchyaid. Maitland describes it as nearl}^ a regular srpiare of 1 i^OO feet, fortified with two strong ramjtarts and large ditches. It is said to have been formed by the army of Agricola in his seventh expedition. Here the half of his army en- camped, while the other half remained at Campmuir, in Lintrose, two miles south-west from this place. Those camps conmianded the passage of Stratlnuore, and, ac- cording to Wilson in liis " Pre-historic Scotla.nd," guarded the passages leading down Strathardle and Glenshee. \\'ilson also states that, in 1831, a spoar-hoad was found in the lands of Denhead belonging to tlie Archaic period, made of bronze, ID inches long, and extremely brittle. One of the fractui'cs near its ])oint shows that a thin rod of iron has been inserted in the centre of the mould to give additional strengch to this unusually large weapon. A Roman urn was found on Beach Hill, AVJiere, according to legend, justice was strictly administered in ancient times. We are unable to trace any imlnnces of summary execution on Witch Know, opposite to Cronan. But what made Cui)ar most famous in the middle ages was its Abbey. This was built on the centre of the Roman camp by order of King Malcolm IV., in 11G4, for the Cistercian Monks. As a ver}' exhaustive account — considering the Umited materials in the hands of the 80 STRATIIMORE : PAST AND PIirSEXT. 1 . I' i> I ■ ; I •I i I liistorian — liais boon already given of the Alibey at tlio beginning of tliis volume (pages 1-4(3), it would be out of place to give again an outline sketch. Tiie parish church and churchyard now occupy part of the fifty acrcr-j of its original site. The Abbey was well endowed by kings and nobles, and at the time of the Reformation its income was as good as £8()()() a year in our da}^ In 1480, Dempster of Careston, v.itli the two proillgate sons of the first Duke of Montrose, carried off " twa moidvis " and some horses belonging to the Abbey ; and fur this " busting of the privilege and fredomc of hali kirk " was ordered to place himself in ward in tlie Castie of Dum- barton. In 1G18, the spirituality of the benefice was transferred to the Protestant minister, and a new church was erected. In 1G45, two hundred soldiers attacked the town by order of the Marquis of Montrose ; and Robert Liiidsaj^ the pai'ish minister, took the leadership of the defence, but at the cost of his life. His widow wrote to Parliament about this attack of Alister ]\I'Donald, alias Collkittach, stating that her husband "was murdered by a number of merciless rebels for his zeal and forwardness in the cause of God." In the year following, an Act of Assembly recommended her for charity, which was readily responded to by many congregations in various parts of the Church. Ileiny Guthrie, Bishop of Dunkeld (1000-1G7G), was a native of Cupar. In 1G79, George Haliburton, minister of Cupar, was promoted to the Bi:-;hopric of Brechin. On the 2Gth of May 1C89, '' there was no Session, the town being in a confusion with Englishmen " (General M'Kaj^'s dragoons being then quartered in the town). In the same year George Hay was deprived by the Privy Council for contumacy. On the IGtli June 1742, James Spankie (who had been or- dained on the 10th of ]\Iarch 1741), was, on the casting CUPAR- Axrajs. 81 out crcB . ^>y 1 its In sons ikis L- tliis " ^va3 Dum- c ^vas t:hurcU Lcd the Robert of tlio roto to a, aluis cred \>y arelncss n Act of s readily |)arts 01 Dunkcld George to tliO 9^ " tliei'o Ion witli ing then ^orge Hay »acy. On Ijcen or- lie casting I vote of the Moderator oi' rresl'ytcry, deposed for his ir- re<;,ailar marriage and dissimulation ; Liit tins judgment was reversed by the Synod, who O'dered him to bo solemnly rebuked. Ho was parish minister for thirty- sev'en years. There were for many years in early time.'] two other chapels in the parish — the chapel of the blessed Mary at Balbrogy, and the chapel of St. Ninian at Keithock. Two important decisions were given by the Court of Session in connection with ecclesiastical and parochial matters in Cu]->ar. In re Hill v. Wood (18G3), it was decided anent churchyards (1) that long-continued posses- sion of burial ground in the chui'chyard will be hcLl to presume, and will be practically treated as equivalent to, a formal allocation of it ; (2) that an allottee of ground in a church3'ard, whether he bo an heritor or merely a ]Karishioner, does not by the allocation acquire a right of absolute proporl:y in it, but of use merely, though from the sacred nature of the use {ie. burial accommodation to successive generations of the parishioners), the allocation confers on the allottee a right to the exclusive possession of the ground so long as it is tenanted liy the dead, or while unallocated ground exists in the churchyard which can be assigned as a place of burial ; (3) that the right of sepulture may bo acquired by a family or a muuber of individuals in ground not belomring to them (ii5cluding the churchyard), in virtue of possession thereof by way of burial therein of their relatives for a period of forty years ; and (4) that the site for the erection of a vestry for a church will not be sanctioned if it involves an enci'oachment on the existing churclij^ard. And in re Scot. N.E. Railway v. Gardiner (18G4), anent ecclesiastical assessments, it was decided (1) that the term " heritor " applies to a corporate hodtj, such as a railway company ; F 82 STUATIIMolli: : I'AST AND I'UKSMNT. f i >fl '1 ', :l II (2) that as to real or valued rent for sucli nssossniont tlio rule of lialjility is not regulated by tlio Valuation Act (wliich is not a taxing statute, but merely one for valuing projicrties), but by the rules of law in force prior to its date (1854). In IGIS, the town of Cupar was erected into a "haill and free lordship and bai'ony," being origin- ally, like Arbroath, what was called an abbot's burgh, to distinguish it fi'oni a royal burgh, like Forfar, or a bishop's burgh, like Brechin ; for towns and villages gravic,nn- IS aiul md t\ie Gray, r of the ristcvs i*^ jntvies of vvio and llogistev iik-li con- ordinary are now aiing for igcvity of Ivell autli- It tlie age |uen, wlio, istrcets of lit in tiic re, witlr a (ibont lialf lUe vigour for tifty- bhe whole community and Preshytory, carried on liis uiiobstrusivo but powerfully Ijistiiii,^ work, in the development of liberal theoloiiical tlioULjlit. As in the neighhourinLj parishes, vast clianii^os liave taken place in Cupar, inagiieultureand manufactures und the livinuf of the peo[)le. In 17'>0 tlie jjopulaiion of the quoad ca'<7/(6 parisli was 1401 ; it is now oOOO. Then the valued rent was £r).")f; ; now the real rent is £1(), 111)7. Then the runrig prevailed, with ploughing by oxen ; now farmers have large farms, with vastly im]U'oved imi)le- ments. Then lint seed formed a considerable part of the produce ; now it is unknown. Then on the prineijial road any house could sell s[)irits and ale without a licence ; now it is attem])ted to have entire i)rohibition. Then there was but one minister ; now there are half-a-dozen, endeavouring to W(nk out in religious polity Darwin's theory of " the survival of the fittest in tlie struggle for existence." Then there were ton carriers ; now they liavo the Caledonian Railway. Then there were four whisky stills and nine brewers, forty-five public housekeepers and nine butchers to a third part of the present population. lla])pily what a contrast now ! The teacher's salary was £11, as the writer in the "Old Statistical Account" says, " not equal on an average to that of the meanest mechanic or day labourer." The turf and divot and cruisic-lamp now give place to coal and gas. The handloom-weaving is supplanted by machinery. A tannery was built in 1781, wherein 2G00 hides were dressed annually. Now there are three linen-works, a tannery, a farina work, a brewery, anl steam sawmills. To further the linen manufacture, Oco 'ge Young, a Cupar merchant, and a man of uncommon capacity for business, endeavoured, by petitioning the Board of Trustees for the " Forfeited Scottish Estates," to procure a survey for a canal between 1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // {/ V it" 1.0 I.I 11.25 li^ 1 2^ 12.5 III "it m M^ 111^ U IIIIII.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 73 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTU.i.Y. 14580 (7)6) 873-4S03 iV V ^^ S \ ^» » « % O"^ f> 84 STRATJIMoItE: PAST AND rUKSKXT. if u - ^. i i »! '•h Pcrtli and Forfar l)y CAipar ; Init the expense was too heavy and tlic plan was laid aside. Tlic stf;c[)lc, wliicli niai'ks the town at a distance, but is not connected witli the church, was built in 17<>2 l)y subsciiption among the inhabitants. It stands on the spot wiierc tlie prison of the Court of Kcgality stood ; and the lower part of it is still employed as a temporary place of coi.!inement. A few years ago Mr. Lowe, a native of Cupar, after his arrival from Winnipeg in North America, most handsomely repaired the ])artly dilapidated steeple at his own expense. Justice of Peace Courts and Circuit Small Debt Courts are regularly held here. There are several banks and liotels in the town ; but the weekly farmers' market, on Thursday, is dwindling down. Still, there is a regular auction mart for selling and buying cattle ; and fair attendances are occasionally seen on the third Momlay of six of the months of the year. TLe chief improvement in agriculture consists in drain- ing — an ingenious ])lan of the late Lord llallyburt(jn beini; thus described by ])r. Stevenson in his " New Statistical Account of the Parish : " — " Li heavy rains the standing water could not find any vent the only drain — a small stream skirtinu: the land — servinix to increase the evil. In these circumstances his Lordshij) planned the following remedy : — A level was brought up from a poijit in the bed of the stream, ILSO feet 8 inches below the farm subject to inundation. In diy weather tl>e stream was conlined to one side of its usual channel, and a conduit of 18 inches square, well built, flagged, and puddled on the top, to jjrevent any water getting in, was constructed below the bed of the bu'n. Above that, a complete coating of broken metal was laid to render th o conduit more secure, and the burn was then allowed to run in its former course. The rise is one inch in 42 feet CUrATl-ANfirS. s: IS too on tlic stood ; ipovavy jowc, a 11 KovlU xpidatcd LU-ts and .. There c weekly ■n. Htill, (A buying;- seen on iai'. ^ In draiii- fiUy burton liis a New 1^' rains the y drain — icreaso tlio anne«l tbo m\ a point below tbo tbe stream nel, and a red, and yn^ oo Itlng in, ^vali )0vc tbat, a ndcr tbo allowed to IcU in 4; lo re 2 inclies, Tlio cost of tlic whole was £'2'2i). It was con- structed in IM.'U, and has been found, with occasional trilliuL,' repairs, cou4>h'tely to answer tlio purpose for which it was intended." Cupar Parish, like Kettins, has been famed all over the country for its breedini:; of cattle. Some years a[fo wc saw at the iShorthorn sale at Keithock (Mr. Fisher's) the finest specimens of that breed v.-hich Scotland ])osscssed ; and the very hiL;'h prices realised by "Mv. Thornton's sand-nl;i s from purchasers from all parts of the world testilied to the rare (pialitios of the stock. At Bali;ersho Farm, JSIr. Ferguson the other day realised a very hiirh iiLTure for some of his pi'inie Aberdeen Ancrus breed. Messrs. ^bicdonald and Sinclair, authors of the history of that excellent stock, give him a very com|)li- nicntary but well -deserved notice. ILaving secured several of Mr. Watson of Keillor's best cattle, he blt^nded the valuable blood of" the lirst great improver" with his own herd, which consists of the descendants of the famous Vines of ^Mr. M'Comblo. In bS74 a nuich-needcd water supply was introduced into the town. Her gracious i\Iajesty (^ueen Victoi'ia has driven three times through Cujtar — on the 11th SejUem- ber anil 1st October, 1844, and on the 81st August, l.S.')0. We cannot close this article without making reference, in a word, to the princely gift by Peter Carniicliael, F'-c}., of Arthurstone, of a very handsome church, with suitable endowment of £200 a year for the minister, in connection with the Church of Scotland, at a cost of £10,000. The parish of Ardler quoad sacra is to be taken from the parishes of Cupar, ^leigle and Kettins ; and after tho necessary legal process of disjunction by the Court of Teinds it will Ix^ added to tho Presbytery as a fitting and I'eautiful memorial 9 ^Q^\j m *'^" ^^i'' Carnnchael's deceased children. The desi^ai ■* f Aut JJ f «m»iL uiy. ^ - «.♦*— -^ ..'♦J- ^--^-s.-*-* -i; • » h 86 STRATnMOT^E : PAST AND TRKSKNT. of the Cliurcli, a.s M'ell as of the ^I.inse, does great credit to the arcliitect, Mr. Johnstone of Greymoiint. May the people, to whom this convenient and beautiful place of worship has been given, show their life gratitude to the generous donor by regularly availing themselves of the religious services there ! : ♦ : I jtn'^ Iff ' I ^ ii f LETHENDY AND KINLOCH. Quite sopaiatc parishes rntil ISOG, and topncjvapliically distinct, Letlicndy and Kinloclinow form a united parish. Letliendy is separated from Blairgowrie on the cast by tlie Lunan Burn, is bounded on tlie south by Caputh, and on the west by Clnnio. It is five miles long, and about one and a-half broad. The surface rises gently westward for a mile, the^ falls suddenly from less pro- ductive soil to a line black mould. A hundred and twenty years ago the best lands were und'.'r sheep pas- ture, but owing to a bad breed and unskilful management the yield was poor, both to the proprietor and tenant. From that time sheep were entirely banished, niarl wa;: extensively used, the waste lands were cultivated, and by industry and good management the rents soon trebled, the condition (»f the tenants improved, and the face of the country entirely changed. And so much has the parish ])rogressed that Iron the old valued rental of £105, the assessed rental now" is about £'2oo'2. The Tower of Lethend}^ is a ver}'' old buildij:g, sup- ]>osed to have been a fortalicc in times preceding . he in- vention of gunpowder; but, on th whole, it was far from being impregnable, especially from the east and south. About fifty years ago a pot was lV>und, six feet below the surface, in the peat moss at Blackloch, where it is sup- posed a Roman camp was pitched. Ihis Iloman camp- pot — made of a com]>ound metal, like bell metal — stands upcm three feet, is 17 inches high, 40 inches in circumfer- ence, and capable of holding six Scotch pints. The population of Lethendy in 17^0 was 340 which, 88 STHATHMORf:: past and present. I, \ i \ r ( ^ i :, ji I IK M , I ! .:i is aljout the sanio ns at present. Tlie registers commence in KiUS, and incongruously mix up matters of Churcli discipline, collections and distributions for the poor, marringes and baptisms, &c. Some liave been well kept, but others liave sudered from the damp. A hundred years ngo the peopl(3 were described as very simple in thrir manners, frugal, industrious, and contenk'd with their situation. Their religious idea** were narrow and imperfect, Imt their morals were little .short of the dwellers in St. Kilda. The writer of the "Old Statistical Account " would have been a staunch o]»ponont of the last Franchise Bill, for he complimented the parishiMucrs on their being nearly ignorant of ])olitical creeds : — " 'i'he speculations of this nature, which liave I.-itely so much engaged the attention of mnidvind, and which have been discussed by all parties with so great warmth and un- chnritableness!, arc here treated with much indifl'ei'ence. 'j'liey indeed hear and talk of reforms antl revolutions, find ])lots and conspiracies, and armed associations ; but without being the least alarme0()V, I kept, \ Avilh )W an'l iitistical t of the ;__" 'I'lio 30 mucU ivc I'eeu and un- liVevencc. (£27 ir)s, C«l. storliiiir) ; and wliore competent mans are alit'ady built, the heritors of the ])arish are hereby or- dained to relieve the ])re.sent minister of all cost, charL,^e.s nnd expenses for biiildiiiL^ and repairini; of the manses." Ml'. Williamson, the minister of the ]»aiiNh in 17^<), ap])licd to the Presbyteiy, who ordained the hei itors to build a new manse in lieu of the old one, at a cost of £1-0 ster- linL,^ because a com})etent manse could not be built cheaper. Mr. Mercer, the prineijial heritor, brought this deliverance before the Court of Session, who ultimately mci'eased the allowance to £l!)o stcrlini;*. Against this judgment ^Ii". Alercer appealuil to the lloust) of Lords, who ailirmed the decision of tlu; Court below, 'dvinLT as their reason that "the Court of Session had gone accord- ing to the sjiirit of the statute." This decisi(»n in the Lethendy case has now all the force of a direct Act of Pailiament. Willi the interpretation ])ut on the statuto by the house of Lords, "com]>etent " manses arc to be ]rovided Mithout any minimum limit to the exjiense. The statute is to be modilled by custom, as has been pointed out in the Abeidour and Elgin cases since ; " for the keeping up of a manse (even to lelmiMing) must bo c •nsidered as re]>airs, and the expense of such repairs falls under the clause in which there is no limitation." The Court lias since allowed upwards of £'2()()i) sterling for the rebuilding of a manse. In 17>S1) the same heritor, Mr. Mercer, took the minister to theCourtof Session for diirgiiig peats from the glebe for the use of his family, on the ostensible plea that the operation involved a considerabio diminution of the soil ; but the Court decided in favour of the minister. And again, in the same year, Mr. Mercer challenged the riuht of the minister to have more than the statutory four Scotch acres of a glebe ; but the Court •uled that after tlic lapse of forty years, tlic heritors can- '"r- I' I » I' -. f 90 STKATHMORK : PAST AND PRESENT. \\ ; t f • m M i ii '■'\ M not cliallcn;^^^ tlio state of possession of the f,'lelje enjoj-ed (luriiiLj tills period, althoiiLjh it is more than the statutor}'' allowaiiec; beeause siicli contliined possession was on- elusive evl'lence of tlie orlLfinal extent of th(^ irlehe. The chureh of Lethendy was supplied from H'u^ to loSO by Jolm Morles. Iti 1(177, iJaviil Youiilj was translated to Dunkeld. "The Ulciidh were estimat" at £40. In UnSO (Jeor^^e Ireland died, aged 30; " wared on liim for dro::^'gs in the time of Ids siekness 100 merks, and expended on his funeral £00 Seots." Kinloeh takes its name from its situation, meanin£» "the head of the loch," there beiuLT three lochs in the parish — viz., the Loch of Drumelie, the Rae Loch, and the F(.'nzies Loch. These abound in pike, perch and eel. In Drumelie and the Lunan Burn, issulnii; from it, are found excellent trout, which feed on the slick-worm (a species of food le of the plant. These a])ples were taken before the shaws were decayed, and itreserved carefully from the winter frosts. In April the seeds were picked out of the ap])les and sown an inch deep in well-prepared soil, half-an-inch of earth coverino- th' a. A\ hen the seedlings were an inch above the ground, they were transplanted into another })iece of ground, at the distance of ten inches between the plants in the row, and at the distance of four- teen inches between the rows. They produced potatoes about the size of a small hen's egg. These were planted in the following year, and an excellent crop generally re- warded the labours ; the seed of three apples producing a ton of potatoes. Some keen cultivators secured a kind of fx. "^ 02 STUATIIMORF,: PAST AND rRFSEXT. ii m ■ ])otato in this way wliidi, when kopt properly, alh)WC(l two (•roi),s to 1)0 t'lken uirtlio same \nQCQ of ^aound in ono year. Can something of this nature not be seen about now in these uinvMuunerative ai^rieiiltural times? There is one Druidieal temple in the parish, on the road leadiuiT from IJlairLTowrie to Dunkeld. Tiiere is an old castle at (Jiassclune, situated on the proj(3etion of tho steep bank of the glen of Lornty Ilurii. Tho massive ruins sh nv that it must have been a plae.' of considerable strength both natural and artitieial. It was possessed of old by a ])owerful family of tho name of Blair. An in- veterate feud subsisted between the IJlairs of Glasscluno and th(! Herons of Drundoehy, a castle a gunshot to tho cast in lilairgowrie ])arish ; and a constant and harasKing system of petty warfare was for long kept u]>, attended Avith < dcrablo bloodshed on both sides ; till at length tho s^. u ,glo was ended in the total lete destruction of his fortress. There arc in a moor about SO tuuuili, called tho Haer Cavins, lo feet long and 5 feet high, which some anti- quarians of authority (among them Dr. Skene, the Queen's Historiographer for Scotland), in s])ite of General Hoy's claim for Ardocli, have contended to bo vestiges of tho far- famed battle of Mons Gi-am])ius between the Romans nnder Agricola and the Caledonians under Calgacus, in 8-i A.D. The Caledonians occupied the ridge extending from tho Ericlit to Forneth, about live miles to the westward, pro- tected by the river and a deep ravine. As is well known, the natives made the irretiievable mistake of doscendinfr from their vantage ground, and exposing themselves to tho imi)etuous attacks of tho disciplined troops in tho open plain. Tho natives were put to flight, after a des- perate hand to hand encounter; and tho traces of their flight, are &till to bo seen in numerous tumuli throuirh Jl LKTIIKNDY AND KINLoClf. o:i owed 11 one aV)uut in tbo > is an of tbo lass'ivo ,'sse(l of An in- tsscliuio b to tho avasj^'lng ittentletl it leiv^tli i laird of fortress, lie Haer w anti- Queen's al lloy'y f the far- ^ns under u 84 A.D. from tho A-ard, \>ro- 11 known, cscending nselves to ps in the fter a dcs- ;s of their li througii Maws in r*lalrL,'»)\vrie. This j^avu rlso to the provincial cxprcs.sidii, that wlu'ii a troublesonie person ahstaiiis iVoiii lii^litiiiLT, on findiiiij that ho has met lii.s superior, tin? lii^'lit was said to be, " let-a-hce for lut-a-hee, liUc tiie li^ilt of Maws." About the end of last century a tuuudus, cSl feet by 4 feet, was opened and found to con- tain luiman teetl» and a j;rcat (pumtity of liuman l)on('.>, much reduced and mixed with cliarcoal ; very likely the remains of part of the 340 Romans and 10,0()() Ihitons who bravely fell. The old valued rental of the parish was £142 ; now tho real rental is £2200. I'ho population has not varied mueh from what it was in 17*>0, <*.<'., 331. The Parochial iers iro back to 1007. The eccentric minister of Tamiadiee, M r. John Buist, 'vas once pi'oprietor of Nether Ijaleairn ; and ^Ir. Farquharson of Invercauld took some of his linest larches to Bracmar, from the seedlings which ho reared in his property in Kiidoch. Tlie jiarish wa-j originally called Lundeill". In lolJT, Thomas Cruickshank. was mini- ster, with a stipend of £G 13s. -Id. On account of the suller- ings and lo3-alty of James Drunnuond,his chihlren ha(L£")0 allowed by Parliament out of the V^acant Stipend of 1(J(!1. The parishes of Lethendy and Kinloch were united by the Lor for a few jottings about it. In 18:)5, tho aged minister having applied to the Crown (the Patron) to appoint his assistant, Mr. Clark, as liis assistant and successor — being petitioned by 107 males, he^vus of families — the presentation was made in Mr. Clark's favour byaroyal sign-manual. The Presbytery of Dunkeld, holding for tho iirst time that there was a constructive or 4ualilied 04 sTRATiiMour;: i'Ast and i»hi:si:nt. *'» I; f J- 111 vacancy, sustained the in'cscntation. Hut just l)of(»ro this, the Cicneral Asscnnbly, tlilnking that they had tlio power, passed a Veto Act, by whicli, after the ])resenteo had olliciated l)ef()ro the ci)n;,frei,'ati()n, a uuijority, if dis- satisfied, could oiiject to his 1»eiii;^' in(hicted to the cliarf^o. Accordingly, after Mr. Clark's trials, the parishioners, havini:^ chancfed their minds, set liini aside l)y a haro majority. The Assendily, on a|)j)eal, conlirniod the veto. Soon after the old minister «lied, and a second presenta- tion was issuetl by the Crown in favour of Mr, Kesscn. The Presbytery sustained the ])resentati()n, and inti- mated his trials. Mr. Clark there; ^ on obtained an inter- dict from the Court of Session ])rohiljiting the Presbytery from proceedini^ further. At next Ceneral Assembly it was resolved that, as admission to the pastoral charj^o of a parish was critively an ecclesiastical act, the Presb^'tcry must proceed to the induction of Mr. Kessen upon the call, and not ui)on the presentation. The Presbytery were in a dilemma : if they proceeded to the induction they might be imprisoned by the Court of Session for breaking the interdict ; if they delayed, they might bo deposed for not obeying their ecclesiastical sui)eriors. To make things easier, however, it was resolved by the Assembly to prepare a libel against Mr. Clark for the violation of his vows to obey the Assembly's orders. As soon as possible afterwards, the Presbytery ordained and inducted Mr. Kessen to the charge, thus bringing the Church and the Civil Court into mortal combat. On this Mr. Clark complained to the Court, who summoned the Presbytery before them as criminals at the bar. There was a long defence ; and, after taking the matter to avizandum for four days, the judges announced that the sentence was for the first ofience the solemn censure of the Court. Mr. Clark was libelled by the Presbytery ; but m;tiii:ni>y and KixLotii. 95 il tho if «lis- iouiM'S, \ haro c veto, cscnta- Kesscn. \ inti- n intei - sbytevy }u\bly it harj^c of i}sbytery ^pou the csbytcry Uict'ioii ssioii for u;^'ht bo upeviors. 1 \)y the for the Icvs. As incil and ^nn(f the at. On iinmoncd the bar. matter to that the ure of the lie (li'dliud its aullmrlty on account of tlic illi\L,Ml char- acter of its composition, bciii;^ j»artly fornicil of quoad fidcra niinistcrs. Tiio Assembly of 1S42 dismissed tins objection and deprived liim of his licence ; Dr. William C'unninL;ham remarkiiiij ^vith cl»aiaet< ristic atidaeity, that "the Church discliur;,^Ml its wliolo duty towards tlic interdicts of the Court of Session by despisin<^ them and trauiplin;^ theui uny Kassie and Nevay and Ne\vt3'Ie; on tlie west and soutli-west ]»y Cu])ar and Kettins. Its length is about five miles, and its breadth two inilcs. The two Stitistical Accounts of tlic parish were written by shrciwd and carefully observ- iiiLf men, viz., Dr. James Tlayfair and Dr. IMitehell. The latter considers tliat the name of the ])arisli was derived from its local situation — Midgill, or ])etwccn the "gills" or marslies; tlic Church and Manse being built on a plain between two marshes. Dut Jervise sup[)0scs that it comes from Migdel, "the ])lain with the dales." The name has various ways of spelling — Miggil, Megill, ]Migell ; in an old maj) of l(j4() iMiglo, with a lai'go shaded part for ^ligle AFoss ; and in the return of Presbyteries to the Ceneral Assembly of 159."), ^ligf;!. The Dean is a sluggish, deep river, issuing fixmi Forfar Loch, twelve miles distant; iiud is ])articulai'ly noted for its excellent trout, generally very heavy, red-Ileshed, and ilavoured to meet the taste of the most fastidious gourmand. It flows into the Isla altout half a mile from the vill;ig(3 of iMeigie. This rivei', in floudtimc especially, is far more i'a.pint v/e aro IcTt veiy much to li-a'lition foi- any oxplaiiatiou, which is certainly very me;i;n-(! and unsatisfactory. The tales and stories whieii havt; hecji handed down Ihioiiuli successive <(oneratioiis arc far too wild and extiviva;; int for this in;)ttcr-of-fact and utilitarian {\'.j;*\ Ahandoninc,', there- fon^, the most im])rohal)l(\ we s1i;dl examine tin; more reniai'kahle monuments of anti([uity in the ])arish, takinij notice of the most j)lausil)le accounts which liave come down to us concerning' them. A little south r)f the village is situated IJelmont Castle, once the seat of Lord Whavn- clilfe, an elegant niodei-n ((uadrangular pile, agglonierated with the oM 'owcr of a former mansion. It is situated on the highest eminence in the parish, tlOl- feet above the level of the sea, and commands an extensive view of the l-lain. Ly a most nnex[)ecled accident it was, a }ear ago, almost entirely burned down to the ground, dcstroy- i)ig some elegantly built and furnished a])artment.s. IJefore this unfortunate fire this Castle, with its nice gardens and fine enclosures, licautiful lawn, and very old stately trees, rcndei-ed it the mo.st delightful residence in Strathmore. Dr. ll(jbertson of Callendar, in his "Agri- culture of IVi'thshire " (17i>0)> indentions , , as a " magnifi- cent ])lace, and next to Cilamis the ornament of Strath- more." The Castle, ])olicy, and two adjoining fai'ms have been recently sold to the Right lion. H. Cam]>bell- liannerman, M.P., the Chief Secretary for Ireland, for £■52,000. In Iloman Catliolie times it wuh the residence of the Lishops of Dunkeld, under the name Kirkhill which it reta.ined till about a hundred yeai's ago. To show the coiniection of the parish with the Abbey of Dunk old, the greater part of the stipend of Dunkeld ia ]y V- 98 STiMTinroT^E : past and prksent. 'I M ( I ! it !■■ , H! still paid out of Mci;.;lo ; and to implement the last aug- mentation f,n'anted by the Court of Teiiids to the mini.stiT of Meiglo, it was found necessaiy to take so much off the stipend of the minister of Dunkeld. Some of tlic most majestic beeches cvor we saw arc in the policies of Belmont Castle, the solid wood of one being calculated, below the odsct of the branches, to measure *27G cubic feet. Taken as a whole, tlie ornamental timber in the ])ark is unequalled in Scotland for size and beauty. In the enclosures of the castle there is a tumulus called BellidufF, wliicli tradition gives as the spot where, in 10.5G, Macbeth was killed in battle by Macduff. Taking the most reliable facts out of the mass of fiction, we see that Macbeth, after murdering King Duncan, was crowned King ; but this soon rouscMJ up the revengeful ire of Malcolm, Duncan's son, wlio was heartily assisted by the Eni^lish KincT, Edward the Confessor. The Eno-lish forces marched as ftir north as Dunsinane, one of the Sidlaws, where they had a furious hand-to-hand cuufliet with ^lacbeth, who commanded liis troops in ])erson. After many displays of courage Macbeth was obliged to retreat ; and tradition fixes Kelliduff as a likely place where Macduff, Thane of Fife, to gratify personal revenge, slevz the King in single combat. AVe are glad to see that th'^ learned historian. Burton, has thus assigned ]\racbcth n higher place than many others give him : — " The deed.; which raised Macbeth and his wife to power were not in appearance much worse than others of their day, done for similar ends. However, he may have gained hi- power, he exercised it with good repute, according to tin; reports nearest to his time." Wo know that Macbeth i the firwt king who a])pears in the ecclesiastical records as a benefactor of the Church ; for, accordino: to the Rccrister of the Priory of St. Andrews, lie granted some lands to ■J- M El CLE. 99 t ang- oil" tlic ic most icioi3 of dilated, T) cub"'« V m the uty. Ij'i AS called vlicro, in Taking n, \vc see s crowned ful ire of ted by tlic •Usli forces e S'uUaws, itlict witli ,011. After to retreat ; ace where cngc, slew ■G that tli'^ :Macl)ctli a ' The deed;; kere not in day, done rt-aincd Iri-^ ■ding to the ^lachcth i-^ \ records as Ithe Kegistev me lands to the ^Monastery of Loch Levcu Abont, a mllo distant from iK'llidiifF stands, almost erect a larirc M'hin-stono block of twenty tons in w :ht, t( •ate th lommcmorj (leatJi ot some military commandoi', and is called by tradition " Siward's or ^lacjbcth's Stone." When the Knight Templars were in pomp (from the foundation of the order of military monks in 1118), they liad consideral)lo interest in ]\reigle, several lands in the pai'ish being still known as the Temple Lands. Wc pre- fer this derivation to the common one of tcmpJum, any rcliirious house. The earliest recorded lords of ^leiLrle belonfjfcd to a familv who assumed it for th ir surname. Tliey had their lands from William the Lion ; in his time (1180), Simon do iMiggil was Lord of the Manor. Tiie last notice of the surname is that of Homer de ^[iuirel, who alonij with the Peiihshiro barons swore fealty to Edward I. in 129t). The first Earl of Crawford, in founding the choirs of our Lady of Victory and St. George at Dundee (in 1.308), gave an annual of 12 merks out of tlie lands of Balmyle. Meigle was for some time part of the h^i-dship of Crawford, from which the scape- grace, Lord Lindsay, over-ran and up-lifted the rents in the time of his father, the Duke of Montrose, who was com- pelled to crave Parliament, in 1489, to protect him ; in answer to which the offender was ordained to remedy all the evils which the lands of " McQ-ill and Rothuen " had sustained. .Drumkilbo, a mile cast of the villai^-o, is a fine mansion embosomed in wood. Kinloch, the residence of Sir John Kinloch, is pleasantly situated a mile and a half west of the village. When ^Mr. Murray of Simprim lived at i\Ieigle House, Sir Walter Scott was more than once his guest. And near Simprim, at Cardean, there are still the vestiges of a camp. T ffr r , ' Mn. ' M w wjj I I Hi \ ill 100 STIIATIIMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. But it is tho aiiLi'ino and cnrlous monuments in tlio cliurcliyard wliieli have most of all attracted the jniblic eye to tlie parish. The accounts of antiquarians so stirred up tlic entluisiasm of tlie community, that a few years ago the late Sir George Kinloch, the Sujierior of Meigle, thought it advisable to protect them from tlic ravaixes of the vv^eather and the hammeriuij tourist. Accordingly, without consulting the Kirk-Session or Presbytery (the custodiers of all pre-reformation remains in the churchyard or church), he, by mistake, removed some to the old school, Avhich at a vcr}'- high figure he had purcliascd for the purpose of forming a parish imiseum. Decided action was taken by the Presbytery, and a compromise was at last come to between the two conflicting parties, by which the sculptured stones, that had ah-eady been removed, would not be ordered to be returned to the churchyard, as Sir George had agreed to enclose the old school within the churchvai'd, with free admission to any parishioner. In the churchyard (for the stones in the old school are now also in the church- yard), are the remains of the grand sepulchral monument of Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur, who flourished in the sixth century, but whose history is involved in fable. Before desciibing the remains in these remarkable stones, we will mention a few points brought out so beautifully by the Poet Lauieate, Lord Tennyson, in his " Holy Grail " and " The Idylls of the King." It happened that " Lcodogran, the King of Camcliavd, Had one fair daughter, and none other child ; And slie was fairest of all llesh on earth, (Uiinevcre, and in her his one delight."' Till Arthur came near, the country was in a very wild state, where tiie " beast was ever more and more ; but man was less and less." Passing by the Castle walls, a strange sensation possessed Arthur ; for though he looked down, he MKIGLE. 101 . tlio ublic \s so [I few ior of n the 3urist. on or jmains moved mrc be pavis'.i bytevy, Aie two les, that d to be icreed to ith fvcc ard (tor church- muincnt Wished in m fable. e stones, lautifuby " IJoly ;ned that rery wild but man la strange down, he ** Felt tlio liilit of lior eyes into his life .Smite on tiio siuiilcn ; " and in deep and charuiod meditation, ho resolved to ho "join'd with her, that reigning with one will in evcry- tliing, they might liave power to lighten all the land." After some negotiatiiin", Arthur's ehicf knight, Sir Launcelot, was sent for Guinevere to make her Queen. Happy for a short time only did they live, for strangely had she given Launeelot her love, in spite of the " dear Meeting by arrangement to face of the gui leless K ing. sin and part, " passion pale they greeted ; hands in hands, and eye to eye, they sat stammering and staring low on the l;)()rder of her couch." It was a madness cif farewell, ftr in guilt she exclaimed — "Would God, that thou could'st hide me from myself! ^line is the shame, for I was wife, and thou unwedded." 'ihey parted ; and she went to a nunnery, unknown among them, till one day the cry, " The King ! " startled her, and so great was her miser}'' that *' There witli her milk-white arins and shadowy hair ^^he made her face a darkness from the King." Arthur met her, and in pity and broken love addressed her with pathetic appeals to penitence ; he loved her, yet he could not restore hei' altogether. Bitterly he must say :— " Thou hast not made my life so sweet to me, 'I'liat I, the King, should greatly care to live : For thou liast spoilt the purpose of my life. I hold that man the worst of public foes AVho, either for his own or eliildren's sake, To save his blood from scandal, lets the wife "Whom he knows false, abide and rule tliu house." According to the tradition, Guinevere was put in captivity on Banyhill, in Alyth, and ultimately torn to pieces by wild l)easts ; though Tennyson, throwing back on heathen times the Christian spirit, does not adopt any so cruel denouement for his series of beautiful idyls. One thing is 102 STRATIlMOr.E: PAST AND PRKSEXT. I M I ■ I 1 ■ . I < i ])r('tty C(-'i'tain fi-diii all accounts, she was buried at ]\Iciglo, and a momnnent was erected to perpetuate her sin. Til is nieuiorlal oriLjinally consisted of many stones artlully joined, and decorated 'Nvitli a variety of ryni- bolical cliaracters, strangely nionstr-ju^s in their nature, and representative of revengeful violence on a woman. " On one stone arc three small crosses, with many animals above and below. On another is a cross adoriieJ inlocli id tho btod at ed the Megill, Migell •bey , 22s. Gd. and 22s. 8d. respectively. The present iluctuation of stipends had tliereforc a corresponding ehango at the end of last century. The Clerk of Presbytery (The Ken'. Dr. Chree of Lintrathen) ha^ very kindly gone through a considerable part of their Hecords for important informa- tion ; but he has not found much to reward his labour. The estate of Kink)ch, thougli ([uodd sacra in Meigle, is tanporaUtev in Cupar-Angus. There is iio vestige of a Roman highway in the neighbourhood of Meigle. A very old bridge over the Dean connected Meigle and Airlie i but a more connnodious one has been built in its stead. Un- til about fifty years ago, the Isla had to be crossed, on tlie road from Dundee to Alyth, by a ferry-boat. Several at- tempts were made to have a bridge built there ; but these were frustrated by the Societies which were j)eculiarly in- terested in their success. At length, however, the lino bridge of three arclies at Crathio was built. Though of high span (apparently needlessly high inordinary weather), yet by sudden meltings of snow on the hills, or by heavy rains, the Isla has not been able to get sullieient room for its impetuous current, and has burst out \\\)o\\ the road. The valued rental of the parish is £o50 ; the real rent is now above £8,000. The population a century ago was 1148 ; now it is \)ijQ. The decrease is owineforo 174."), was from S to 14 shillin-s |ier acre; of outlying grounil from 2 to 5 .shillings. The waires of a male servant were £1 lOs. ; of a female 1-s. The price of a horse was £4 (!.s., of ati ox. X-, of a sheep 5s., of a hen -M., of a dozen of eggs Id. A cart cost 14s., a plough 5s., a harrow Gd. A great effort was made, soon after the rebellion was quieted, to einanci])ate the in- habitants from the state of barbarism, and to rouse a spirit of industry. Farms were enclosed, .sheep were driven away from infield ground.s, marl was used from tlie myre.s, and in a few years a marked change took place. As Dr. Plaj^fair pointedly puts it: — "The tenant, as if awaked out of a ])rofound sleep, looked around, beheld his fields clothed with the richest harvests, his herds fiittening in luxurious pastures, his family decked in gay attire, his table loaded Avith soli(). There is a railway station at Mei«^le, which once very incon- veniently wont by the name of Fullarton, after the farm through winch the line passes. There tvre two baidvs, a fn-st-class new school, a handsome new Parish Church, a Free Church, and an Ejjiscopal Chapel. A monthly market is held on the second Wednesday, during six months of the year ; and on the last Wednesday of Juno and October, half-yearly fairs ar > held for cattle, horses, and ordin- ary tradic, when a gi'cat crowd assembles, A century ago, when there were fewer means of travelling, they had a weekly market on Wednesday. It is thirteen miles from Dundee and live from Cupar-Angus, A considerable quantity of potatoes and grain is taken away by the rail- way — a great benefit to many farmers who are struggling liard to keep up tho well-earned prestige of Strathmore, against bad times and high rents. The Presbytery still adiiei'o to the time-honoured cuscom of holdinsf their meetings in the village inn, a circumstance which certainly speaks well for the character of the inn, and the heedless- ness of the ministers to the narrow criticism of would-be- purer men. A dozen years ago, when some of the younger members expressed a strong desire to have the meetings intheChurch, after deliberation, as the Records show, "the Presbytery agreed to abide in the inn." ; tlion to less i]t\it<i;k : r\s'r and imjksknt. Ti ;li especially wlicn tlic Fsl'i is in llooil ; (ur lluirc is a flcar lull (of ij^mnl \)H';\A{h) of (K) feot, foUowod iiiuindiatcly l>y fiiioilici- of 20 feci ; and tlio constantly I'isin^^ vapour IVoni tlio spi'ay Miak(!S ils juvsonce seen in llir mists above I'oi' tlio distance of'a niilo oi- two upt li('( {Jcn. Near also are tlieShiL^H orAu('liranni(i r\vln'i'(^ thionL,di acliasm of.'Jyiirds in ])rcadth an average liow of 1 I ,(M)() cubic feet of wat(,'i' is forcctl with ti'eniendous ])ow('r) ; witliin a few miles too are the l)onnie House o' Airlic, and the Lintrathen L<»ch. in the (jxu- bcranee of rich vegetation, atid charm of wood «and moun- tain, tlie town may, without exaL(L,M'ration, he allowed the epithet M'liich fjoldsmith <^^ave to his favourit(i Aul)urn — " Su'oct Alytl), loveliest villiij^c! of the j)l;iin." 'I'he name of the parish is derived from the Gaelic ailnt'lJi, " a slo])e," heiuL,' built on a flat near the foot of a hill ; a'- tlioUi;-h Chalmers, in 1040, spells it Klicht, in his well- known mn]) of Scotland. It is bounded, t/iroad civ ilia. on the north byCllenisla; on the east by Uuthvcn and Airlie ; on the south by Meit^de ; arid on the Avest by Bendoch}', l*laii'L,^ow]'ie, llattray, and Kiikmich;i(d. A small i)oition at lilacklunans is within the county of Forfai\ It is fifteen miles lonnr, and fi'om one to s'x broad. On the cast the fsla dashes alonuj impetuously till in the valley it slu_f,^!j;Ishly meanders; thou_i;'h, on account of the ten-ible floodiiii^^ of the country duriiiL;' harvest time in 17iS0 nnd successive years, embanhmer.ts had to be made to lessen the damal. A Liiiiiy oi" ow ^\>»i (I* Avort (thoiiL,^l» not ron^'ulricil iudi'j^rnoiis) ; and tlu^ cross- 1(MVC(1 I5t'tl-str;i\v (with its cnicilorin, .-^.inootli and wlmrlrd li\iv('s un l!iii"n of AUili ; for fVoiu the lown to its conllufncc with ihu Jsla, (ht> lish liavc ]n'cn poisoned l»y tlie Mcachin refuse, run in IVo'a at li;ist one [)id>li(' work. In fact a very cruel tliin;-; was ence done \>y a man in |>o,-,ition in the (own (o one of liis newly-ariived clerks, iu telliiiL,^ liiui on his holidays to fish down the Btu'n. Iiut above the town it is ([uit(> dillerent; trout, lhou;;]i small, ar(> pleidiful; — aiul, last summer, we. were inlormeil hy a L'-eiitleinan visitor (hat lie and his sou in one day had llirr(^ caught -•") do/eu. A few days a'0>^\(.' heanl the mnuhei had reached (>.') (h)zcn ; — Ijut this is the " tlu'ec hlack ei'ows ovei" a''"ain. The most considei'ahlo eniincnco — rccot^'niscd for a loni^ distance b}- its conunandinL,' isoiatiim — is Mount IJlair, at tlie north ond of the parish, whort; the famous (ilenishi eanies are aniuially held. It is li-dO ftjct hii,d, and live nulcs round a I the base. On the siile of the Kricht rises Iviriir- seal, 1 ITS feet In^'li, three miles south of Mount lUair, nearly covei'ed with beautiful natural uood. Uerc tlic (Ireen aii'l Small White 'Ifabenaria, the duckweed Winter- L'leen (the only seven-stamened lliitish plant), ami the Alpitie Lady's ^^antl(» (witb its beautil"ul, lustrous, almost metallic, hue on the nniler siile of its leaves), abound ; v>hereas down tiie livei* side can bo found the white wry SaxifraLje and ihe Wllow Mountain SaxilVai^e St; v.ith its seai-let spots; and all alom;' are the birch, tlio ha/el, and tlui alder. The oth; c pronnneid helehts are Hill of JJaiutr, 1:^21 feet; CVaigliead, ias3 feet; Hill of the Three Cairns, li!l:3 fuet : Riuuiacuman, 1313 feet; r '- i i »l « lil I M ssan 1 1 \ \ 112 STRATFIMORE : PAST AND PRESENT. Blnckhil], 1454 feet ; Knockton, 1G05 feet ; and ^^call- Mbor, 1S04 feet. A little more tlian a mile east of the town is Barryliill, al)oiit GG8 feet in height, in olden times famous as a watcli- tower. Banyhill, or Dunbarre, is derived from hav, " Iho top or end," and ro., " a fort." It has a base of one mile in circiimferenco ; beini^ of oval form and unwoodcd, it is easily ascended : and the extra labour rewards the ex- cursionist, for from its summit he has an extcnsjvc view of the whole of Strathmore, from Methvcn to Stonehaven, with the Sidlaws (and their old watch-towered points, Dunsinane and Kinpurnie), eight miles £i(Cross. History tells us that the Picts kept possession of it from a remote period to the ninth century; and tradition has clothed it with some strange, unfounded fictions about Guinevere, the faithless wife of Prince Arthur, which no one can put into tangible shape. The tradition of the country — from the fiction of Bocce — relates that on this was the prison of Guinevere whe:n carried off by the Picts. On the levelled top, 504 feet in circumference, are the remains of a rampart, built of uncemented muir-stones, on a base of 8 feet in height and 12 feet in breadth, occupying a space of 180 feet by 74 feet. On the west and north borders of this levelled part of the summit are seen the marks of something like barracks, built of dry-stone, to protect those inside from the assaults of their foes and the northern inclement blasts. It appears to have been a fortress of imprcixnable streno-th. On the south and east, on account of the more gentle decline, there is a broad ditch, IG feet below the wall and 10 feet broad, over which was raised a narrow bridge (composed of stones laid together — quite unpolished — but vitrified above, below, and on all sides with gravel which must have been brought from the Isla) ; and this bridge led to a fort of strange ci call- [iteli- " the iTiilo k1, it 10 ex- view laven, -joints, remote tiled it iievere, ;an put —from prison n the ains of base of a space [borders arks of protect nd the been a ind east, [\ broad d, over If stones above, i\e been 'strange ALYTH. 113 ])uild, d(\signed as a teui[?orary retreat in time of war, and well adapted for that puri)u.se. About a quarter of a mile eastward there are some remains of another oval foit; and tradition says there is a subterranean communi- cation between them. South of Barryhill are found several rude standing- stones, memorials of some conliict of yore. Tradition refers them to the time of Robert the Bruce, for tho name Brucctown is given to the farm near. On the most re- markable there is the mark of a large horse-shoe, rudely cut out, with indistinct traces of other figures. A little higher than Barryhill, and west of it beyonil a glack or valley, is the beautifully wooded hill of Loyal, whose varied fresh tints in the leafy month of June strik- ingly attract the eye of the worshipper of Nature. On itsi slope is situated the line baronial mansion-house of Loyal, much improved by its present occupant, Professor Kamsay of Glasgow. In a ploughed field on the farm of Loyal was found, a century ago, an artificial cavity of considerable size, G feet deep and 4 broad, faced upon both sides with stone, and covered with large broad stones on the toj), here and there strewed with ashes either from the burnt victims used in the worship of our ancestors, or from the wrariors who fell in defence of the neighbouring fortitiea- tions. West from Loyal hill is the bare hill of Alyth (9GG feet), which gives to the naked eye the extensive view of live counties. This belongs to the feuars of Alyth ; at least they have the right of access, and on it the Volun- teers practise. It is entirely wild and uncultivated, but ail'ords excellent pasturage for sheep. North, beyond the hill of Bamff, i^, the royal forest of Alyth, an extensive district of heath, consistinix of T-jOO acres, lonu valued for the pasturage of Linton sheep. In 1214, Alcxand(,>r II. gave a right-of-way through the "Forest of Alycht," for the ii irnTnT'TnrwiiBi I' ( \) I' i t ? : f M LI, 1 : 1 i 1 1 114 STJiATliMuRE: PAST AND I'HLSKNT. iiKjiiks of Ciipar Al)l)cy to get to tlieir l;in. are of ^-reat ago. There is a very i)ictiiresque walk beside the deep ravine on the road from Bamff to Alyth. Gilbert Ramsay was knighted, in 1(185, by Charles I. ; but Charles 11., in 1G(jG, gave him a baronetcy for his gallant assistance in the battle of the Pentlands against the Covenanters, who are commemorated in these lines : — " Tliciv \vin(ling sheet the Ijloody plaid, Their giave lone Rullion Gret-n." In 1790 Sir Gilbert Ramsay fell in a duel with Captain ]\Iacrae. Lady Ramsay's footman had used insolent language to the Captain, who cudgelled him tightly ; on which Sir Gilbert challenged the Ca])tain, but not un- deservedly " bit the dust." The lands of Balwyndolocli (Ballendoch) were granted by Thomas, Eail of Mar, and confirmed by David II,, in 1303, to Alexander de Lyndesay ; whose successoi's under the name of the Earls of Crawford, acquired by royal charter the greater part of the parish ; till, in IGoO, owing to straitened circumstances, they disposed of most to the family of Aiiiie, who are now the principal proprie- tors and superiors of the town. The parish had a good share of the turmoil and disturb- ance of Cromwell's Protectorate. On the 22nd July IG-in, Montrose and Middle ion met in conference for two hours in a meadow on the Isla near Alyth, " there being none near them but one man for each of them to hold his horse ; " and agreed that, with the exception of Montrose himself, the Earl of Crawford and two others, all who had taken up arms against the Covenanters would be pardoned on making their submission, but that these shouldbe banished before the last day of August ; which agreement was rati- fied by the Committee of Estates. Accordingly, eight days afterwards, in a plain a little we^t of Rattray, Montrose, age. cavino r was I., in Qce in s, ^v'llO :Jax-)tain insolent itly ; on not un- gvant ALYTH. 117 ted id II., in icccssors aired by in 10 30, of most proprie- L disturb- |uly 1C4=('., hours in bone near horse , liimself, jiad talicn [•doned on banislied ■ was rati- iightdays ( Montrose, : in very pathetic terms, disl^andod his faithful army and took farewell ; till he should be brought back, four years afterwards, for execution on the scaffold, as a trium[»h to the Puritanical and forgiving (?) clergy. When Dundee was besieged by General i.lonk in 1051, the Connnittees of the Estates and of the Kirk wei'c sitting at Alyth planning measures for helping the Dundonians; but, on hearing this, the General sent a company of horse, who surprised the whole party and took them prisoners, among whom was the parish minister. These facts are referred to in the Kirk-Session records. On several occasions there was no service in the church " because of the connnon enemy," or " because Montrose was so near us." Accord- ing to one entry "ten shillings were given to Ilendrio Cargill for to go to the camp to trie and search some news from the malignants, and that he may be for warnissc of their coming upon us." In August of that year we find this entry: — " This day no preaching, because our minister (Mr. John Rattray) was taken on Thursday last by the Englishes." He was, however, restored in June of the following year. Another about the same time runs thus : — " Isly Lord Ogilvy declared his repentance before the congregation, in the habit of sack-cloth, and confessed his sinfuU accession to General Middleton's rebellion, to the full satisfaction of tlic whole congregation." Ecclesiastically, the Church of Alyth, with its chapel, was attached before the Reforjnati(m to one of the ])re- bonds in the Cathedral of Dunkold. The Church was probably dedicated to St. Molouach — a disci])le of St. Brandon — whose feast was held on the 20th of June. A fair of the name "St. JNFalogue's or Eniagola's," still held in Al^^tli about the date of the feast (old style), is the only souvenir of the Saint in the parish. Among the clergy who swore fealty to Edward I. at Berwick, in I , \ 1 ' 1 h . -■Ws ;1 118 STRATITMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. 129(J, was "William do Dunde, parson of the Kirk of Alytli." In Iiobertson's " Index of Missing Charters be- tween 1309 and 1413," we find one by King Robert I, in 1809, granting the lands of "Aughinleskis and Aythnnket- liill within the Thanedom of Alitli to the Abbacic of Coupar," 1'he chapel was situated within the kirkyard of the parisli church and was dedicated to St. Ninian ; being u])held by the lands of Balwhymo. According to ^Myln's Lives of the Bishops of Dunkeld, written in 1515, we find that, in 1450, Thomas Lawder, Bishop of Dunkeld (once tutor to James II.), erected the vicarage of Alyth into a prebend ; that, in 1483, robbers, dwelling on the Loch of Cluny, regularly seized by force the victual which was being conveyed from the Church of Alyth to Dunkeld ; that Bishop Brown, seeing that the lands of Buchquhane (granted by noble donors in former times for the due celebration of ordinances in the chapel of St. INinian situated Avithin the cemetery of the parisli church of Alith) were being applied to other purposes, ordained, with the consent of the prebendary and chaplain, that the assistant of the pensioned vicar should receive the fruits of these lands for said purposes; that, in 1514, Thomas Grig^ prebendary of Alight, GO years of age, was an exceptionally devout and business man, who was trusted by Myln with the MS. Lives (now in the Advocates' Library) ; who with other ecclesiastics defended the famous Bishop, Gavin Douglas, when attacked in the Deanery of Dunkeld, and who was one of the auditors of the accounts of the building of the Bridge of Dunkeld; and that, in 1515, the Lords of Council {iirreed to cjive the Governor the fruits of the church of Alicht, reserving to the Bishop certain chalders of victual. Spottiswood mentions that at that time Andrew Stuart, brother of the Earl of Atliole, got the benefice of Alyth. In 1554, Robert Fowler, chaplain of St. Ninian's, ALYTn, 110 rk of :ii bo- L, in lakct- cic of kyard inian ; ill!'- to L 1515, Linkcld Alytk on the [ which mkeld ; quhane ;he due IS inian f Alith) /ith the stant of se lands endary out and the MS. ,h other ouglas, ho was I Of of the I Council lurch of victual. [Andrew Ibenefice [inian's, J with the consent of the Dean and Chapter of Dunkuld, conveyed the lands of lialw iiynie, with the tcinds, to Oi;ilvy of Clova. In 15N'>, David Ramsay, minister of Alytli from 1572, was, according to Dr. Scott in his " Fasti," presented by James VI. to Rutliven, where he officiated 19 years. In 10!S0, John Lowson was deprived by tlie Privy Council for not reading the Prochimation of Ivstatcs. In 1772, John lltjbertson left some money for the (•Uication of boys. The new church was built in ISOO, from ])lans by Mr. Hamilton of Edinburgh, at a cost of £()()()(). Py far the most handsome church in Stratlnnore, in the Norman style of architecture, it is seated for 1290 people ; being built, before there was any idea of the Disruption, to hold the statutory number of two-thirds of the popula- tion of the parish above twelve years of age. Part of the parish was taken off to form the parish of Persie ; and another part, a few years ago, to form the beautifully situated parish of Kilry. The Parochial records (in nine volumes) have been care- fully kept, dating back to 1G24. There are instances of ]>ersons having had to " sit the stool " for even thirty times. Besides the oidinary cases, these records contain cases of " fechting and flytting," slander, witchcraft, and contumac3^ In 1G5(), " the minister did intimate ane ordinance of the Presbytery that in time coming, when ])eople shall bury their dead upon the Lord's Day, they (loo it timouslie ; in the winter season before sermon, and in the summer time after the afternoon's service." And, in 1675, tobacco is declared to be as necessary for man as bread : — "This day the merchants in Alyth being chaii'ged, were called and compeired and promised not to sell any wares to any person upon the Sabbath, between or after sermons, except it be upon nccessitie, and that to any sick person; nor to sell unnecessarie things, as they did li ■ 120 STRATRMOTtE: PAST ANT) PnK<^KNT. M !'■ i' fonnorlic, upon tlic Sabljath, except ncidfull, tobacco or bread." The town of Alyth is of considerable antiquity, having been a Burgh of Barony since 1488. The Earl of Airlie, as J'aron and Superior, appoints a Bailie for the Baronial Court. But, having adopted the Lindsay Act, the town has now, besides, ]\lagistratos and Com- missioners to cany out the work of vhc Police Conuuis- sion ; accordingly it is now well lighted and paved, and is in the course of being thoroughly (b'aincd. In 1341 , King David Bruce prohibited Alyth from intor^ring Avith the amenities of Dundee, in the holding of weekly markets. In 1514, the minister and people took up arms in the tumul- tuous election of t'lO celebi'ated ]>oet, Gavin Douglas, to the Bishopric of Dunkeld. A century ago, j\Ir. Smith of Balharry was considered to be a very noted imj)iover in agriculture. His letter to Dr. Bobertson, of Callander, on the cultivation of waste lands was highly esteemed by the Board of Agriculture. As an example, ho mentions that the farm of Over-Muirtown, purchased for £5:^0, was farmed at £'23 rent by one who became a bankrupt. Tiiis farm he then cultivated himself; and in twenty years he got £240 rent, besides kains, carriages, fcc, from two very thriving tenants, who were " as punctual i)ayers as any in the kingdom." The po])ulation of the town a century ago was lOGO; it is now 2;)77. Then the population of the whole parish was 2723 ; now it is 3372. The valued rent was £GSG ; now the assessed rent is £25,002. The ^Muir of Alyth, of fioveral hundred acres, after repeated failures on account of the death of arbiters, has been at last divided among the proprietors and fcuars; a farm-steading has been erected on one part ; and the Laird of Balharry has taken in another large portion by the steam plough — thus highlj^ 'm ALYTIT. 121 improvin;:,' the land, ami taking away an eyesore at the en- trance to tlic town. Among the natives of Alytli, who have distinguished tlieniselves, are William Ramsay, author of *' Ivoman Anti- (juities " and Professor of Humanity in the University of Glasgow ; his nephew and successor in the chair, Dr. , I Geoi'ge Kamsay ; and Dr. James llobertson, the Professor of Hebrew in the same University. Alyth is seventeen nnles from Dundee, to which it is connected by railway. Last year a handsome stone bridge was built over the Burn at the Maikct .Square, at a cost of £900; which sum was raised by the personal and iudcfatigabhi work of Mv. Isaac Peterkin, whom tlie Scotsman called the " oracle of Liberalism," and who would confer a great boon on the town by publishing his valuable notes on its improvement and history for the last half-century. A. railway was once contemjdated between Alyth and Braemav ; but, though approved of in high quarters, the difficulties seem to have been insurmount- able for a thorouij'h cairyinix out of the scheme. In 1770. according to the official stamp Ticturns, 270,088 yards of Itrown linen, 11,548 of white linen, and 28,48o of osna- l)urg of the total value of £9,02.'), were stamped for sale ; yet that was nothing to what can now be turned out by the three factories, one of which (Chief Magisti'ato Smith's) (•iii])loys six or seven hundred hands. There aie four places of woi'ship, three excellent public schools, three banks, and a good library of above 8000 volumes left by Captain Ogiivy of hoya]. An cnterpiising book- seller and printer has recently established a weekly local nev/s])aper, pi'incipally as an advertising medium. Hiring is easily proci rable ; and two coaches run daily in the summer months to Glonisla and district. A t^^ood town- hall is VQvy much required ; but we are glad to know r'i I •! i"' •I.- M II « i Iff ' 1^ 122 STRATIIMORK: PAST AND TIIKSKXT. that tliorc is a likelihood of this , and a most beautiful newChurcli erected ; and a new Manse was built in 187-4 ; both of dark red sandstone, found in a quarry near. Tlie situa- tion of these, on a knoll sloping down to the Isla, wliich there breaks in white over the large stones, when looked at from the main road between Duidvcld and Kirriemuir, is exce[)tionally beautiful; especially in the month of June, when the oak-copse behind is assuming its rich varied tints and curving warmly into the river. The earliest known proprietor of Ruthven was the Earl of Mar. In 1329, he granted the lands to Alexander do Lindsay, which ^v^as confirmed by royal charter in 13G3. Kino- Robert III. granted a charter to the Earl of Crawford, adding Ruthven to the other baronies. David, Earl of Crawford, the last of the Lindsay ,j who was Laird of Ruthven, married a daughter of Cardinal Beaton, in 1546, with princely magniiicence and handsome dowry, four months befoi'e her father was murdered. But, in 1510, Ruthven estate was sold to James Crichton of Cairns. One James Crichton of Ruthven was Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Sir James Chrichton of Ruthven was " Master of the Horse " to Charles II. ; and when the King jocularly handed him a sum of money (equal to £42 Cr RUTIIVrCX. 121) (IIS- .1 to In ive^l acli), wcvo r tli'i!^ cdtlov years li was Ihuvch otli of situa- whicU looked iemuii', >nth of ts rich sieiliiig), to " creish his Loots," he resigned oiilee in liigli dudgeon. But the extravagance of tlie Court liad so mas- tered him, that hesoon dissipated his fortune, and gave a blow to the family estate which it never recovered, hi 1744, the ]>roperty was bought by Thomas Ogilvy of Coul ; and, in 17U0, his son James pulled down the ruinous Castle of liuth- ven and built an excellent mansion near it. Aceordinu; to the Statistical Account of 1842, "the family were equally distinguished for their kindness to the poor and their at- tachment to their tenantry." The late proprietor, Peter Wedderburn Ogilvy, was a shrewd, business man, trained in the merchant cervice, who for over sixty years acted as his own factor, and thereby knew his tenantry intimately, encouragingor discreetly exposing or assisting, as the varied circumstances required ; and m ho died at the honoured age (if 9o, respected by all who knew Jiini. The present ])ro- })rietor, and sole heritor, is his son, Colonel Thomas A\'ed- derburn Ogilvy of the Life Guards, who succeeded in 1873. Uis brothers are Colonel John Wedderburn Ogilvy resid- ing at Bedford, and Colonel James Wedderburn Ogilvy of Ivimnagulzion who married the only daughter of the late Professor Ramsay of Glusgow. Emeritus-Professor lilaekburn of Glasgow, Judge Blackburn of the Court of Appeal, and the late Professor James Clerk Maxwell, are his distini^aiished cousins. We observe, in Professor Lewis Camj^bell's Life of Maxwell, that ^Irs. Blackburn (the celebrated artist, J. B.), when a child (in 1841), " being desirous of inspecting a water-hen's nest in a deep pond at Ruthven House, where there was no boat, adopted ^[axwell's plan of putting a block of wood in the centre of a tub (to keep it from spinning), and sitting on this and tucking her legs on either side ; and was thereby able to paddle about steadily so as to make the voyage both ways alone without the slightest uneasiness." STJ^VTIJMOKK : PAST AND PRKSENT. II The parish is pleasantly situated on the north side of Sti'atlnnore. It is nearly square, with two miles a-sidu ; botmded on the west and north ^y Alyth, and on the cast and sotith by Airlie, The soil is in general of a li-ht hazel motild with a gravell}' subsoil, producing excellent grain, w^hicli, though abundant in a " drop])ing year," is very short in a parching summer. The farmers could take a shower ever}' day. From the pi-ejuvlices of educa- tion, the tenants were at one time ver^- reluctant to in- troduce any of the modern improvements in agriculture ; but by the perseverance of the propriet-rr it was accom- plished, and for the last centiuy they have experienced the great advantages of them. The climate is dry and tern })er- ate, and the situation healtiiv. The lowe.-;t thormometric reading in the parish was observed in December 1882, at 3^ below zero at the ]\Ianse (when the very ink Avas ficczing), and in Ruthven Gartk-ns at (j^ below zero Fihv. ; and the lowest barometric reading was in January .884, at 27.15 inches, on the occasion of the last terrific hurii- cane which swept the land. The liver Isla intersects the parish, through a deep ravine with bold banks, covered with natural cojipice and plantation, rendering the scenery very beautiful. Over it are two stone bridges, adjoining each other ; the one of two arches, very old and originally withotit parapets, and a large central pier; the other of one large arch, built in 1855. After passing the bridges, the Isla runs over several ledges of broken rock, and falls over Craigy Linn into a deep jiool ; and soon, dividing into two parts, embraces Stanner Island, of about six acres in area. Few trouts are now found in the upper part, where the pollutions from Alyth are brought in by the Alyth Burn — and many wonder why this is tolerated ; but below, it is fairly stocked, and many salmon come up in tlie spawning season ro the shallows. RUTUVEN. 131 , of le; ;asfc Lent ould .uca- D in- bure ; :'COia- :d tUo in\>cr- iictric 82, at k Avas T?„l ir. ; .884, liurii- :ersccts banks, iderin-- stone ;s, very central After ;(lo;cS of fp pool ; ^tanner Lie now Alyth tier wUy id many hallows. The river is rich in botany ; a doziii kinds of ferns adorn its rocky banks, including the Oak, Wall-rue, Bhick Spleeu- wort, Hart's-tonguo, and Maiden-hair ; there are to be found the wild Lily of tlio Valley (with its pure white, scented liower) ; the Winter-green (with its terminal cluster of drooping flowers); the Willow-herb (with its large rose-coloured flowers on the top of a pod-like seed- vessel) ; the Giant Bellllower (with its very large, deep, blue, stalked flowers) ; the Viper's Bugloss (with its curved spikes, changing in the season from bright rose to brilliant blue) ; the Grass of Parnassus (with its solitary cream-coloured flowers) ; the wild Succory (whose largo blue flowers first attracted the founder of the Linmean Society to the study of botany) ; and the purple Cow- wheat (with flowers buried among rose-coloured bracts). Miss Annie Ogilvy ofRuthven House, an enthusiastic and accomplished botanist, found among others the " Smooth Field Pepper wort and Hairy Rock-Cress " in the parish. The finest black (or copper) beech, which we ever saw, is within the manse policy, measuring 8 feet in circumfer- ence before it breaks ofl' into three commandimx limbs. There are few antiquities in the parish. On the south and west side there is an enclosure, nearly a squaro in form, and an acre in extent ; but tradition gives no clue to its use. Its walls, which are of earth, must have been originally of considerable height and breadth ; and a deep and wide ditch on the outside, filled with water from a neighbouring morass, is still there. It went by the name of the Castledykes ; and was probably a place of reti-eat in times of turbulent barbarism. It is now occupied by travellinof tinkers. Near the villao'e of Balbirnic is the Gallows-bank, or Candle-hill, where the barons of Ruth- ven made short work of delinquents in the feudal times. The four acres of land adjoining go by the name of the 132 STIIATIIMORE : TAST AND IMIESENT. 1 I - i r Hangman's Acres. Tlic north })art of tlic parish was the scene of an enii'aLcenient between Edward I. and Robert Bruce. It is a fact that, on July 2nd I '2[H\, Edward left Invcnjueich Castle (adjoining) for Forfar Castle ; and there is ample evidence, from the remains found, that an en- gagement took place, though the record of it, like many- others, was destroyed by that tyrannical monarch. Brucetown is situated on the north ; and south, in Eassio parish, there is Ingliston (or English town) : and a conical mound in Ruthven, called Saddle-hillock, had been used by the ]Cnglisli to connnand the ford at Delavaird. This hillock stands upon a very level field, and is of consider- able height, with the remains of an earthern fort. It ap- pears that the English were repulsed in their attempt to ford the Isla, and were brought to an engagement on the hillock ; where, under a huge cairn in the moor, their dead were buried. Several relics are being occasionally ploughed up by the farmer of Dryloch ; a fact which strengthens this account. Several stone coffins have been dug up in the parish, containing fragments of human bones, ap]^arcntly of great size. There was a cairn, known by the name of Crian's Gref, erected over the grave of a noted robber. South of the church a Weem or Peu'ht's House was discovered some time ago, when the road to the Church was being altered. Itcontainedbitsof cinerary urns, liuman bones, and a flattened ring. Some of the stones were built into the walls and mullions of windows of the new Church, Similar Weems have been found at the Barns of Airlie, thus described by a rliymster — *' In iovm like to an arm they bend, Are rounded slightly towards the end ; 'Bout six feet high, and near as wide, And witli a door a gnat might stride." A coffin slab, upon which are incised a cross, a hunting horn, and a sword, is built into the manse offices. In RUTlIVKN, ir,;} lunting 3S. In 18r)0, tlie parish Jon o's and branks and an iron crown were found in the press of tho Old Kirk. Unfortunately, these branks are not now to be found ; for tlielr loss occasionally gives some an opportunity of using the "unruly member" with more unwise license than would have been permitted with impunity a century ago. In the church^-ard are some cpiaint old stones, on which such expressions as, " jNIy glas is run," or "Hear lys ane honest man," regularly occur. A century ngo the school was very primitive. Then each scholar in winter brought a peat daily to help to warm it. The fire was ])laced on a hearth-stone in tlic middle of the floor; and when it required reviving, the dominie used his broad blue bonnet as a fan. The desk was made of divot, with a board laid across the top. Behind this was tho awful black-hole for delinquents, inilicated b}'- the slanting trunk of a tree, against which the dominie leaned to rest himself and take his after- noon's na;;. In 1813, Mr. Loban left his traininix there to be parish schoolmaster in Airlie. He is the oldest teacher living ; and, thougli long retired, is yet able to dig his garden at Philpie. Wliat a diflbrence now ; what ad- vantages the young have now, with a now school, hand- somely furnished, and every convenience ! The Parochial Registers from I7i4 to 1818 are in tlie Register Oliice, Edinburgh. They liave been very ;1I kept — baptisms, accounts, and cases of discipline being all mixed up. The volume from 1818 to 1823 cannot be found by the i)resent incumbent. Very likely the cases of scandal were entered with such uncalled-for minute- ness that some chance had been seized to get them destroyed. No one caves about having the iniquities of his ffithers handed down thus literally to future genera- tions ; and it is not for edification to adhere to such strictness. We find that on August 20tli, IT-i-^, tho .•*f*m lilr ii'' i;]4 STIlATIIMOnK: PAST AND PRESKNT. •I 1:1 ti ■ II ^ il minister intimatcMl from tlio pnl])it : — " That, by reason of tlio present troubles and confusions, and the distractions and divisions among tlio people, ho was obliged to defer the celebi'ation of the Sacrament of the Supper for this ^•ear ; " and again, on the 20th July 1740: — "Thomas Crichton was rebuked before the congi'(>gation Ibr his great sin and scandal, as having been cngag(Ml in the late wicked and unnatural rebellion." At the same time another keen Jacobite could not be "cried" (proclaimed) ormnrried by the minister, till he and his intended wife were suitably rebid-icd in the open church. In an old account of the church collections, we iind that, in 1700, "no sermon" is marked 10 times. In ISOO, "there remain in the box 10s. sterling of silvci and one pound three shil- lings of bad coppei- ; " and " no sermon " is marked M t'mes. ]\leal was so scarce and dear that the Session bouu'ht some in Dundee at 58s. per boll and sold it to parishioners at Is. per peck ; in all spending £40 from the accumulated fund. In 1802, on a Thanksgiving Sabbath, the collection was Is. In 1803, Thomas Whyte, kirk ofliccr, received Cd. for s\\'eeping the church for the year, and 8s. Gd. for liis other duties. In 1814, there was no beadle ; and the minister's herd-boy got 4s. Gd. for ringing the bell, which was raised to 5s. during the two succeeding years. The bell must have been rung vigorously and long ; for every short time there is an entiy of Is. Gd. for a " bull-tow." The church bell is large, and was once in a merchant's vcfocl ; bearing this inscription : — " The Enterprise, W. W., 1735." 'Jliis was Mr. Wedderburn, the father of the late Peter Wedderburn, Esq., who married Miss Ogilvy and obtained the estate, and son of Sir John Wedderburn of Blackness, Bdrt., an officer in Lord Ogilvy's regiment at Culloden ; where he was taken prisoner and afterwards executed at Kennington Common in 174G. From RUTIIVEX. mr, EflwaicVs "C\)unty of Ani:jns," wo find tluit tlio Wcdtlor- liiirns wcio of a most distiivjfuislicd and rospcetablo family. From tlio voiy ancient stock of WcildtM'burns sprun^j Mr. Alexander Weilderbnrn, wlio ])eeaiiie s > di.stini,aii.slied hy liis political talents that James VI., of whom ho. was a great favourite, frc([ucnt]y solicited his advice in matters of the most secret nature and greatest impoilance, and always dism'ssed him with signal marks of royal favour. Jii 1G7«^, his grandson by the eldest son, Alexander of East Powrie, was the eliief of the family. Two nri-indsons b}" the second son wcm'o knights, viz., Sir Alexander Wc'lderburn of Blackness, and S'r Peter "Wedderburn of Gosford, who was an able anarish was purchased for little more than two years' ])res(^nt rental. Tho tenant of Holl informs us that when his lather took tho farm, in 1804, ho paid X'l.'O for oii.") im- jierial acres (of which 125 were under cultivation); that 19 years afterwards, when (iO acres of the best arable l:ind were taken off ank us. For half-an-hour we sheltered in the ruins, the blackness of the storm raising melancholy notes in our disajipointed breast. Was it to be labour in vain ? The wild winds and lashing rain smote the mountain's forehead with the violence due to increasing height, "the anmon fate of all that's high and great." Yet, suddenly, the sun, as with a giant hand, thrust back the dark, encircling canopy, and gladness possessed earth and soul : — " See, the sun glcsims ; tlio living pastures rise. Alter the nurture of tlie fallen shower." x\s (piickly as the change from tears to laughter on an urchin's face was this change in Nature from rain to sun- shine. Soon the clouds rose; and below, the valley lay u jsr I I ' I ■ 140 STRATIIMOKE : VAST AND PRESENT. asloop in sunsliine, westward fading into tlic dim horizon. Wo watched tlie lights and shadows on the landscape's face ; and, high though we were, we heard the welcome sonij of the lark relievin!^^ the shrill notes of the curlew, and the '^ ccitain voice " of the cuckoo disjielling the com- plaining croak of the many- wintered crow, whose sanc- tum we had so ignominiously surprised. There below we now saw Newtyle, lying snugly at the base of Hatton Ilill, its handsome church-tower catchino: the sunlicrht ; Ardler village, with its fine new church ; Cupar-Angus, compact-set in trees, joined to BlairgOM^ie on the northern slope by the Coutty Bridge, which stood distinctly marked against the sliecn of the Isla, Alytli, Kirriemuir, Foifar were all distinctly seen. Beyond, range above range, and peak above peak, the Grampians displayed a connnanding panorama, inviting us, with immortal arm, to cross and see the chasms full of glistening cloud and undulating mist. In the grey horizon the beautiful cone of Sehie- hallion (3540 feet), massive Ben Lawers (o9S4 feet), com- manding Ben ]\Iore (3843 feet), attractive Ben Voirlich (3092 feet), and Bon-y-Gloc (3724 feet), reared their massive hi ads ; and nearer Glas ]\leal (3000 feet), ]\Iount Blair (2200 feet), tlie wooded Knock of Formal (1500 feet), and the conspicuous Catlav/ (22G4 feet) in their more jnn-pie garb. Through the valley the Isla, like a stream of haze, shone in the sunliiiht, drawino- aloncc its slow length until it lost itself in the woods beyond. Num- berless mansions of the great, ornamented with fine woods and gardens, caught the eye. AVestward wo saw Lundie Loch, o'erlooked by the distant hills ; south we saw the liappy hamlets, drowned in apple blossom, encircling the Church of Auchterhouse ; the high stalk of Lochee AVorks, the Law of Dund^'e, the broad estuary of the Tay, the Fife coast and hills, the square tower of St, L I T Si rii NEWTYLE. 141 Andrew's, and the Lonionds, sliarply drawn against tlic liills beyond. With ra[)tiirc we swept for a time the boundless landscape, with an almost eagle's eye descrying the marks of twelve counties ; till a faint sense of the vastness of immensity possessed us, and our higher nature exi)anded beyond its " cribbed, cabined, and confined " mould, to realise the half-divinity of our being. The joyful smile of Nature after her tears may have added a charm ; 3'et we consider that there are few places of such easy access which will better reward Iho tourist, who las a soul enamoured of the grandeur of Nature, and capable of greeting radiant Sunnner in all her o])ening pride. The i)arish of Newtylo i- in Forfarshire, and lies in the very centre of Strath more. We can get no reliable derivation of the name, for philologicaliy it has no more connection with New slates than with Old hats ! The name is variously spelled, as will be seen in the several charters and histories. It is b(»unded on the north by ^leigle, on the west by Kettius, on the south by Liindie and Auchterhouse. and on th' oast by Eassie. It is about two miles in length, and the toan in breadtli. The hills bounding it on the south side are part of the Sidlaw range (marked in a map of 1G40, /SVof/o) — Kin- purnie, Hatton, Newtyle, and Keillor, all verdant to their summits, and forming valuable sheep walks. Kinpurni<> is derived from the Gaelic kin-fiianm/' the head spring," on account of so many springs l)eing on that hill. Ecclesiastically, we find that about 1180, William the Lion, King of Scotland, by royal charter, signed at Forfar, granted to the Abbey of Arbroath the Church of Newtyl, with all its just belongings, in lands, tithes, and other rights and privileges ; and this charter was confirmed by his son, King Alexander II. in 1214. According to the lityistrwu vctud de Ahevhrutliuc, Hugh, Bishop of St. J'f'llff*" i ' i ! 1 1 ! t T f iMi 1 142 ST11ATH:^I011E : PAST AND PllESENT. Andrews, confirmed the royal charter, in IISO. In 1200, Pope Innocent gave his impr'imat'" '" to both royai and ecclesiastical charters. In 1198, according to its Register, a cariica'.e of land in Neutile was conferred on the Abbey of Lindo'-cs. According to the Taxed io of 1250, by the Bishop of St. Andrews, the vicar of Newtyl, besides his vicarage, had one bovate of land by use and wont; and tlie parisli v/as assessed at SO merks. In 1211, Ylif, Clerk of Newtyl, signed as a witness to the confirmatory charter of Richard, Bishop of Dunkeld, for the Church of Ruthoven. On 20th September 18G5, David II. con- firmed the gift by King Alexander of the lands of Balmaw to the Abbey of Lindores. After a considerable lapse, we find that, in 1458, an excambion was made by William of Strathachin, a burgess of Dundee, of lands in Latham near Forfar, for the Church lands of Newtile. In the followinn: year, his son resigned into the hands of the Abbot of Arbioath his lands of Kirkton of Newtile, with the tithes of lands at Latham. In the Registrum mrfvitm we find that, in 152G, the tithes wove let to James Ogilvy, in a lease of 19 years, for £80 Scots. In 1533, the lands of Kyrkton of Newtild, with tithes, were sold to John Inglis by the Abbot. In the Assumption of the " Thiid of the Abbey of Lundoris," in 15G1, the lands of Balmaw and Newtyld are set down at £17 Ss. These lands are in the charter of " Feu-Fermc" by King James VI., in IGOO, to Patrick Leslie, enumerated and erected into the Temporal Lordship and Barony of Lundores, and valued at the same amount with the addition of 3G ca])ons. In 15G7, John Nevay w^as minister of Newtyle, Nevay, and Essie for £8 Gs. 8d. Ten years afterv/ards John Anderson, from Newtyle, in the General Assembly " com- peirit in linn en clothes, and, prostrated on his knees, con- fessed he had offended his minister, Robert Boyd, by draw- NEWTYLE. 113 1200, . and filter, .bbey y the es his ; and Ylit; latory irch of . con- ahnaw 5se, wo iani of m near [lowing phot of tithes c iind Y, in a ^nds of Inglis of the sv and in the 500, to nporal e same ^evay, Jolni I** coni- |s, con- idiaw- iiig his blood, whereof he repented and a.>-ked forgiveness, • promising by tlic grace of (u)d not to fall into the like wickedness." On August 2Sth 1G51, George PattuUo, minister of Newtyle, was captured in the SidUiws by spies sent out when General Monk was at the siege of Dundee, and, "taken prisoner on board a ship at Dundee, lay tivc weeks in his clothes on the deck of the ship T'lnmouth Castle;'' Avhence he was carried to London and kei)t there in prison for twenty weeks. In 1GS4, Thomas Black wtvs deprived for not ai)pearing before the Privy Council when cited. In 1G05, Alexander M'Kenzie was deprived for non- j iirancy, but continued to preach in the meeting-house till 1710. The parish has not many historical associations. Near the village of Hill of Keillor there is a field called Chester- park, from eastra, which points to a lioman station in early times. Tratlition points out Graham's Knowe and King's Well, in the north-west of the parish, as the route of King Macbeth from Dunsinane fortress, when pursued by ]\lacduff, Tliane of Fife. Crew- Well in Auchtertyre is beside the remains of a camp, in a square form, wdiero tradition suggests that Montrose once stationed his army during the civil wars. South of it was discovered, a century ago, a Weem or Pictish dwelling, a subterranean cavern made for protection during the early dangerous times. Near the village, on the farm of Hatton, the grey, ruinous, ivy-clad tov;er, is all that remains of Platton Castle, which was built, in 1575, by Lawrence, Lord Oliphant. It is finely situated in the ojiening of the Clack (or valley) between Hatton and Newtyle hills, counnanding at the same time the Strath. Fi'om the remains we see that it had been a fortified residence of very substantial workmanship. It was garrisoned by the Earl of Crawford for the Covenanters in the year 1045. Browne, in his valuable work on the " Scottish High lands/' •i w i § ii I f- lU STRATI IMORE: PAST AND TRESKXT. tolls US that ^lontrosc, after defeating Hurry at Auldearn, on the 1-itli of ]\Iay of that year, was so pressed by General Baillie that he came south by forced marches ; and, being out of I'oach of his worst enemy, set about attacking the Earl of Crawford to put off the time. It so happened that this nobleman, who stood next to Argyle, as head of the Covenanters, had often comj)lained to the Estates against Argyle (whose rival he was}, for his weak- ness and inactivity, and was then put in command of tlie army ; but he was without militar}' experience and quite unfit to cope with Montrose. However, just when Mon- trose had completed his preparations, the whole of his men deserted him, and left him to light alone. ^^Falcolm's linos aptly occur to us as we look on the noble ruins of Hatton Castle : — *' A spectre of (leparted clays Yon castle gleams upon the gazo, And saddons o'er the scene so fair. And tolls tliat ruin hath been there ; And whorosoe'er my glance Ls ca«t, It meets pale footprints of tiie past ; And from these high and hoary Malls, All mournfully the sliadow falls, Dark'ning, amidst tiie garden bowers, The farewell of the fading flowers "Which seem for gentle hands to sigh, Tiiat tended them in daj's gone b}-.'' Near this, a little south, are discernible some traces of the Castle of Balcraig, where several urns in a broken state were some tiriie ago turned up by the plcigh. West of the Hill of Keillor, there is a tumulus with a large standing-stt)ne, of great antiquity, with rude hieroglyphics on it ; but of which even tradition tells us nothing. The rough stone is formed of gneiss, convex in front, and rugo-cd behind. The tumulus on which it is situated is formed of earth and stones ; and several cists containing bones have been found in it. Some years ago it was broken across about a foot from the ground ; but the MiWTVLR 11. lining way it the ]trirt.s liavG Ijoon clasped together find replaced. Dr. llihbert, when lie visited it, thoiiglit that a (iaelic inscrip- tion Avas at the top, meaning " the hurying-place of the ."^lain ;" but no trace of this inscription i,s now to be seen. In a lield below the Kirkton there are two very old artificial mounds, wliich were used as archery butts in ancient com[)etitions. In the ^ISS. of Paiunure, there is this curious note, in the handwriting of Iknry Sinclair, Dean of Glasgow, to the Extracta e Cronicis Scotlae of 15G0 : — "At Newtylde thair is ane stane, callit be sum the Thane stane, iii. eln of lieicht, v. quarteris braid, ane quarter tliik and mair, wdth ane cors at the lieid of it, and ane goddes next that in ane cairt, and twa hors drawand hir, and horsman under that, and faitn.en and doiiriires halkis and serpentis ; on the west side of it, ane cors curioslie gravit, bot all is maid of ane auld ftis.sano of schap It is allegit that the Thane of Glammis set thir twa stanis quhen that Cuntrey wes all ane greit fon-est." Probably this is one of the stones now in the valuable collection at Mei^le. The name Templeton gives evidence of the lands possessed there by the Knights Templars of the twelfth century. A short distance westward from Newtyle stands a small castellated building, still inhabited, called Bannatyne House, which was once the house of the Manor. It was erected, in 1589, by Mr. Thomas Banna- tyne, a Lord of the Court of Session. The buikling has obtained a celebiity in the annals of Belles Lettres from the fact of the Bannat3nie manuscript having been com- posed there. The writer of it was George, a younger brother of the Judjxe. At one time he held an office in the Supreme Court, although he afterwards became a Leith merchant. But wdien the plague was raging in Eut, what's of greater consequence, He was endowed with good sense." The Parochial records go back to 1648, and contain an instructive historical epitome of the parish and curious documents illustrative of the customs of bj^gone ages. For example, on 8th May 1G98, " The Prisbitry violently entered the Church by breaking up the doors thereof; so that the parishoners did conveen to the Haltoun, where thoy are to have sermon maintained by the Bishop of Aberdeen ;" and this service, by the Bishop or his deputes, was continued for twelve years. In 1715, the minister, George Chc])hanc, was prevented by armed interference from ])rca( hing in the Church ; his house was outrageously entered by soldiers ; and he himself was threatened, and forced to " abscond " for a time. The soldiery barbarously NKWTYI.E, 149 line) 5 nell); L;'ilteil carrow In the d tlic nnuon , tlievc •s with imc in valued 10,000. )Uicc, in s great ous in- ard (of itain an curious le ages, lolently [eof ; so where rill op of leputes, linister, .^fcrence L^eoiisly led, and larously fiii^li toned his wife and family, stabbed the very beds with naked swords, and carried off a considerable part of tlie goods. Yet afterwards, l)y ])rudence and patience, lie ingi'atiated himself to his parishioners, and becaim' a very useful and edicient, as well as a zeahjusaml faithful, minister. According to the Records of the Presbytery, IDth July IS()(S, " In the parish of Newtyle it a])pears tlic minister had right of pasturage over llatton, a veiy considerable farm, and that the nunister and Presbytery consented to give up this right for two acres of ground." In the recent case of Newtyle in the Court of Session, in re Whitton v. Lord Wharnclitfe, 18G9, i\\Q point was raised (but, under an arrangement of parties, withdrawn from judicial consideration) whether, after a particular course of action — such as rebuilding, as opposed to repairing merely, the parish church — has been adopted by a resolution duly passed at one meeting of heritors, such resolution can be, at a sulisequent meeting of heritors, competently negatived by a counter resolution. The conclusion come to is that where nothing of a practical nature has followed upon the first resolution, it can be recalled at a subsequent mcetinnf. One thing during this century which has brought Newtyle more prominently into notice is the fact that the first railway (or one of the first railways) in existence was constructed between Dundee and Newtyle. It was begun in 182(1, and com})leted in 1831 ; with an authorised capital of £140,000 in shares and £30,000 in debentures. It left Dundee on an inclined plane half-a-mile long, with a gradient of 1 in 10, and proceeded through a shoulder of Dundee Law in a tunnel 340 yards long. Altogether there wqvq three inclines, where stationary engines drew up the carriages ; and two level portions, where the car- < ) 'I it I. 1 .1 150 fiTUVTIIMOIlK : PAST AND I'HKSKNT. riaj^'cs were drawn at first by liorses aii'l then by locomotives. Thu last incline at IJatton was 1 in li', rcacliin,!^ an elevation of 5 H feet above sea level, from which a descent was made to the valley of Strathmore. The carriages were at iirst ojjcn ; but when the spark :i from the locomotive began to set lire to the passenger.-,' clothing, tliey were roofed in with canvas. On (»ne occasion, a country wife was on her journey for the first time with hei- basket of eg'-s foi' Dundee market, when the rope of the incline-engine bi'oke, and the carringe.s ran down with incrcasiuij; momentum till all were turned out ; tliougli her eggs were smashed, she had no idea it was an accident, for, Mdicn afterwards asked how she liked the train, slie replied — " It was a guygude iide,but it was a rougli allpittin." This railway terminated in a iield of lifteen acres, wliicli Lord Wharnclilie laid out on a regular plan, with streets named as in a town, bulMiiig stances being disposed (^f in lots ; but the projectors of the scheme were very much disappointed, though the vilhigo rapitUy increased, and is now an active, compact place. The b(mc-mi]l, which was then erected to crush bones for agricultural ])urposes, is still doing an extensive business, tlmugh now more in dissolved bones. The old railwa^^ is now ro]^laced by an entirely locomotive railway, passing through the Glack between ITatton and Newtjde Hills; and there suddenly opening to the passengers the magni- ficent panorama of Strathmore. There is a station at Newtyle connecting this line with the brandies to Alyth and Blairgowrie. Last year the Dundee Water Commis- sioners put up a tank at Pitnai)pic, where the course of tlie M^ater-supply from the Loch of Lintrathen to Dundee reaches its highest elevation — an experiment to relieve the pipes from pressure of air and so to prevent bursting. Whatever the cause, this has not been cflectual ; for every two or three Ni;\VTVF,i;. l.U m\\> vertlic three liioiUlis the pipes luivo l^urst in tlic lower part of llio Stratli, where the pressure is eiiorinous ; and it seems that, as some misealcuhitioii was originally mailo alxMit the thickness of the pipes, a new set of relief piju's is indispensable for the conveni.>;it transit of the water through the valley. Next in size to the village of Newtylo is Newbigging, now rather ohl-loolinn, wilh about 25 (IwuUinir-liduscs and 10 pendirh'S. This was oi'iginally a manor called Newtibber, from which "Angos and Richar broad. Two rivulets, of G and 4 miles' couise res])eetiveiy, pass through or bound the parish, and unite a little south of Ou par-Angus. The village of Kettins, about a mile s(Aith-east of Cupar, 12 from Pertli and 14 from Dundee, is delightfully situated upon one of these streams, al- most hidden anjong trees. It is much admired by the lovers of tliC pietures(|ue. For rural simplicity and art- less loveliness it cannot be surpassed, — the neatly-kept cottages, with their pretty llower gardens, adding to Nature's beauty. The village green in the centre forms the field of many an innocent annisement ; the Church looks out from its belt of trees, uttering pax lohiscwn, and the iManse nestles close below, with its peaceful shelter of yew trees, all embosomed in a magnificent wood, — not uidike the "Taxwood" of Dr. Macdutf's last story. Henry Dryerre thusbeautifully addresses tliis sweetspot: — " Sercno, soqiicsterud, and supremely sweet, For di'euiny poet'd iiabltatirni meet ; In tender l)eauty, pc; eefulness, and ease, A\'itli softly-nunninriiij^ stream, and whispering trees; Fail Kettins ! Nature liatli l)est(iwed on thee 8ueh gi.'ts as only fur her fax (nirite he 1 " A learned anti(piarian has suggested to us that the name — originally sjtelled Kethenys — is derived from the East-of-Scotland god Kcih, as in inchkcith and Ivcithock. Possibly his sUlhe or attendant spirits haunted the hills OBm — S I ^ fill: u J i ;J1 •154 sTiiATiiMoiii': : r.\sr and piik.sk.nt. oil tlio soutli (SMLiws), aii'l spread teiror into the minds of tlio })cr)p]() for many a day after Cliristianity had ob- taincil a hold. Tho parish is bounded on the cast by Newtylo and Lnndic, north by Cupar, west by Cargili and Col lace, and south by Abcrnytc. The soil is various, a great part being light and thin, but some of strong clay and friable black mould. A cen- tury ago there were seven villages in the parish, whoso inhabitants liad small pendicles and eked out their honest living l^y handloom weaving of coarse linen. To a li'i-eat extent these are now ioined into largo farms. Nearly all tho hills and the least productive of the low grounds have been planted with trees of various kinds, which adds to tho value and beauty of the district. Tho princ)})al ]")oints of the Sidlaw range in the ]mrish are Keillor Hill (1()S8 ft.), cand Gask Hill (1141 ft.), partly heathy, ])artly wooded, and partly pastured. In his " Agriculture of Perthshire," Dr. Robertson su^^o-ests that the range received its name — Seed-law, as he spells it — from the circumstance of its commanding a prospect of the German Ocean from Aberdeen to Berwick ; but we cannot easily reconcile this suggestion with the oldest way of spelling the range, Sidlo. Besides the more common plants to be found in the parish, may here and there bo seen the Round-leaved Sundew (an insectivorous plant) ; the Water Lobelia (with liglit-blue drooping flowers) ; the Bloody Crane's Bill (with handsome bright puri)le (lowers) ; the Mare's Tail (a singular plant, with narrow-leaved whorls) ; the Bladderwort (adorning ditcheswith large bright yellow clusters) ; the Sweet-scented Orchis (with rose-pur[)le flowers) ; and the Trailing St. John's Wort (whose yellow flowers open only in the sun). The honourable familyof ILi llyburtonhad for a consider- able time extensive property in this parish. In tlie early part KETTINS. •4 tt t0 loo lun, nisli, (an blue somo aiifc, iiing ntcd k St.. sun), ider- ■ part of the fifteunth century, tlic family built the Castle of Pit- cur, one mile south of the villairc. This castle is now in ruins, v.hicli cive no idea of its former rjrandeur. The moulder- ing reniains stand on the brow of a gentle declivity, romantically backed by the wood-clad Sidlaws, and facing the grand panoramic scene of Strathmore. Pitcur is an ancient barony, which came into the possession of the Hallyburtons by marriage, in 1432 ; and ^vhich gave its title to the family afterwards. A veiy celebrated mem- ber of it was James, who was Provost of Dundee for thirty years, and was one of the Commissioners appointed by the estates of Scotland to go to France and arrange the marriage of Queen Mary and the Dauphin. The Laird of Pitcur was a strong supporter of Viscount Dundee, and followed himin his engagements. Ochterlony in his"Sh3're of Forflir" (dated 1084), says of Pitcur : — " It is a great old house, with much fine planting. It is ane ancient great and honourable familie." In more recent times Lord Douglas Gordon Hallyburt(jn represented the County of Forfar from the passing of the Re- form Bill till his death. He was succeeded by his nephew, who in P>3G married the daughter of William IV., and cou- sin to our present Queen. After the Castle of Pitcur became unfit for a residence, the family removed to Hall^^burton House, a modern mansion east of the village. A few years ago the property was sold toGraham Men/ies, Estp, father of the present pro])rietor, Robert Stewart ALenzies, Es(j., a candidate for the Kirkcaldy Burghs in the Liberal interest. About a hundred years ago some tumuli were found in the parish, when digging for the turnpike road from Cupar, through the deep ravine, dividing the Sidlaws, on to Dundee. One at Pitcur contained at least lOOO loads of stones ; an workmen's implements. These pieces were gathered and cemented together, and form a bowl well-made in n-ood preservation, and with well defined figures of ancient warriors and lower animals on the outside of the rim. When the property came into the hands of ]\Ir. ^lenzies, he, at great trouble and outlay, had the pas-:agos to a large extent opened up and cleared out. Many cup marks were seen on the stones. An ancient coin and several articles of interest to anticpiarians wei-e found ; but nothing to deteruiiiie accurately the date or history of this subterranean passage, which, being about 500 j^^rds to the east of Pitcur Castle, is supposed by some to have extended itself to it, and to have been cm])loyed variously. Hopes are entertained that interest will not abate in these excavations, and that further light may jx't be tiirown on the history of the place. The estate of Keillor, the mansion-house of which is in Kettins, was ancientl}^ a part of the Earldom of Sti'athearn. Ilandulph de Kolore, who did homage to Edward I. in 12DG, was a vassal. In the time of King Robert tho Bruce, the lands seem to have been divided : for then Robert Markers had a gift of the baronv, and ngain, in the time of Robert III., Walter Ogilvy had Easter Keillor. In 1384, in a charter " by John of Kelor to John of Ardillar (Ardler), six merks were to be given annually out of the two towns of Keillor." In 1407, Walter Ogil - V gave an annuity from it to the altar of St. George in tile J'athedral of Brechin. Subsequently Sylvester Hadden (or llaldano) held it. In 1514, he witnesses the retour of service of Alexander Lindsay to the office of Hi ■ t 1 58 ST!!ATI!M »r.K : PAST AND PRFSENT. i ' '; M !■■ ; J U lieredllaiy blacksmith of the Lord.ship of Erecliin. In 1045, Eastor Keillor fell to Sn-^an, sister of Alexander ]lalf]an. Tradition says that f(jr some act of kindness wliich was sliown by one of the " auld guidwives " to King James, when travelling incog aito as "the Guid man o' Ballengeich," in this district, the patrimonial estate of the family was increased bv roval m-ant, and held upon this curious tenure : — " Yc Haddons o' the moor, ye pay nocht, ]5ut a hairen tcthcv — if it's socht — A red rose at Yule, and a sua' ba' at Lammas." Keillor passed from the Ilaldanes to the Hallyburtons of Pitcur ; in 1800 to the Hon. James M'Kenzie (Lord Piivy Seal) ; imd now is in possession of Lord Wharnclitfe. Accordinof to Skene, Kettins was a Thanacre for a con- siderable peiiod ; in 12C4, Eugenius, Thane u£ Kathenes, possessed a large grange, a small part of which was an ab- thanrie. Thereafter it was erected into a Barony; for we find that, in 1309, King Robert I. on the resignation of Malcolm de Kaithness gave a charter of the Barony of Kettins to Sir Patrick de Ogilvie, an ancestor of the Earl of Airlio. Ecclesiastically it is believed that Kettins was once the seat of a Celtic Monastery. The occurrence of the woY^ahtlien as descriptive of land may always bo held to point out the territory of an ancient Abbey. In one very old work (Martin's Relig. Divi. Andree), the " ab- denrie " of Kettins occurs ; and in another (Inquisit. Iletorn. Abl )rcv. voce Forfar), certain lands are described as "abdcn of Kettins." This view is supported by the fact that in a charter, dated 1292, Hu-h of Kettins granted the well in his lands of Ketenes, called Bradwell, with its aqueduct bounded and servitude and waterage, to the Abbey of Cupar ; hence it was the site of an early ecclesiastical establishment. BradweU is just Bride's Well, afterwards changed to Saint Bridget, the virgin, the tli kettt::?;. mo inn IS to no. »11C0 tho liekl one ■ ab- Inisit. •men \e tl ktins [well, rao'O o^> Icar ;i(.le's the patron saint of Kettins. The Kiik of Kctyns had six chapels uependent upon it — Peatio, South Coston, Pictur, Tduiiyfaulds, Denhead, ami K<'ttlns — each of these having i-niaU enclosures used as burying-groiinds. It Lelonged to the Diocese of St. Andrews, and was dedicated by Bishop David, in 1249. In the Ilegister of the Priory of St. Andrews, according to the TcLVdilo of 1250, Ketenis was rated at 55 nierks. In the Err/istrum veins de Ahcrhrothoc Ketyns was rated in the Taxatio of 1275 at 55 merks. The fruits and revenues were gi-antcd to the hospital or Donius Dei of Berwick. But, in loOO, Sir James Lindsay of Crawford granted his house in Dundee lirst as a convent for the ransom of Christian captives from Turkish slavery, and then to the lied or Trinity Fiiars for an Hospital or IMaisondieu, in which the old and infirm mic^ht reside. Kincj Robert III., in confirm- ins: this charter, enriched it with a cjift of the Church of Kettins and its revenues. These the king transferred fi'om Berwick to Dundee: — " Because the burgh and castle of Bcrwyk have been in the hands of our adversaries the English, we will and give the chui'ch of Ketnes with all its fruits and forthcomings to the hospital of Dunde." In the rental of the lands of the Priory of Rostinoth, Ivetynnes-mill paid 403., and the lands of the Barony of Kethenys £4 Scots. The patronage of the toinds of Kettins belonged at one time to the Church of Peebles ; for, in 153C, James Patcrson, minister of Peeblcf} and Rector of Ketnes, granted a lease of some of the teind-sheaves of the parish to George Hallyburton, who ao-reed to uive 4 merks yearlv out of the same to Sir David Jack, for five years, on account of '' his thanklul service and labours done for us at our command to the minister of Peebles." In 1558, Friar Gilbert Brown of the Church of the Holy Cross at Peebles, granted by IGO STilATIL^IORE: PAST AND PllESKNT. 1' 1 1 f ( f i I ; I i cliartur tlic Kirk lauds at Kettins (now called X(^\vliall) to James Small of Ivettins. In 1500, James Anderson (who, in 1574, also served Ijondochy and Collace), was minister, and " his haill buikis were estimat at £200 Scots, and ntencils at £10; he wrote a treatise in verse, (reprinted in 1H51), on the first and second coming of Christ. In IGOG, Colin Camphell was one of the forty-two ministers who subscribed a petition to Parliament against the Intro- duction of Ei)iscopacy. In 1G38, James Auchinleck of Ketins, whose wife ])rosented the Connnunion cups, was brought before the General Assembly, accused of " de- fending the doctrine of universal grace ; ' but satisfying the Assembly of his orthod(jxy, he was acquitted ; how- ever some 3'ears afterwards he was dei)osed by the Assembly's Committee for visitation. In 1G5-1, for some time there was no Session, " because of the Englishers coming alongs who made the people to return quicklie to their howses." In 171G, James Patone was taken prisoner by George Duncan, his cousin, one of the Lieutenants of the Shire. In 1703, James Trail published a translation of the rather curious description in Latin, of date 1G78, of the Shire of Angus by Robert Edwards of Murroes. In 1800, when Mr. Symers was nominated by the Crown to Kettins, the Magistrates and Town Council of Peebles l)resented another ; but the Court of Session decided in ftivour of Mr. Symers because of proscription. In 178G, the Court of Session decided, in the case of Kettins, that when the minister, as pursuer of the process of augmenta- tion and modification of stipend, is not culpable of ui.luc delay, the decree of augmentation opei'ates retrospec- tively to the date of the demand in the summons: in this case the summons was dated in 17G-1, and decree was pronounced in 17SG, so that the minister received at once twenty- two years c " augmentation. In 1 808, a .1 1 l.>.->. i';i 808, Conimittce of Prcsliytcry reported tliat Kettin^i liad im j^rass-glebo designed for it by decreet of tlie l^ro^sbytery. Protests were taken by tlie Heritors and £20 Scots weio given in lieu of this glebe. According to the Parliamentary Keturn, the total sum levied by way of assessment for building, and repair of, the Church and Manse during tho 10 years ending 31st December 1870, was £1,045, The chapel of Keillor is believed to have had tho largest burial enclosure. Ancient sculptured remains are found there, especially one remarkable sculptured moiui- ment, embellished with the rude outline sketch of a boar. In the churchyard of Kettins there is an interesting sculptured monument (lully nine feet high), of the same type as those in the churchyard of Meigle ; this had been used, from time immemorial, as a foot-bridge across the Burn flowing through the village of Kettins, until the spring of 18G0, when it was properly placed in its present site by Lord Douglas Gordon Hallyburton. The bell in the belfry of the Church was unearthed from the Baldinnie bog, some hundreds of yards south of the Church, while the ground was being trenched. The occupants of Baldinnie at the time presented the bell to the Church, in return for which they obtained a right of burial beneath the belfry. The present incumbent — Rev. James Fleming, M. A. — has kindly furnished us with the in- scription on it in relievo, which he took down personally to prevent mistakes : — " ^laria Troon es minem ntiora Meester Hans Popen reider gaf mi. Anno Domini MCCCCCXIX.," ie., "Mary Troon is my name. Mr. John Popen, the owner (or knight ?) gave me. A.D. 1519." Somewhat similarly the old bell of St. Lawrence of Edzell was brought to light in the early part of the present century, after a long lapse of years, by being accidentally dragged from the bottom of the old Weil of IT' i 1 I -M ' t1 IM • I iiii ^li 1 ,J ■ )^^ 102 STRATIIMORK: PAST AND rRESFXT. Dnrnj'hill. Tlic Fcine bell is about the samo porio^l a« Kettius:— "JebunglK-'otan iut iaur MCCC(XJV1." Two silver v^ijniiiiuniou cups, oC date lOoO, aro still in use; and conijiarini,^ the M'ei,ij;lit markod on tliuui Aviih tlie weight now, tlioy have only lost 2 dwt. Troy. The two collection plates are of date 172.']. In 1G84, Ochter- lony says : — " Kcatcns is in the Diocese of Dunkeld, but the minister's name and ])atrone are unknown to the informer." From the Parochial records, which go back to IGIS, we find that, in 1G45, Robert Yullo had to pay Gs. 8d. for "drinking on the Sabbath, and make his re])ontancc before ye pul[)it." In 1G5 i, the same delinquent com- peared and confessed that "he was taki .i with driidv and promised to tak held to himself afterward, and he was sharply rebuked be the Session for his fatt." Along with him, *' James Yullo confessed tliat his drunkenness was the cause of his Sabbath-breaking, and professing his sorrow he was ordained to compeir next Sabbath in sack- cloth before the congregation" — which was done on two occasions. In 1GG4, Janet Yullo compeared before the congregation, and professed her repentance and sorrow for her sin of " scakling and swearing, cursino' and rail- ing, against her Christian neighbour, Catherine Small ; " and was duly dealt with. Shortly afterwards, the said Catherine Small was guilty of the same offence, and suffered similar punishment. For four years George Yullo was dealt with for the sin of ante-nuptial fornica- tion, but would not confess, as he professed his innocence; but at last, in 1715, "having now (!) come to a sense of his sin, lie compeired in the public place of repentance for his sin, and was S])oken to and exhorted to a serious repentance." On May 10th, 1713, "The Session con- vened for enquiring into the scandal committed by \ KETTINS. in;3 Icorgo aiiioa- ccncc ; use ot" itancc iGi'ious coil- ed by Patrick Smith, in West Town-Eiitl of Ketins, ancnt tlio soiling of his wife to one Lindsay in Glenisla, wlueii Bcaiidal was rcconnnonded to ye Session by ye Justice of ye Peace. So beinii; sumniond and called conipeiied not, therefor the Session remitted him to the Justices of Peace." The valued rent of the parisli is £1-28; and the real rent £12,200, besides £73 i for Railway. The population, in 1720, was 1400; now it is 003. The Old Statistical Account (1708) states that " there were only 4 un- married women in the parish, 41 farmers, 3 blucicimelds whitening 130,000 yards of linen annually, and one man alive at the age of 100." In 1757, an Association was formed in the district for the Improvement of Agriculture, by giving premiums for the best stock and produce. Hugh Watson of Keillor will be long remembered as the most enthusiastic and suc- cessful breeder, particulai-ly of the Angus breed. Of him Mr. M'Combie of Tillyfour — the highest authority — testi- fied that " he was the first great improver, and no one will question his title to that distinction ; for there is ro herd in the country which is not indebted to KeilJor blood." From tlie Polled Herd-Book of Edward Ravens- croft (1802) we notice that ]\Ir. Watson's first breed were from the old stock of Keillor doddies, which obtained celebrity so far back as 1800. In 1844, he produced his first animal at the Highland Society's Show, and gained the first prize. The Herd-Book contains notices of 23 pedigreed bulls and 22 cows belonging to Mr. Watson. Among these we will mention one cow — Old Gi'annie — which was photographed, in 1850, two days before she died, by request of His Royal Highness Prince Albert. She died at the age of 30, of sheer old age ; for Mr. Wat- son wished to sec how long an animal of this breed, with 104 STJIATIIMORK : PAST AND PRESF.NT. .11 i 1 h 1 ilij -: 1 i 1 ft fine constitution, could 1)0 profit.ibly kept. She was the niotlier of 25 calves, 11 of wliicli arc rcgisterecl as first-prize takers. The cattleman who had attended her all her life-time was awarded 100 francs by the " Societc^ Protection des Aniniaux Justice ct Compassion Hyf,Mono dc Paris;" and Mr. Watson received a special silver medal from the Hif,ddand Society. In 1825, Lord llallyburton valued his lands and let them to the tenants at rents according to Coventry's principle, which was, that the rent increases as the scpiare of the ])roduce; so that land that produces eight bolls per aero will have to pay four times the rent of other land that produces only four bolls per acre ; and this principle was considered very equitable, for bad land required as much seed and labour as good land. Owing to several good bequests for education and the poor, the parish of Kettins is about the minimum for local taxation. As far as we can trace, the walls of the present ]Manse were built in 1792 ; and those of the Church in 1708. The situation of the Manse is not desirable ; beinof V)elow the level of the adjoining churchyard. In 1871, the Church was very much improved in the interior with the addition of beautiful memorial windows. And recently a very handsome American Organ was presented to the Parish Church and congregation by Mungo Murray, ]''sq., and Mrs. Murray of Lintrose, in memory of their ncpliew who died at sea. The Very Keverend Principal Tulloch of St. Andrews was minister of Kettins from 1848 to 1854, during which time he wrote some of his best articles to the Edinburgh lieuieiv, and the Burnet-Prize Treatise on Theism. Little did the ])arishioners think that the pleasant-mannered and quiet-dispositioned minister who used to go in and out among them was in that seclusion preparing himself KKTTINS. 105 was (I as lier jilver d let itry's (^uare Is per land nci\)le red as tid the r local resent Irch in being 1871, iterior^ And Isentcd [urray, their [draws Iwhich wiirgh 1 Little niered n and limself for a brilliant career in tlio future ; for now lie is unques- tionably the must di.stin,L;uisli(Ml preacher, thi'oi(»:;ian, and Udt'ratciw that Scotland possesses in any denomination : ho is Dean of the Order of the Thistle, Ibi- ^bijivsty's Chajjlain, Senior Clerk and ex-Moderator of tlie Ch-neral Assembly of the Church of Scotland. A quaint old man was paris.i teacher duriuL? the time of Principal Tulloch's incundjency — James Gibb — who died about ten years ago. Lord Hallyburton, having a leaning to ])hrenology, selected Gibb as schoolmaster on account of his mathematical head. Li his younger day ho was a good teai^her, especially in arithmetic and mensuration of land — at which he was an ade[)t. His holidays were taken up in searching the curi(xsity shops in London, for old instruments, which ho would purchase and tit up for use. At the sale, after his death, we never saw such a collection of astronomical and meteorological instru- ments, gold and silver watches, and eccentric curic^sities of vertu. He wrote the excellent " New Statistical Ac- count " of the Parish, in 18-12 — the year that Dr. John Macduff was inducted minister. Dr. Macduff left the parish, in 1848, and has since devoted himself to religious literature. Kettins has neither Dissenting Church, noi* public-house, nor poor assessment, and is in many respects a model country parish. " Thou Kettins art so fair, Let sweet consistency breathe everywhere — Kind hearts and noble deeds with Nature's gift al)ound — The True, the Beautiful, aud Good, in one bright ruuud 1 " fppjpl'^ io'i ! 1 EASSIE AND NEVAY. After drivincj two miles eastward fVom tlio villaQ-e of Ncwtyle along a most excellent level road, we enter the united parishes of Eassie and Nevay. The time-honoured boundary-mark is a conspicuous old ash, whicli popularly goes by the name of the Tjmple-trce. Tradition cannot guess at its age. It is of considerable diameter, but quite hollow from tiic ground upwards for twenty feet. The bark is strip|)cd olf in several parts, and the thin shell of wood exposed is quite worm-eaten ; here and there being quite worn through, forming a rude door and rugged windows for the weird-like interior. Lari^e branches spread out, half dead-and-alive, with some foliage, scantily furnished with the liie-giving root-3ap. Could it speak it worcM tell of many a strange incident in its vicinity or underneath its arms. Its ai)peai'ancc might almost take one back to the time when the Templars left the neii-h- bourhood; tiius fixing its curious ai)pellation. We drive eas' vvard on this beautiful day in the end of August ; the sun shining with medium brightness, and his fiery rays being mellowed by thin clouds. On our left we see, laid out for six miles, the many-chequered fields, some approach- ing to the ripe gold-tinge, the rich green hue of turiiip and potato squares bringing into relief the white crops nearly ready for the reaper, and the verdant hedges and woodlands of dense foliage, till our eye reaches the distant slopes, Avhich enclose the Howe of Strathmore. The towering ridg§s of the Grampians, with" their numerous intervening spurs, make a background of surpassing grandeur; the cold outline clearlv marked against the EASSII'] AXn Ni:VAY. 1. '1-» Irivu thu rays laid oacli- Liniip crops and staut The eroiis Lssinjjj t tho kindlinu: azure of the lieavens. A ruu'a'eil road on our left hand leads down to the ruined Church of Nevay, in the viHago of Kirkinch. Soon wo pass tho new Clause and Churcli, the handsome sclioul and sclioulhouso, the iincly-situatod farni-liousc of Ingliston, and the railway station of Eassie on the Caledonian Railway ; till wc come to the old Manse and the ruins of the Kirk of Eas.sie. Leaving our conveyance, wo walk into the cluirchyard. Tho grass is carefully cut, and tlie moss-greon pediments and grey tondistones arc exposed to view. Spectral silence points to decay all around. Stepping inwards wo are shocked at the nettle-possessed enclosures, whcio rank weeds reeking grow. What means this ? Surely com- mon deccnc}' — to say ii''thing of fitting reverence — should rouse the public mind to get this sliocking eyesoie removed, 'ilie rootless walls of the old })lacc of worshi[) should yet be dear to the niemoiy of worshippers. The ivy clings around one gable, keeping the stones dry in many a shower, its web-like roots exuberantly issuing from every portion of the branches ; and so binding every- thing together with intricate lace-work that not a stone can. be removed without first tearing away the protecting safeguard. The earth and grass have filled up a considei"- able portion of the do )r ways ; and on the lintel of tho principal entrance we decipher " 17o*3, Mr T. O. Minr," rudely carved. But no yew-tree, green even amid the snows of winter, tells there of immortality. No drooi)ing willow stands there as the suggestive symbol of the per- l)etual mourner. No beauteous natural flowers are there to soothe the melancholy spirit, whicli dwells too sadly on life's close. Never there does the sad-hearted visitant behold the primrose on a little infLint's bed, or modest rose on bowed stalk to grace tho grave of sonic sweet maiden taken away in her blooming years, or pansy planted by STKATIIMORE : PAST AND PllK.sKNT. h cliildren round their playmate's tomb. But on the symbol- stone of death aliLchts a Hailsome butterliv, which, once a Avorm cree})ii)g on the bare earth, now twits its gaudy wings ill the summer's sun, as if to remind us of our im- mortality — that soon from his cell of clay the departed man "will burst a seraph in the blaze of day." Time's gradual touch has mouldered into beauty the rude stones; and with Schiller Ave can say : — "Tinio coused'atuH, And what is grey with age becomes religion." The united ])arishes of Eassie and Nevay extend for four miles from west to east, and three miles from n(>ith to south. In a very old map (about the sixteenth cen- tury) the names are written Esse and Nevoy. They are bounded on the east and south by Glamis, on the south-west by Newtyle, on the west by Meigle, and on the north by Aiilie. The Dean, which flows from the Loch of Forfar, forms the northern boundary of Eassie. Silent but deep is its course, scarcely moving through some reedy pool, or gently dilfused into a limpid plain — " So calm, the waters scarcely seein to stray, And yet they glide, like happiness, away." But on account of the sudden and frequent bends in its course, it often, when SAVollen with rains and melted snow, breaks through its banks and inundates the neighbour- ing fields. It is noted for the large size and delicious taste of its trout , but they are difficult to catch, tiie angler requiring to conceal himself behind a bush or keep a respectful distance, "the better," as Izaak Walton says, " the scaly } eople to betray." Here and there may be seen the great white Water-Li ly (cradled in the dimpling tide to rest its lc>vely head) ; and the handsome Comfrey (with its two-fold clusters of white and pink and purple flowers). The rare \/ood Club-rush, among many other interest- kassil: and ni;vay. loo ing flora, was found on the sides of the Dean by Mi.ss Annie Ogilvy of Ruthvcn. Eassic Burn rises in the north of Auchterhouse ; and, lunning for six miles tln'oiigh Denoon Glen, in Glamis, in its course batlnng the wall of the churchyard of Eassie, falls into the Dean. The haughs on the banks of the Dean are only IGO feet above the level of the sea; but southward's the sur- face gradually rise^ to the Sidlaws, attaining o71 feet ni';ir Murleywell, G21 at Ingliston, and 947 in the border. The rocks of the ui)lands are partly eruptive and partly sandstone ; and thougli the soil is cultivated well up to the summits, it is poor and better fitted for planting or pasture. The soil in the Strath is a soft sandy loam of high fertility, with moorish portions intrrspcrsed ; the crops are generally excellent, and the heart of the husband- man now rejoices, " When large increase has blcss'd the fruitful plain, And we v;ith joy behold the swelling grain." Dr. Playfair, afterwards the Principal of St. Andiews ^^niversity, who wrote the "Old Statistical Account" of the United Parishes, in ITO'l, states that a greater quantity of rain falls in this district than in the low country south of the Sidlaws; because "all clouds and vapours from the south-west are divided near the mouth of the Earn, and are attracted partly by the Sidlaws and partly by an elevated ridge stretching along the north coast of Fife ; SO that little rain from that quarter falls upon the inter- val between those mountains." The Sidlaws are rich in bo tan}'. There can be seen the insectivorous Sundew ; the Milkworts little humble flowers of red and white and blue ; a peculiar s])ecin^en of the Eye-bright (an infusion of which makes a useful eye- water); the handsome Meadow Crane's-bill (with i)urplish- blue flowers) ; the purple mountain Milk- Vetch ; and the I .i 170 STltAl UMUllE : PAST AND rRF'.SENT, hoait-leavod 'i'wayljlade. Anion;:j the mosses can l)0 found tl»o Leafy Diphysc'iuin, theliock Aiidrnr'n, tIielS]iarp-])ointcd Wcissia, the Zig-za^* Fork-moss, the Curve-stalked Apple- moss, the Dwarf and lleait-leaved Jungermanniju, and the Crisped Neckera. There is also a great variety of Crypto- gamic plants ; while the little dells through which streams ])ass from the Sidlaws have each ])eculiar floral treasures. There is nothing particularly noteworthy in the anti<|uities of the united parish. About a mile west of the old Church of Eassie are the remains of an ancient f(jrtification, surroumled on the west, st)uth, and east sides by a very deep and broaattle at Eassie, in 1057, has no foundation; fortheEassie referred to is in Strathbogie. Accordingly, whetli'ir it records a domestic or national story, whether it marks the grave of a noble or the tombs of the fallen in battle, are points which still bring forth dillerent o] anions ; yet it is a feast for the antiquary. Near Castleton there is a mineral spring, and another a mile sc'itli of the old Manse of Eassie ; but their qualities and virtues are unknown. In the south-east of Eassie parish a small vein of silver ore was discovered, a century ago ; but the amount of the metal realized would not pay the working. There was a tine freestone quarry in the south of Nevay, the stones of which admitted of a good polish. The Temple-tree and the farm of Temple- ton suggest the ancient property of the ivnight-Templars of the twelfth century. They gave their estates to the Knights of St. John, who went by the cognomen of the Knights Hospitallers ; hence the name Sj)ittal in so many districts. In 1390, Isabella Douglas, Countess of Mar, granted to Walter Ogilvy a charter of the Kirkton of Eassie and other lands. His successor, Alexander Ogilvy, possessed the baroiiV of Eassie, and was Sheritf of Forfar. In 1 400. King Robert III. granted a charter to William Cunning- ham of Neve and other lan y •rie <4 kl stone Itoaviiig tliis inscri])tion : — " ITore ly the Tyries of Nevay ; lioiiu.st iin-n and Li-ave fellows." The date, 1G.'>1, is on the ivy-clad ruins of the old C'hurcli, jnd " IG 1). N. O-V on the lintel of the door. On the eiielosin naturalness of the judgments of the Ruler of the Universe. A handsome new Church, midway between the two, was built in 1833, and a commodious Clause close to the Church in 1841. The churcliyards are, however, still in the old places. The heritors made an excambion of the old glebes for a new one adjoiiiing the new manse. But we notice in the report of the Committee, appointed by the Presbyteiy, in 1808, to investigate into the state of m. k. 170 STIMTIIMOIIK : I'AST AXD PRESRN'T. 1 • tlio several benefices witliiii the bounds, that Eassio and Ncvay liad no iL,n"ass-i;lebc desinned [i)r them by deoroe*" of tlie Presbytery. Uy the act abolishing patronage, in LSTl-, tlie patron, the Earl of Wliarncliffo, was entitled to one year's stipend, Avlicn the next incumbent was inducted, but ho handsomely returned it totheliving. Tiiepresentincumbent — Ivev. Nathaniel Law, M.A. — hasvery kindly furnished us with extracts from the Kirk-Session records, which date from 1721. On Jan. 15, 1725, "The minister reported that this day, about three in the nioi-ning, there was a man- child laid down at his gate, and that he had sent for them to advise what to do." Tempovpry arrangements having been made, and the minister having written to the neiofh- bouring parishes to endeavour to find out the unnatural mother, but without success, " the matter is reported to the Presbytery and their help requested as to maintaining the exposed child." In answer to this appeal Airlie con- tributed 3()s. Blairgowrie, 80s. Newtyle, 80s, Kingoldrum 24s. and Lintrathen 24s. Then ]\Ir. Angus of Castleton agreed, on receipt of a bill for £25 Scots, to maintain the eliikl till he be 14 years of age ; " so the Session was to be no more troubled with the exposed child, which the Session approve of." One female delinquent had to sit the cutty stool " in sackcloth " for several days ; but scarcely had her compearances for fault number one been completed than we find her again as, on 81st May, 1725, " having laid down a child in Inverarity Parish on Thursda}^ was a fortnight, about bed-time, but could not tell the man's house she laid it at ; " for which she was sent for a time to Forfar gaol ; and after her liberation she had to sit the " stool" no fewer than twenty-three times. This extreme rigour in punishment by the Session had no restoring efi'ect on delinquents. In April 4th 1725, a col- lection was mtr.e, " according to order/' for building a con- rum eton the Ito be the ,0 sit but been 11725, 11 on il not was In she Ames, lad no a col- Ing a EASSIE AND N EVAY. 177 a bn(l_i,^o butwixt "Never and LcJmot," to the amount of £1 l.Ss. Gil. Sc(jts. Tlie mortcKitli must liavo been liand- Homc in tliose days ; for on April oth, 17«i3, is the entry for 0! yards of velvet and fringe, £420 Scots. On August ."itii, 17'34, the rent of the seats in the loft (wlileli liaiu of ale, desired the tapster to give him two sixpences for a shilling, which she did, and he went ofl'. Then the company sitting in the house made M «>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k A O ^.*% I *^>%* /^A < <;^^^. ^ -.Z^" ^ i 1.0 I.I 11.25 ittllS |2.J :!: i;£ 112.0 M. IIIIII.6 V] /a. ^\>^ ^J" / Photographic Sciences Corporation ; > tVEST MAIN sr; iV ^' ^\^\ ^^ <^' o^ ^ P ''' f J 3 ' ^:;:i ,<' liflSM iHi ; ni U-' ITS STllATllMuJli; ; PASr AM) I'liKSKNT. Joliii Spcncc uneasy, l>y k'llin*,^ iiiiu tliat this c-liiiiiLjiiiL,' («t' money was o. charm used with an intent, that the suli'erer by tire slioiild make up his loss at tlie expense; of his neig-hbour. The sixpenees were after sonic dilHculty returned, and friendship restored; but the Session were not content with tiiis. Tiiey nuist report the matter t > the Presbytery." After due deliberatit)n the Presbytery a])pointed the minister to examine witnesses and report. Finally the t'ollowint; deliverance of the Presbytery was ordered to be read from the pulpit: — "'Find the proof im])erfect ; could not find him guilty of bad intent; and aj>[)oint the minister to give public warning against sack practices in time coming." There is neither a Dissenting Church nor a public- house in the united parishes. The population has varied little for a century and a half. In 1721, it was ().')7 ; in 1794, 030; in 1831, Gol- ; in 1.S81, 501. The valued rent of both ])arishes is £100; the real rent about £9000. No lieritor resides within the bounds, which is an especially unfortunate circumstance in these dull times, when tenants require every encouragement to keep them in heart and healthy social bearing to those over them Dr. Play lair, ith approi)riate point and wisdom, thus spoke of a laird of Nevay in his day, who met his tenants fairly and took a fair rent from them, that they might, with industry, have a decent living : — " Had the usual methods of screw- ing an5«»! w .'»'«-'-: J. '':.»«I«»«»-:»"K'«*'''*'" ' i EASSIE AND NEVAV. 171) 111 ^\) cially cnants t uud xyCair, kiii'l took ustiy, tscrcw- lUlLlht (I tl»u tabic n-seiit 11 the at you )ssibk\ mber I )i' I Dr. Pkayfair rcq;rott(}(1, a century ai,^), that little atten- tion was ])ai(l to tiie breed of animals; we are now L;latl to see such an enthusiasLi abroad for rearing excellent stock. He asserted that " sheep are entirely bani.shed ; " now many flocks of Highland ewes are kept to improve the summer ])asture, and crosses are plentifully seen on most of the farms. In 1()8-1, Ochterlony remarked : — " In Kevay there is extraordinary good land, and well-served with grass." The farm-houses and steadings ure, on the whole, very much in advance of what they were half~a- century ago. Dr. Play fair gave a good account of the farmers of his day : — " In alHucnce they rival the middling order of proprietors, and in hospitality they exc(;l them." And we conclude this article with the record of the sage experience of that distinguished scholar and ob- server, which, we hope, is still a marked characteristic of those who now live under the mild intluence of a country scene, and the soft obscurity of rural retirement : — '* The inhabitants of this territory are sober and industrious ; strangers alike to intemperance and dissipation of every kind. The vice of dram-drinking, which, if we may rely on statistical information, so much prevails in many l)arishes of Scotland, is here unknown. There is not a tavern or alehouse in either parish. These j)eople how- ever are open, generous, and hospitable. That servile spirit, which diffused itself among the lower class during the rigour of the feudal system, no longer exists ; and pas- sions then predominant have subsided. They are neither |)roud nor parasitical. Mild and peaceable, they are neither ready to resent an injury, nor to harbour revenge. Attached to the National Church, and the present form of Government, they are not inclined to schism, nor prone to sedition, nor liable to change. Not a few of them eijoy the benefits and comforts of society, r W 1 H ' [■I '' , 5 i'ti Ifi 'i<\ !iJ Mi, j. f % :• J I'l ,) 1 1- • i ^ 1 '■ '^- "si*! 180 STRATllMORE : PAST AN!) PllKSENT. and all arc contented with their condition." Happy parish ! if, with ])ryden, the people can thus contentedly say:— ** Wc to ouraclvcs may all our wisliea grant ; For, iiotlung coveting, we nothing want." > . 1 ; Uly AIRLIB. If there is t*nj'thing in the romantic grandeur of natural scenery, in the j)atriotic associations of historical places, and in the divine spell oi lyric poetry, to help a band of holiday-seekers to have a day's i)ure enjoyment, there is no spot in this charming district of Strathmore to be compared with the Den of Airlie. Here all summer, for three days a- week, pic-ii-j and tourist parties delight to spend some happy hours. The scenes are resistless to the most callous and worldly man. Brakes from Dundee and L^urfar pour their pale and careworn occu])ants into the fairy-land of health. Hardy artisans, close-confined clerks, and nerve-shaken mill-workers become here, with other than alcohol, for the time "o'er a' the ills o' life victorious." Carriages with birth-day family ]>arties and carts with the whole liousehold on their annual triji, drive in to give the young folks their long-anticipated feast. Only the other day we saw two brakes full of close-shaven priests, as hajjpy as the day w^n*; long, in their blessed (!) celil)acy, " getting off the cliain " with greater ease than poor *' John Gilpin " of ballad i >no\vn. Nature gives the picturesque scenery of the Den, history gives the Castle, and poetry combines both in the ballad of "The Bonnie House o' Airlie." An ivy-clad wall alone remains of the ancient structure. A modern mansion forms one side within ; and in the central grassy square the pic-nic parties strengthen the inner man before taking the different routes to enjo}'- the scenery. The Castle is situated on the sunmiit of a huge ))cninsulated rock, which overhangs the junction of the Isla and the Melgum. *K ■HI 182 STRATHMORE : PAST ANT> PRFSKNT. . 1 1 r'i Tlio rock is not so prcci))itous as nt CVai^Miall on the Ericlit, but tlic sconciy is more charniin<^'. Looking northward, from fully a liundrcd feet above tlie water, you see foui' |)arislics joining witliin a stone's east — Alyth, Olenisla, Lintratlicn, and Airlic. The ruins give evidence of enormous strength — imprognablo in olden times to all but fire. Inaccessible on three sid}s by natural securities, the fourth or front side, looking south, was protected by a ditch and drawbridge, thirty feet wide, and a wall thirty-five feet high and ten feet thick. When comj)leto, it must have been one of the largest and least accessible of mountain fortresses. No one can tell who planned the ancient keep ; no jotting of history tells when the massive walls were reared to defend tiie High- land chieftain's home. There is, however, a suggestion, that Sir Walter Ogilvy, when Lord High Treasurer of King James I., obtained the necessary permission to erect the Castle, in 1432. But the old Castle — long rearinef its battlements in seclusion — burst into historical fume dur- ing the broils of Covenanting times. The Earl of Airlic was at that period a faithful supporter of King Charles I., who was pressing his ecclesiastical polity with undue haste and severity upon a douy and prejudiced people, that characteristically clung with death-grip tenacity to the reliLjious forms of their fathei's. To discharrre his duties to his Sovereign, the Karl had to be in England ; but he left his Countess, with his son. Lord Ogilvy, in Airlic Castle. The strong Covenanting party, hearing of the departure of this hated champion of the royal cause, appointed the Earl of Argyle, a hereditary enemy of the Ogilvies, to destroy the stronghold, along with the Castle of Forter, in Glenisla, another of his seats. It was in 1G40, and as the ballad puts it, " on a bonnie summer day, when the corn grew green and rarely," that the work of MM ATRLTE. isn \ . destruction M'ns accoinplislioil. The Earl of 2 cfvle nppcanMl lidoii^ tlio Oastlo, aiiatrimouiid castle, she wouM perisli in the ruins lather than flee for safety with a lily-livered cowaid's shame. Cut of her bower window (looking weary for her alisent lord, and in a precarious state of health, as she was so soon to be- come a mothei'), she spied the great, but "gleyed," Argyle, making his diabolical preparations. With sliam gallantry he asked her to ^' come down, and kiss him fairly ;" but with indignant scorn she refuseposed to bo derived fiom the Gaelic, aird, " the extremity of a ridge." Two-thinis of it lies in Strathmore ; but the Kirk, in a hollow over the ridge that bounds the Strath on the north, is very in- conveniently situated. Compensation in religious service is, however, uilbrded by the Free Church in tho southerji ]iart. Whether it was from necessity, on account of tho dilliculty of obtaining a good site, or from pawkiness to sec that more worshippers could be in attendance when the fields of Eassio, Glamis, and Ruthven could also be drawn upon, or from the sense of decency, we cannot say; but it is certainly far more seendy, rcsv)eetful, and charit- able to see this, than, as in too many cases, rival churches within a stone-cast of each other. From the " Howe " (120 feet above sea level), the parish gradually I'ises in a series of parallel waving ridges, the most northerly (')r)G feet above sea level), terminating in a deep gorge on the west, through which the Isla flows. Here, as already noted, the Tsla is justly celebrated for its romantic beauty. Wordsworth, in his " Effusion," thus refers to a scene not uillke the Den of Airlie : — " Strange sccno, fantastic and inipasy, As ever inado a maniac di/zy." •■? t :l.» ■MtikHii AIRIJK. 185 We first saw the Don tliirtccn yofirs ni^o, on a Siin'lay afteinoon, in tlic first week of Novtmibor, wlion tlio siri» tints of anttunn were on the trees, ami the river was in Hood ; aniit, ra<,'iii!j; 8till amid the shav'_'y rocks, Now llaslii's ()\'V the scattered traj^'mciits, now, A^^lant tlie lioUow clianiiel rapid ' irts ; And fallint^ fast from gradual slope to slope, With w ild infraetfd eoiirse, and lesscn'd ronv, It uaiiis a haler l)i'il, and .steals, at last, Alony tlie mazes of the quiet vale." The rocks in the Den of Airlio arc nearly all Dovovian ; and the strike or run of the bas.set edires of the different beds is from norm-east to south-west. The lower beds are applicable to all the diU'erent objects of architecture, and are quarried for building ]nn-po.ses. There is a re- markable Kaim, running east from the Castle two miles long, described in the Proceedings of the lloyal Society. Traces of fo.ssil fishes have been found in a quarry of the mottled sandstone on the farm of Grange. The rock and impervious chhrls arc throughout most of the parish overspread with sand and gravel. The gravelly wl'' i^r r ' 1 1 f i'; fe;: I f ;h <-i ft if '> H fr :i i: ; T i ' ■ 180 STRATIIMOlii; : PASP ANF) IM5FSKNT. cover is ir<^noralIy aoorvatc*! iii((» low roiiiiiliMl liillocks, or vatlis, filled u|) with |ti>at moss or earthy marsh. Some contain ra1 nts; tl)o licrb-Paiis (\vitl» its largo green flowers lising out of the centre of four ])ointed leaves), found here only in Forfarshire ; the Twaybladc (with its small green ilowers issuing from the two cgged-shaped leaves) ; the IJinl's-nest (a leafless parasite, with brownish-ycdlow Ilowers, turned all one way) ; the Wood-veteh (eovering the rugged stce])s with its trailing festoons of beautifully ])eneilled flowers) ; th(3 Hod Oerman Catehlly (distin- guished frum the other Campions around, by its slightly notched ]>etals and elammy stem) ; the Luekengowan (with its hand omoyellow globe Ilowers); the Three-nerved Sandwort (distinguished from chiek weed by its undivided petals) ; the beautiful Alpine La^ly's-^Lantle, " throwing the shadows of its silvery leaves o'er fresh green mosses;" and the Great Leo])ard's-bane, which, in the dark ages of Avitchcraft, found a place in Hecate's Pharmacopo'ia. Writing in 1(')78, Edward, in his " County of Angtis," says: — "On the banks of Yla Jind Melgum, and a le'W other places, may be gathcietl ])lenty of weli-tlavoured Avild strawberries. ]lere is abimdance of timber ibr labouring utensils, and for the houses of the common })e()ple ; and water-mills, unless obstructed b}' fiost, are constantly employed in sawing the timber. Shells containing pearN are found in the river Yla. In Yla there arc many salmon caught every season, sufKeient not only to su])ply the inhabitants, but merchants for exportation to other countries." Few .salmon are caUi.: it now ; but lair baskets of trout can in the proper season be got in the Isla, Melgum, and Dean. Occasionally are to be seen the Kingfisher, the Golden-eye, and the Crane; and the ISS STRATIIMOnE: PAST AND rni'SENT. ■ _ « wood Mnitlii, a vory rare nniiiml in Uritain, hns lipon found — a very lino sjiociinon Iwivin;^ liccn sliot, in IS 14, liy tlio Karl of Airlio, in the woods noar tho Castlo. In tlio soutl»-W('.st cornor of tlio parish, near Curdoan, an? tho rcMuaiiis of a lloman cam)) ; and ahout ')()() yards of tli(! j^ruat lloman road (which ran castwanls al<>nt( tln^ Strath), (!an Ik; traced in a plantation on the farm of Ivccdic, in the eastern ])art of the parisjj. On the farm of IVirns there is the most entire sjiecimen of a Wecm oi* JN"^dit's Iloiis(! t<> he fttind in the kinL,'dom. It is nearly seventy feet long, six wi(h», and six hiLjii ; constructepcn- ing to be near, ran to his rescue ; for which he, on learning their names, gave them tho glen; accordingly, in honour AIRf.IK. IS!) of tlii^ place Nvlinv they savitl tlnir Muimivir.s lifi', tln'V took till! na;nu ol'Ugilvy, whii-li has bLcii so lon;^' and .so Worthily horno l>y thuir dosceii'luntM. Gilfhrist's luulu heirs failing,' in l--.',the re|tro,scntati'>ii l)as.seS, Sir John (';j;ilv3' obtained iVoni the Cn»\vn tlie J.ands, Barony, and Castle of Ar(»ly. In liUl, Sir James was created a Peer with the title of Lord U^jilvy ; and appointed Chief I'ailie of the Abbey "*' Arbroath, in !(!.*{!), James, Lord Oi^dlvy, was created I'lai I of Airlie and I'aron Oi;ilvy of Alyth and Lintratli. n, )»y Kin'^^ (Jharles L, as a reward Ibr his lovalty. I.i lf which he was slightly wounded. lie owns land to the value of JCiid.OOO a year. The remains of JJaikie Castle, which was situated on a lising ground near the west end of the Atoss of Uaikir, ••ire now scarcely traceable. About a century ago, l»ow- e\er, the proprietor got tliC ground cleared out ; and the workmen came upon a part of the causeway which led into the drawbridge. It seemed very strong and almost impregnable, the walls being eight feet tliick — w^ell suited for a place of refuge in times of danger. According to the Reverend Mr. Stormontli (tlie writer of the Old Sta- tistical Account of the })arish in 1701), it was more than a hundred years before his time when any part of the roof of that Castle was standing. The early pro})rictors were the Fentons ; John of Fenton, Sherilf of Forfar, in 1:^01, beiniij the earliest on record. William of Fenton did homaue to King Edward I. of England, within the Monastery of Lindores in 1201. In the following year,lie was one of those who declared that Edward might ]u-oceed to decide be- tween the claims of Bruce and Baliol for the Scottish crown. John of Fenton was present at the celebrated Parliament held at Arbroath, in 1320. In 1302, the Lairi>iinie !^\viii> tlio swans in tiie l.och u the l^iiikio ; HiL-li is till- iiill, un' tho moon siiining clearly, But the caukl Lsla rins atwecn mo an' my ile.irie." In the reign of Robert JIL, .Tohn Straiton was ]>roprietor of the lands of Krroly (Airlie), which he ivsigned in favour of John Cuthris. Fletcher of lialinscho added the estate of Lindertis to his original patrimony, and rose to the rank of Major in the Indian Army. ^ \ was succeeded by his brother, who ahnij]: with "rannuire" enacted those youthful vagaries for which he is so well known as the " daft laird." At his death the estates were sold tt) Wed- derburn of Lalimlean, who parted with them in the course of two or three years to CJilbert Laing-.Meason (brother of Malcolm Laing, the Historian (»f Scotland), who, in LSLS, erected a most splendid mansion of dark red sandstone, in the castellated style, frojn a design by KUiot of Edinburgh. The house is beautifully situated two M i^mr-u 102 sri{ATiiM(»ni:: i\'-st and ri'j:sf-:NT. miles cast of the Kirk ton, in a coin])act wood, with an extensive view of the richest ]^art of Strathmore. It came into the possession of ^Injor-General Mimro, who was made a baronet, in 1825, when Governor of ALuh-.-is. The estate has belonc;"ed to his son Sir Thomas i\Iunro, Bart., since his succession, in 1827. In this fine property are Kinalty, Reedie, and Littleton. Kinalty was once a thanedom, belon^jfino; to the Crown, in the reiurn of Ilobert II. That King, in l-'^TO, gave to Walter of Ogilvy a charter of an annual rent of £2!) stg., '• furtli of the Thanedom of Kyngoltvy ;" and 20 years afterwards, King Ilobert III. confirmed a cliarter by William of Abernethy, Knight, to John Abernethy of the lands of Kynnaltie in the Barony of Rethy (Reedie). In 1408, the Regent Albany arranged the lands of Thomas heir of the Barony of Rethy. The lands of Littleton once belonged to the Grays. In 1449, Lord Gray had a charter of them. They afterwards passed to the Carnegies, and then to the Earls of Strathmore : till at the middle of the eighteenth century Major Fletcher bought them for Lindcitis. About the beginning ot the sixteenth century, the Ogilvies of Balfour ac(|uired Cukistone property, John Ogilv}'', heir of Cukiston is named in a ])recept of Sasiiio by George, Archdeacon of St. Andrew's, of the lands of Bennathy, in 15l>8. In 1G20, Cookston came into the possession of David Livingstone of Donypace : in 1G88, to the Carnegies ; and now it belongs to the Earl of Strathmore. Ecclesiastically, the parish of Airlie was in Pre-Refor- mation times connected with the Abbey of Cupar, under the names of Erlie, Eryle, Eroly, and Erolyn. The donor and the date are not to be found ; but somewhere between 1214 and 122G (dated Edinburgh, October 3rd), Alexander 11. conlirmed by royal charter the original .>!.-,:;•» <^ .v<*.a«y»««' *w AIRLIE. 103 Ifc gift, with the consent of the Bisliop of St. Andrews. From tlie Hegister of Cupar Abbey wo find that, in 14G4, the alterago of the Church was let to the vicar thereof for five years for the annual payment of £12 Scots. In 14G0, the Churcli was let to the vicar thereof (Sir Andrew Holand) for five years, for the annual payment of 18 merks, with the obligation to keep the Church in repair ; and tlie farm of Grange was let to AViUiam Spakling for 13 merks annually, with 2 dozen capons and 4 boils of horse-corn. In 1474-, David Blair of Jordanston leased the Churcli — tha,t is, received powers to uplift tiie tithes, and the altar and cemetery dues, and to use the proceeds belonging to the manse and glebe, and of all lands belong- ing to the same, for 3 years — for £20 Scots annual rent; all ordinary exj'enses being deducted, except reparation of the choir and altar, the visitation of the bishop, and. bishop's subsidy, or other annual taxes, for which annual payment Kobert Alichaelson of Lytvy (Leitfie) is cautioner. In 1470, the vicarage, along with the fruits of the Kirk of Matliy, was let for 5 years to Master Thomas of Durame, Dene of Angus, for 110 merks Scots ; raised to 125 merks at next tack. In 151)0, Abbot Donald gave Lord Ogilvy of Airlie a feu-charter of Auchindorie. In 1540, James, Lord Ogilvy of Airlie, was appointed hereditary bailie of tho regality of Cupar. In 1550, the Abbot let to the vicar, Sir John Smythc, all the vicarage for his whole life-time for £24 Scots ; but " he shall hold the choir of the kirk watertight." In 15G1, the "hale rentalis of the Abbacio of Cupar" included the teinds of the farms in Airlie to the amount of 28 chalders 14^- bolls of meal, and 11 chal- ders 7h bolls of beir, with 8 bolls of horse-corn ; but Andrew Ouilvie had to ofiiciate at Airlie and Glenisla for £S 17s. Od. In 1CG2, John Robertson was deprived by the Privy Coun- cil; and in l720,\Villiam Lyon joined in a dissent against tho N —SH-HS f i i. If; I I r ii. » I ^ ii, ■ i 194^ STRATITMORE : PAST AND rRF:Si:NT. deposition of John Glas, minister of Tealini:^ (tlio founder of the Glassites). In 1747, tlio Earl of Airlie got £800 aH com])cnsation for the abolition of tiie Bailie of Cupar. Tiio Kirk of Airlie was dedicated to St. Madden, l>y David, Lisliop of St. Andrews, in 124-2. A fine spring in the neighljourhood, witli a knoll and handet, hears the nauio of this saint. The Dunkeld Litany has a bishop styled Medci- iiach, who is probably the saint here referred to, and whose feast-day is A]>ril the 20th. A document, dated 1447, makes mention of the " bell of the Kirk of St. Madden of Airlie,'' as an evidence .of right and title to })roperty ; then it was resigned by its hereditaiy possessor, the curate, to Sir John Ogilvy, who gifted it to his wife, Margaret Countess of Moray, in virtue of which she had possession of a house and toft near the Kii'k of Lintrathen. In the pre- sent church (built in 17^3) is an old aumry or press for holding sacred vessels, bearing on its back the initials of the Feiitons of Bailie (A. F.) The coping-stone of an old buiying aisle, removed from the old church, has marks of the five passion-wounds of our Saviour, with the addition of the scourge, the pillar to which Christ was bound, the spear, and the i)incers. In the west gable of the church is built the gaunt effigy of a man, 3 feet high, representing Saint John, whose right forefinger is pointing to a lamb which is standing upon a book, moaning " The Lamb's Book of Life." This had been taken from the ruins of the Chapel of St. John the Bai)tist at Baikie. The Abbey of Cupar possessed the teinds and patronage of this chapel, gifted to the monks by one of the Fentons. A colHn slab of red sandstone, bearing the common figures of an orna- mental cross, a sword, a hiuitlng horn, and a blank shield has the shaft of the cross thus inscribed: — "Lyis heir Roger and Itofom Rolok, quha died in Bidie, 1G40." A statue, very rudely sculptured, and placed in one of the apertures ' AIRLIE. 195 ksof Ution id, the mvcli ciitinc]? lamb amb's ins of Abbey bapel, 111 slab I orna- shield Ronjer statue, jrtures » of the ohl wall of Aiilie Castle, of hirsute appearance, with one of the arms sii]iporting somethinnf before the breast, is thought by some to be a rude image of tlieBai)tist. The Parochial records date back to ^fay 28th 1002, In 1759, we see that £3 was the penalty for the cuiTcnt breach of Session disjipline. In 17G5, the Kirk-Session expended £10 upon the new east loft in the Church, and £15 on tlie west loft. The Manse was built in 1792. A hand- some organ, presented by Mrs. Monro, Lindertis, was lately used in the service of the church,when the esteemed incumbent (the Reverend Thomas Reid), i)rcaclied with all the energy that he displayed when elected fifty-one years ago; and showed thereby his cultured common- sense in supporting this movement for the improvement of the psalmody. The population of the parish, in 1775, was 1012, and is now 844 — the decrease being accounted for by the junction of farms. The valued rent was £258 ; and the real rent now is £11,092. There is no legal ass" 'snient for the poor. There are two public schools, with accom- modation for 104 and 02 pupils respectively. A century ago, some of the Airlie tenants were among the first in Strathmore to set the example of an improved mode of husbandry ; and this worthy distinction has not been lost sinre. Then there was one flock of sheep brought from Northumberland, weighing 22 lb. per leg ; now there are the finest specimens in many farms. Then 10 four-horse ploughs were employed in taking in the ground ; now the implements of agriculture are far more easily suited to the working of the soil. A hundred and fifty years ago, the low part of the parish was almost in a state of nature, with scarcely an enclosure ; now there are excellent dykes, ditches, fences, and steadings to mark off' the farms. Then the climate, though mild, was very foggy — < t ):■?! I f'11 '■i; n »■ ;■;: 190 STRATIIMORH: I'AST AND PRESENT. rlieumatism, slow fevers and agues being not unfrcqucnt, especially in the mossy grounds ; now, by the extensive draining of the marslies, the parish lias been made ex- ceptionally healtliy. The parish lias always been noted for its breed of cattle. Since 1855, the Earls of Airlie have been raisinq; the fine Anjj^us breed, now takinfj a prominent [)lacc. The Herd Book of Haven scroft mentions a good stock, from which the modern excellent breed have sprung. The manures required for feeding the poorer land are now easily carried from Dundee and Glasgow, as the Caledonian Railway passes through the ])arish ; and these, when mixed with the ordinary reed produce, form a very suitable stimulant for green crops. The ]iaiish is traversed by IG miles of principal roads, and 12 miles of less resort ; all under the Road Trust, and in very good condition. A very fine avenue of chestnut trees extends for half-a-mile along the main road at Lindertis. Many interesting associations make the parish of Airlie noteworthy among the neighbouring country districts ; its pleasant walks, and bonnie braes so charm the lover of Nature thatEnglish scenes fail to obliterate their memory, as James Guthrie thus fondly brings before us : — " Bonnie sing the birds in the bright English valleys, J5onnie bloom the flowers in the linie-sheltcred alleys, (iolden rich the air, with perfume laden rarely. But dearer far to me the bouuie braes o' Airlie." I I '■ i GLAMIS. ■ This widely-known parish — especially on account of its venerable and princely Castle — derives its name (accord- ing to Dr. Lyon) from glamm, " noise or sound," and iss, an affix signifying an obstruction ; on account of the mur- muring sound caused by the waterfall of the Buin, in a deep and rocky gorge above the village ; but Jerviso thinks it is a corruption of the Gaelic glainlais, "a wide, open country." Strange, however, in the earliest charter extant it is spelled Glampnes. In a very old map we find it marked Glamms C. ; but in P]d ward's map Glams C. It is pronounced as one syllable. The parish lies in the southern side of Strathmore, and is bounded on the west by Eassic and Nevay ; on the north by Airlie and Kirriemuir ; on the east Ijy Forfar and Kinnettles ; and on the south by Tealing, Auchter- liouse, and Newtyle. It is of an elliptical shape, being 7i miles from north to south, and ol miles from east to west. The northern pai*" is a gentle undulated surface, all whose softly featured knolls are of nearly equal heiglit. The Dean Water divides this from the central portion, which gradually rises southward till it heaves up in the lower ridge of the Sidlaws, to about 700 feet above the level of the sea. South of this, three parallel ranges of hill stretch away to the Denoon Glen and Glen Ogilvie ; and terminate about 1500 feet above soa-lcvel. In the northern division the soil is of light gravelly and sandy loams, with a few portions of clay and a considerable area of moss ; on the whole unexpectedly poor for tlie situa- tion. The central jjortion is of a deep alluvial brown 1 t i In m '!i f ; ■ii ' ' i ff 198 STRATIIMORE : PART AND PRESENT. loam of very productive (niality. A good shar)) gravelly loam is in the dens of the south portion ; but the hills are moorish and covered with heath. The climate is now much healthier since the swamps and mosses have been elaborately diained ; tlic ])revailing ague and consump- tion, on account of the moist air, being now little known. The western end of the Loch of Forfar is within the parish ; but by diainage, it lias been reduced to an incon- siderable strij) of water, forming the head of the Dean, the princi})al stream in this (juaiter. The Dean is joined in the parish by the Balhmdy Burn from Kirriemuir, the Kerbet Water from Kinnettles, and the Glamis Burn from the Sidlaws ; and below the parish by the Denoon Burn. The united waters form a deep sluggish stream, with umch serpentine winding, confined to twenty or thirty feet in width 1 y embankments. Sandstone of close granulation is the prevailing mineral. There is a quarry close ujion the village of Glamis, famous for its millstones, which are fire-proof The slate-beds in the Sidlaws were formerly wrought for the roofing of houses : but now, under the name of Arbroath pavement, they are extensively wrought for flooring and paving purposes. A century ago, an attempt was made to find out a lead mine near the village ; but the ore obtained was not worth the expense. The mosses contain marl ; and large quantities were taken from the drained part of the Loch for agricul- tural purposes. Among the grey sandstone beds, impres- sions of plants ans split up ; and a complete vertical section of a fish along the backbone was exposed in the two fragments. Two years afterwards, an entire fossil fish, about 6 inches in length, was found in the breaking of a block in the Millstone i C3LAMTS. mo Quarry, ^fr. Lycll of Kinnon.ly scut tliis sjjocimcn to tho iamoiis geologist, M. Agnssiz, wlio gave it tlie nanio " Cephalasj)is Lyclli." In tlio moss very largo antlers of the red deer and tusks of the wild boar were at times found, as well as shells of tho pearl mussel. The streams and dens allbrd ])lent3' of intnvsting study for tho Lotanist, In the Den of (ilamis mav be found the rather rare Marjoram (with itsaromatie purjile flowers, dis- tinguished by the long bracts); thoWood Bitter- Vetch, very rare in Strathmore, though more ]dentiful at tho Reeky Linn on the Lsla; the rare variety of IIorb-Bennet (with tho semi- double Howers) ; tho rare specimen of Speedwell (with white instead of blue flowers) ; tho rare white Stone- crop (without the orlinary red spots on the flowers) ; the M'ell-marked Bugle (with its solitary tapering stalk of blucllowcrs); tho bitter Wood-Sago (with grceni-h-yellow flowers) ; tho Broad-leaved Garlic (easily distinguished from the Lily of tho Valley by its intolerable stench); and the favourite Woodruff, whose beautiful star-like leaves are pressed between tho pages of a book for the sweet ])crfume. The Dog's Llercury should be better known hy herds and cattlemen ; for in tho village of Arnevfoui several cows had their milk coagulated in the udder, without any apparent cause ; but on visiting the Den, where tho cattle had been browsing, it was found that tho}^ had cropped much of this plant, concealed among the herbage in the eai'ly spring, when they were especially anxious for a " bite ;" and this had contracted the disease. On the banks of the Dean may bo seen the yellow Water-Lily (nearly globose and smelling like brandy) ; but most consi)icuously tho attractive j\lyrrh, often taken home by the labourer and planted at his door, or under his windovr, suggesting to us the beautiful lines : — i wmmm ' 4 > ■ I ) n ■ ' l' '* I If*' :l: : c , ■ ■ ;h f-i : M i i 1 ■ i 1 * ,i , -1 t i ' • ' t' (■ ! ■.' \ i ' ;i i Si 200 STRATHMoKE: PAST AND rilESENT. *' Oft by the peasant's cot, the hiimhlc mynli, lli.s inrct cniniiaiiion, doth uiifdld its h-avcs Of j)l(asaiit ^,'r('i'ii, iiikI uiiiltels of fail' tlovvcr.s That through his casement, and aronnd liis door, Siu'd richest fragrance, HM-eetciiing those few hourd 1'iuit toil allows liiin home born joys to share." The present incumbent of Cllaniis (the Reverenroath Abbey, let the tithesof Glammcs to the Martinis of lluntly (then Lord Gordon) ibr 5 years, at £100 Scots. In 1528, the Abbot let for 19 years to Mv. Alex. Lyon, Chanter of Murray, brother and executor of the deceased John, Lord Glanimys, the teind sheaves and fruits of the pars()naL,'e of the Kirk of Glannnys, for £100 Scots yearly. In 15(;(), a reader was ap]K)ijitc'(l fur Clova, under the \ icar of Glammos, at 50 merks yearly. The teinds beloni;«.'(l to the first Marquis of Hamilton, as Connnendator of the Abltcy of Arbroath ; and subsequently to the Kaii of I'aiHiiure, down to their forfeiture in 171G — the Laird of Clova being tacksman of the whole vicarage, which (lieing thirds) amounted to £40 Scots. In 1542, according to the rental of the Monastery of St. Marie of Cupar, i)ro- pcrty formerly belonging to Lord Glannnes paiiiil(I tlu! castle ill a l)Og, ^Vlll;^c 'twill lujithtr thiik' nor sliog." Accordingly, he abandoned the hill}' site and chose that in the plain. It is trul}'- an imposing and ro- mantic building. Surrounded by dusky woods, and appi09.ched by mile avenues, this anc'cnt pile reai's its tall gauvit form with stately dignity. The central part of the Castle, which is the oldest, rises to tho lici'dit of 100 feet. Two wings extend at right angles to each other, and a quarter-circle tower contains the staircase A\'hich affords access to these division.-*. The door-way at the base of this tower is flanked by pilasters with richly carved floral capitals. The building conveys no distinct in^ptession of any particular age ; but has assimilated the successive styles of Scottish baronial architecture. The i OLAMIS. 203 massive round roofoil vaults and thick wnlls, witli narrow Ji^dit-.slits, speak of tlie castellated masonry of the Norman j)eriod ; the ui)i)er ajjartmonts bear traces of the lifteenlh century ; and the clusters of turrets and round tower fitair-casc belong; to the French School of the seventeenth century. The building,' is still in excellent preservation. Tiiere was a ro3-al residence at Cllamis from a very re- mote date — a dwelliiiLj " whose birth tradition notes not." That keen anti(|uarian, Sir Jnmcvs ])alrym]»le, speakiuL,^ of the laws of Malcohn J 1. (lOO.S-Kmn), .says:— " Albeit, it be said that the Kini^ gave all away, yet it is not to be thoULjht but that he retained, with his royal diLcnity, his castles and other ])laccs of residence, as at Fort-tevit)t, (ilanies. and Kincardin." Fordun tells us, that in the neighbourhood, on one of liis royal visits, Malcolm was attacked and mortally wounded in the winter of ]()o,*i; and that his assassins perished in attempting to cross the Loch of Forfar, only half- frozen. Tradition .says, that he M'as murdered in the Castle, and even in a room, which is still pointed oi^t, in the centre of the old tower, as " King ^lalcolm's Room." According to Skene, in hii "Celtic Scotland," we have no authentic history of Glamis before the year 1204, In this year the return of rent received from the royal manor for Alexander III. was V3l (sic) cow.s, and 7-i bolls of barley meal for feeding seven whelps and their dam for purposes of the chase ; besides cheese, butter, hens, and malt. In the same year, a payment of ] (J merks to the Thane of (;!lamis was nuide i'rom the lands of Clofer and Cossenys. In 1088, after the followers of The Bruce had to destroy the " Castell off Foifayr," which, according to Barbour, was " stuHit all with inglismen," the Court made Glamis their principal residence when visiting the district. In 13G3, John, de Logy (probably the father of Margaret Logy, (jueen of David 11.) had the ;i I IS p. Vi l\ IM fit •I.. ■> i ( ■ il'. I ■ % i4't' yi^i m4i STRATnMORE : PAST AND PRESENT. reversion of tlio tliancdom of Glaiiiis from bis son-in-law, the reddendo being a rod fiilcon to be delivered yearly at tlic feast of Pentecost, Thanes were originally stewards over kings'lands,but ultimately became hereditary tenants of tlie king,andthe title and lands descended accordingly, after the ])renuum of one hundred cows was duly paid to the king. In 1872, King Robert II. created it into a Barony ; and by charter gave " our lands of the Thainage of Glammis " to Sir John Lyon, who married the King's daughter, Princess Jane, and was allowed to carry the double treasui'c of the royal arms on his shield. From being secretary to the King, Lyon became Great Chamberlain ; and in his success forgot Sir James Lindsay, Chief Justice of Scotland, who had once recommended him to the royal notice ; and treating his former patron too cavalierly, he had to accept ther of )arously allcL>-ed and in- estates JYi, " the ;0 James ) durinof ter that 'd Trea- e Glam- 1 Court, dy mnn but a sad spendtln'i<'t/' son of the " wicked master," min-- dered Lord Glamis at Stirhng; and by way of reprisal for this murder, the tutor of Glamis killed the Earl's man, for which he had to pay blood-money. About 1G()3, Lord Spynie married Jean Lyon of the noble house of Glamis — her third marriage. James VL, when in Denmark, thus jocularly wrote to Si>ynie about her considerable fortune and widowhood : — " Sandie, wo are going on here in the auld way, and very merry. I'll not forget you wdien I come home — you shall be a lord. But mind Jean Lyon, for her auld tout will make 3'ou a new horn." In 1 GOG, Patrick was created Earl of Kinghorn. In honour of this, there is a tradition that a lofty building was erected on an eminence near the centre of the town of Kinuhorn called the tower of Glamis, at the close of last century. Grose states that it Imd been in use as a land mark ; but, becoming ruinous, a pillar was put instead with this in- scription — " Here stood Glamis Tower." Ho seems to have been the first of the family who attempted to ex- tend the Castle ; for he built the side staircase which now leads to the oldest part, and added the wings, under the direction of Inigo Jones. He also bought Castle Huntly (in Longforgan) for a summer residence. On his death, in 1G15, his son set about repairing the newer domicile and borrowed money on Glamis for that })urpose ; he also completed the ceiling of the drawing-room in 1G2L Quite recently, while some alterations were being ex- ecuted in this apartment, the workmen came upon a com- plete fireplace with chimney ; the existence of which was unknown for nearly three centuries. In 1G53, part of the army 01 the Commonwealth were for a time located about the Castle ; on which occasion the Forfar bakers had to provide the soldiers with "fower dusseu of wheate breade " daily, and the butchers " beefe, 200 STRATllMORE : PAST AND PRKSENT. fii f t.-n. mutton or laiiibo each IMontlay and Wednesday," under })ain of the same being forcibly exacted. In the same year, the Earl of Panmuie acquired by purchase the whole lands of the estate of the Earl of Kinghorn, on the con- dition tbat tlie Earl of Kino-horn or his heirs should receive back the lands " how soon the whole shall ]jc redeemed by him or them ; " which was accom])lished ten years afterwards. In 1G54<, the Earl was lined £1000, because his father had refused to give up King Charles to the English. In 1G77, Patrick, his son, was created Earl of Strathmore, to whom the task of completing the re- storation of the Castle fell. When the Stuarts were driven into exile, he retired from public life in semi-poli- tical despondency, to improve his estates and encourage the fine arts. In a most interesting MS., the " Book of Record," he has described with minuteness his lifework there. When he succeeded to the estates, they were very much impoverished — 'nothing remaining but the bare walls." The whole plantation round the Castle, consist- ing of old shattered and decayed trees, was about five acres in extent, bounded by a low dry-stone dyke. The one entrance was from the south-east, with an outer gate — recessed erection — and inner gate with low wall at the court, " where there was a bridge with a pend over a mightie broad and deep ditch which surrounded the house, upon the inner brink whereof there was a high wall, a gate forenent the bridge, and over the gate a little lodge for the porter." No remains of these are visible, except the two circular towers, standing at a short distance from the entrance. How different are his views from those of Sir Walter Scott ! Soured at the disgrace of the Stuarts, Patrick declared " that there is no man more against these fashions of tours and castles than I am ; " and to carry out his convictions he transformed the feudal keep into a GLAMIS. 207 resuleiitial palace. But lioar Sir Walter's coiniiiont after visiting the Castle in 1794, as given in his " J^ksay on Lan(ls(3ape Gardening: " — " Tlic huge old tower once showed its lordly head above seven circles of defensive boundaries, through which the friendly guest was admit- ted, and at each of which a suspicious person was un- questionably put to his answer. A disciple of Kent had the cruelty to render this sjdendid old mansion more parkish ; to raze all those exteriDr defences, and to brin:,' his mean and paltry gravel walk up to the very door from which, deluded by the name, we might have imagined Lady Macbeth issuing forth to receive King Duncan ! " In his " Record," Earl Patrick has this entry : — ''There is in the gardin a fine dyal erected, and there is a designe for a fountain in the boulin-green. Another of the gates is adorned with two gladiators." The fountain has dis- appeared ; the gladiators are now well mailced with the missiles of school-boys ; but the Lyon dial still presents its eighty faces to the sun. According to Grose, in " The Anti(|uities of Scotland " (1797), there were in the court four brazen statues, bigger than life, on pedestals, viz., James VI. in his stole, Charles I. in his spurs and sword, Charles II. in a Roman dress, and James II. as at White- hall I He also built the Cha})el at the Castle, the most interesting apartment in that ancient structure. It is JjO feet by 18 ; and the panels of the walls and roof weio filled with ])aintings of Biblical subjects by the artist, J. de Witt, who is noted for giving all the Kings in Holy- rood Gallery the nose of the same model. It was dedicated to St. Michael in 1G88. The windows have lately been filled with some exquisitely painted panels of stained glass from the studio of Mr. Kempe, London. He put up the fine iron railing round the top of the centre tower in 1G82, from which Billings gives a fine description of the 208 STPATIIMOIIK : PAST AND rRESENT. Mi T H Strath in liis " Btaronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland." The Rev. Mr. Edward of Murroes, his con- temporary, thus speaks of him : — " As he is of royal descent, so he adorns that high pedigree by a noble genius and generous disposition." A story is told of this Earl which must be cautiously interpreted, though it recounts a strange coincidence. One day, in presence of his four dons, when speaking to an old tenant, he said, " Are not theso four pretty boys?" " Yes," said the old man ; " but they .vill all be Earls, my Lord, and God help the poor when the youngest of the four will be Earl." This was literally verified, and during the life of the last, in 1740, the poor perished in thousands from the want of the commonest necessaries of life, on account of a famine produced by intense frost. In 1715, the first Pretender slept a night in the Castle pre- vious to his mock coronation at Scone ; on which occasion no fewer than 88 beds were made up for his retinue. On the 9th of May, Charles, Earl of Strathmore,was endeavour- ing to reconcile his kinsman of Brigton and Carnegy of Finhaven in a drunken brawl at Forfar, when Carnegy, who had been hurled bv Bri-'ton into the common koiinol, recovering himself, made a thrust at Brigton with a drawn sword, which accidentally passed through the Earl and killed him. In 174G, the Duke of Cumberland's army rested at Glamis, when the Forfarians displayed their favour for the exiled Stuarts by cutting the girths of the horses under night, so that the Duke's progress nortliward to Culloden might be retarded as much as possible. The present Earl, Claude Bowes Lyon, who succeeded his brother in 18G5, is a Representative Peer and the Lord Lieutenant of Forfarshire. The eulosium of Sir Walter Scott in " Don Roderick " is not inapplicable to the family of Lyons — ■ i.i lities of lis con- f royal I genius itiously cidenco. iking to boys?" arls, my ■j of tliC ed, and Lslicd in saries of rost. istle prc- occasion ue. On Icavour- negy of arnegy, kennel, with a h the erland's Lsplayed le girths proo'i'ess uuch as 3n, who ve Peer wium of ipUcahlo ^ CJLAMIS. " A race I'ciiownM of old , Whn^c; war-cry oft h:itli waked i\w bit tie -swell." 20D Great alterations have been made on tlie Castle and grounds since Patrick, the first Earl of Stratliniore, spent liis hfe on what he considered improvements. Tliouuh in a great measure dismantled, a few relics of the possessions of its lordly owners still possess historical interest. I"]"om tlic notes to Wavcrley we find that Sir Walter Scott got the idea for the drinking-cup of the valiant Baron of Bradwardine — the Blessed Bear — from the Lion at Glamis. This is a massive beaker of silver, double- gilt, moulded into the .sliape of a lion (alluding to the fcunily name). Wheii exhibited, this cup must be emptied to the Earl's health. Among the other relics — rich memorials of ancient times — which Sir Walter took notice of, was the clothes-chest (now in the billiard- room), containing some Court dresses of the seventeenth century, along with the motley raiment of the family fool, very handsome and ornamented with many bells, which suggested tlie "Innocent " of Waverley, whom David (iellatley thought to be "more rogue than fool." In the Great Hall arc sevei'al valuable portraits. Some specimens of old armour (both chain and plate, less or more entire), and several other warlike remains, includ- ing swords, battle-axes, and bronze celts, as also a bronze cabinet ornament, which were found at various times in the drained parts of the Loch and tlie mosses, are there also arranged. About forty years ago, when the workmen were repairing the floor of one of the rooms of the Castle, a stone spiral staircase was discovered cut out of the solid walls, which vary from eleven feet to six feet in thickness. This was examined with more than ordinary interest, as it was considered to be the mode of entrance to the secret chamber, said by well-known I i : I 210 STRATITMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. tradition to be only known to throe persons at one time — the Earl, the heir-apparent, and the factor on the estate — although it is only a myth that " Bcardie," the foui'th Earl of Crawford, was contined in it, in 1454, to play dice till the day of judgment ; for he " wis buried with great triumph in the Greyfriars of Dundee." On one side of the servants' corridor a concealed well was discovered a few years ago, apparently intended as a secret water- supply for refugees in the upper chambers. DeFoe,in his"Tour through Scotland inl72G," remarked that " Glammis Avas one of the finest old built palaces in Scotland, and by far the largest ; that, when seen at a dis- tance, the piles of turrets and lofty buildings, spires and towers, make it look like a town." In 1705, the poet Gray, in a letter to Wharton, remarked that " from its height the greatness of its mass, the many towers a-top, the spread of its wings, the Castle has really a very sir, alar and striking appearance — like nothing I ever saw." But when Sir Walter Scott slept a night in the Castle, in 1794, he was strangely entranced by the weird associations, the legendary stories of the Thane of Glamis pressing hard on his historical conclusions ; for he wrote, in his " Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft : " — " In spite of the truth of history, the whole night-scene in Macbeth's Castle rushed at once upon me, and struck my mind more forcibly than ever, when I have seen its terrors represented by John Kemble and his inimitable sister (Mrs. Siddons)." There are also some stones which tradition clothes with a mystic spell. Within a few yards of the Manse stands an obelisk of rude design, which is supposed to be in memory of Malcolm's murder. On one side are the figures of two men, who seem to be making up the bloody plot, wdiich is represented by a lion and a centaur right above t ;*v ^ GLAMIS. 211 s with stands be in fiojures ■j above them. On the reverse side appear fish of various kinds, as a synihohcal representation of the Loch of Forfar, in which the assassins were drowned. Tlie same facts are represented on a similar obelisk, of smaller size, in a neighbouring field. At a mile's distance from the Castle, at a place called Gossans, is a third obelisk, connnonly called Sir Orland's Stone, even more curious than the others. One side bears the marks of a rudely-flowered and chequered cross. The reverse side represents four men on horseback at full speed, the horse of one trauijdiug on a wild boar ; and below an animal like a dragon. Tiiese also have been conjectured to be in kee])ing with the current tradition of the officers of justice in pursuit of the King's murderers. Besides Glamis Castle, there were at one time three other castles within the parish, but they are now entirely demolished. One was at Cessans, another in the Glen of Ogilvy, and the third in the Glen of Denoon, on the summit of an isolated hill, two miles from Glamis villaixe. A circular wall, supposed to have been 27 feet high, 80 feet broad, and 1020 feet in circumference, encloses faint, thouixh evident, traces of buildinij-s in the intermediate space. This Avas considered to be a safe retreat in time of danger. On the top of Hayston Hill, an arm of the Sidlaws on the east side of the parish, are remains very like the circular moat of a Roman observing station. In the Glen of Ogilvy the earliest legends fix the dwelling-place of the nine vii'gin daughters of St. Done- walde, at the beginning of the eighth century. These were remarkal>le for their industry and humility, ha\ ing laboured the ground with their own hands, and partaken only once a day of the hiunble fare of barley-bread and water. Their father died when they were in this glen, on which they retired to Abernethy, the Pictish capital, 212 STIlATIIMORi: : PAST AND TllESKNT. ),', ', »■ ;i. 'Hi; ■ ■ i ft ' t ••» I i'- M- where tliey were visited l)y King Eiigen VII. of Scotland; and when buried under a large oak's shade, pilgrims, till the Reformation, made their yearly visit on the 15th of June. A centuiy ago, the rental of the Glen was £200 ; hut by draining and fencing the value has very materially increased to £2954. It was anciently the property of the Ogilvies of Powrie ; it then fell to Graham of Claver- houso, and at the battle of Killiccrankic (1G89), it was forfeited, and reverted to the Douglas family, the superiors ; and it is now in the possession of tlic Earl of Strath more. The Den of Ogilvy is now traversed V)y the public road from Glamis to Dundee, and forms a very romantic five miles' drive. With the exee[)tion of the feus off the Glamis estate and the farm of Brigt(m (which belongs to the trustees of William Charles Douglas), the whole parish belongs to the Earl of Strathmore, the assessed property being close on £14,000, whereas in 1S3G it was £9262. Markets are held at Glamis on the first Wednesday of April and May, the first Wednesday after the 2Gth of INIay, the second Saturday of October, and the fourth "W^ednesday of November. Formerly these were more frequent, as in the quaint notice of Ochterlony two and a-half centinies ago: — "Glammis is a burgh of Barronie, hath two great fairs in it yearly, and a weekly mercat. There is a Cunnigare within the parks and dovecoat at the burn — Mr. Lyon, minister thereof." (Sic !) The population of the parish in 1755 was 1780 ; in 1700, 2040 ; in 183G, 2150 ; and now, 1G31. It contains the villages of Charleston, Newton, Milton, Thornton, Grasshouses of Thornton, Drumgley, and Arneyfoul. About 1730, the people were sunk in sloth and apathy ; but towards the end of the century things were very mucli im^jroved ; though Dr. Lyon re- 1 ym GLAMTS. 213 land; S till thof :2()() ; rlally A tlio laver- it was ', the 2 Eavl idd V)y a very of the (which Ls), the re, the in 1S3G sdav of ft/ 2Gth of fourth more wo and uarronie, mercat. lovecoat 780; in contains hornton, rneyfoul. )th and y things jyon re- marked tliat tlio six alehousos and one inn — even thon HiUch reduced in niiiuber — " liave always been found to have a very bad eflect on the morals of the pet)ple." In 180(), a mill — 10 horse-power — for spinning flax was built on tlie Glamis Burn. In 18:20, a steam-engine of 10 II. P. was added, which j)rodiiced 4('00 pieces of brown linen annually for the Dundee market. At the same time ToOO pieces of Osnaburgs were amiually manufactui-edby private individuals in the parish, which accounts for the did'erence of the population. The tenants are now most industrious, and the progress of improvement has been nnich encouraged by the liberality of the Earls. For a very considerable time Glamis has been noted for the high class of fat cattle it sends to the English mai-kets. The Earl is a keen breeder of the Angus cattle and Shropshire Down sheep, as shown by the Herd-Books, and prizes taken at County-Shows. There is a very excellent public school in the village. In several parishes the " New (Statistical Account " bears the name of ^Ir. Blackadder, civil engineer, Glamis, as contributing the geological sections. The Caledonian Railway crosses the northern part of the parish, and has a station on it, near which is a natural encam])ing ground occasionally used for a week by the Volunteers of Dundee. The name will be known so long as the world reverences Shakespeare's master-mind in his famous historic notice of it as the thanedom of the usurper Macbeth — " All hail, Macbeth ! hail to thee, thaue of Glamis I " m t J. ■M H f 'I ! KIRRIEMUIR. ■ h »,, i ' ; f 1 ! Ox the north side of Strathraoro lies the large parish of Kirriemuir. Three very plausible suggestions have been nia'/(^, like Kilmaurs, the religious Gaelic word i'ov Mar ij-Jcirk. From the popular pronuncia- tion of the name "Killamuir," we incline to the last sug- gestion, " Kirk of St. Mary." Skene derives the name from Caath-ramli, corrupted to Kcri, " a quarter " of Angus. But this is by analogy of reasoning from the supposed deri- vation of the Saxon equivalent of the name in the tenth century, Wertermore, which he thinks is from the Saxon feorde, corrupted into icerte, " a quarter." The parish is divided into two very extensive districts, the northern, which now forms the quoad sacra parish of Glenprosen, being chiefly pastoral ; while the southern is agricultural and manufacturing. The northern division measures nine miles by three, the southern five miles by five ; the whole containing fully fifty square miles. The ])arisli is bounded on the East by Oathlaw, Tannadice, and Cortachy ; on the north by Clova ; on the west by Glenisla, Lintrathen, Kingoldrum, and Airlie ; and on the south by Glamis and Forfar. The mountainous division is separated from the division in the Strath by the parish of Kingoldrum. All the southern division is visible from the hill of Kirriemuir, which is cultivated to its summit. Tiie most remarkable eminence in the parish, seen in its majestic form through all the Strath, is the heather-clad Catlaw — according to some, the Mens Grampius of Tacitus KIIUUF.MUIU. 21. aiisli of ve been '(i-7nhu)\ lie large •eligious )nnn(!la- ast sug- ic name f Angus, idd deii- lie tenth e Saxon listricts, ■)arisli of ithern is division miles Ly 3S. The ^nnadice, west by d on the division le parish ble from summit. ;en in its ther-elad f Tacitus — 2204 feet above ti»e It.- vol (^f the sea. The vancjos (»r the Grampians north are wild and awe-striking in their lonely grandeur, torn here and there by impetuous snow- swollen streams. Tliese enclose a weird, bare glen, tra- versed by the river Prosen ; but this glen is rich in botany. One of the highest autiiorities on the flora of Scot- land was the minister of Glen[)rosen, now of Fearn — the llev. John Ferguson, M.A. In the small glens and open- ings, or on the rocky mountain sides, may be found, among hundred of others, such varieties as the ilesh- coloured flowers of the Trailing Azalea ; the yellow flowers of the procumbent Sibbaldia ; the (Jreat Wild Valerian, whoso roots attract the wily rat and allbrd a strange fascination for the feline tribe ; some rare varie- tiesofthc perplexing Hawk- weed; the bare flowering stems of the Cudweed; the light i)urplo Alpine Flea-banc; the scarlet fruit of the Bear-berry ; the staining Alkanet ; the white-flowered variety of the Self-heal ; the loose spikes of the viviparous Bistort ; the small creeping Goodyera; the rare white snow Cetraria; and the unrival- led larire-fruited Bottle-moss. CD The late Mr. Kinloch of Kilry collected the fauna of the dis- trict and presented them to St. Andrews University. Among the rarer kinds of birds found by that keen naturalist are the golden eagle, merlin, raven, rock-ouzel, king-llsher, bit- tern, goodwit, spotted fly-catcher, goatsucker, ])tarmigan, and quail; while of other animals he has found the wild cat, ermine, badger, viper, lizard, and wheat-fly. This last pest is at times very destructive to the crops; for Mr. Gorrie, in the " Quarterly Journal of Agriculture," cal- culated that in one year the loss sustained by the farming interest in the Carse of Gowrie exceeded £110,000. One remedy found to be successful was to sow wheat without grass-seed — a plan which is observed to this day ' i I 21G STI{\THM<)I{K ; PAST AND TRKSKN'T. The river Proson rifles in tlie most noi tlieily nook, in it { course ab.s(»ibinL;- the wator.s often considernble brooks; and ilows into the Houth Esk, near the conlhicnce of the Carity, in exact correspondence with the old rhythmical saying' — " TIu! Waters o' ricsoii, llsk, an' Carity Meet at tho liiikcn biiyli o' Invciijiiluuity." Thence they roll their united waters to tho ocean, throuL-'h a ruLTi^ed and romantic channel, frimred on all sides l>y clusteriii'^ and shady trees. Near this "meet- ing of the waters," stands the bridge of Shielhill (built in 1700), famous as the place where the celebrated Scotch scholar, ])r. Jamicson, laid the scene of his admirable bal- lad of the ** AVater Kel])ie;" in which he thus takes marked advantaixe of the story of the Kelpie brinLnni; tho stones to build the bridge and the rude head of a Gorgon- — *' Yon lionny hviis, '|uhan folk \vaM big, To L'ar my stream look hraw j A sair-toilM \viclit was I bi uicht ; I (lid mair than tliom aw. An' wool thai kent (|iihat liolp T lent, For thai you ima:j;e iV.im't, Aboon the pond, MJiilk 1 defend ; An' it thai Kklimk natn't. " ■ About two miles west of the town the river Gairie has its source in a meadow, formerly the Loch of Kinnordy. This Loch was drained, in 1710, by Sir John Ogilvy, for marl to cultivate the land adjoininii,-. From time to time hnire skeletons of stands have been fiand in tliis marl-bed; and, sixty years ago, an ancient canoe was found embedded in the peat-moss. In the eastern part of the jiarish there is a vast forest, called the Forest of Plater or Platane ; so dense was it in olden times that, according to tradition, the wild cat !N)uld leap from one tree to another between the hills of Kirriemuir and Finhaven. A centur}'- ago, when the people were digging in the moor for ])eat, they came upon many roots of enormous trees. The Earl of Crawford, KIRTa^:^Tt'IR. L>17 wlicn in-tiprictov, liai 1GG9, Sylvester Lyon was commended for his zealous and I KIRRIEMUIR. 221 fo.^s of roaviis." of the hat the nd will s being th, pi'c- ) of tlie er wards rent of !S in the and the lundred 2Q times minister n, three east; at ilinscho family, mclosed of the IS dedi- te lonc^ 'om the ground lame of 'acts in 1 15G7, lir and these ds, I>. 3US &nd daring sermon against Popery, preached before the S^mod of St. Andrews. In 171S, when George Oijilvv was beinic translated from Benvie, tliere was a stronj]: and determined opposition. It is related that when the membors of Presbytery came 1o the steps of Wester Tarbines, they were attacked by a numerous mob of men, women, and chikiren, who fired bhint shot, threw stones and clods, and obliged them to return. The Presbyters were pursued for a mile, and in the Burgli of Logic, on the border of the parish, the induction was duly carried throuiih. In the beoinning of this centurv, Dr. Thomas Easton was a great po^'. er in the district. Ho was learned yet modest, and his moral worth was tempeied by a meekness of soul which peculiarly enhanced his character. He was the author of several works, amouLi; which were the " Statements in Relation to the P.iupei'i.sni of Kirriemuir " and the " New Stati.stical Acco.mt of the Parish." In 18S5, the South Church was built, made a Chapel the year following, and a parish (quoad sacra) in 1870. Its first minister, William Norval, w^as presented to Brechin by the Crown; but when preaching his trials V-^'^ro the congreg^ation, he was accused of boiTOwin'^>* ii -•■! '' volume of Henry Melville of London. This he deni; ■' but the charge being brought tj proof, he with- drew his acceptance of the j)resentation, with the per- mission of the General Assembly The Assembly, how- ever, having given instructions to the Presbytery to con- sider the cas3, he demitted Lis charge and went over to the Church of England. From Duncan's " Ecclesiastical T^aw" we notice that, in 1715, the Court of Session de- Lidod — in re Ogilvie v. the Heritors of Kirriemuir — that the point of time at and from which the incumbent's ri'^ht to the benefice emerges is that of hi.s induction as CD O opposed to his presentation or election; and that, in 17C2, T 222 STT^ATIIMOBE: TAST AND PRKSENT, fi '' '! I h ■I I :.»:i — in re Earl of Strathmore v. the minister of Kirriemuir — the Court decided that while heritors included feuars, tliose feuars only were entitled to vote for the election of a schoolmaster who paid cess on a separate or cumulo valuation. In 1748, the Rev. George Ogilvy drew up a Historical Account of the Parish, with especial reference to its ecclesiastical state. This account, transcribed into the Baptism Register, is in some respects of considerable value ; but it dwell, ' t too much upon a })roof from historical facts that ol rst Protestant ministers had no other than Presbyterian ordination. The present incum- bent — the Rev. John Boyd, M.A. — assuresusthat theextant Records of the Kirk Session go no further back than the beginning of last century. According to tlie Parliamentary Return, the total sum levied by way of assessment for building, and repair of, the Cliurch and jNIanse, during the ten years ending Dec. 81, 1879, amounted to £1050. The district of Kirriemuir was one of the great quarters of Ancient Angus, having then the name "Wertermore. Simeon of Durham says that ^Ethelstan, king of England (and grandson of Alfred the Great), invaded Scotland (Alban), in 934, by sea and land, ravaging the country with his cavalry as far as Wertermore, and the shores with his navy as far as Caithness. Kirriemuir is a burgh of royalty of great antiquity ; but the date of its erection is unknown. The jurisdic- tion of the B.iilie was once very great, he having power to punish, even by the gallows, culprits found guilty of certain crimes, from the Law of Dundee to the Grampian ]\Iountains. There is a charter of lands by Malcolm, Earl of Angus, in the year 1214. On a seal appended to a deed, dated 1584, is the legend: — " S'Wiliel Stevart Come A.D. Pettynve Dni Regal. D. Kerymvr," which ! I KIRRIKMUIll. 223 ^ .shows that the Commcndator of the Priory of Pittcn- weem, in Fife, was lord of tlie regality of Kirrienin'.i-. Since 1748, the Bailie can judge in no civil actions where the damage exceeds two pounds stg. ; and on account of the restrictions laid on him, his power is now almost iiU. As early as 1892, the Highlanders came down in bands and made terrible raids on the fine country of Strath- more ; for in that year a bloody battle took place, in whicli Sir John Ogilvy of Kirriemuir was slain with many of his followers. When, in 1411, Donald, Lord of the Isles, advanced to prosecute his claims to the Earldom of Ross, he was opposed by Lord Ogilvy, the Sherifl' of Angus, with many followers from Kirriemuir, and at Ilarlaw was signally defeated. In the cruel encounter between the Ogilvies and the Lindsays, in 1447, live hundred of the former were slain. The celebrated poet, Drummond of Hawthornden, was, during the plague of 1C45, prohibited from entering Forfar, but took refuge in Kirriemuir, while a feud was pending between the in- habitants of these two towns regarding the commontj'- of Muir AIoss. Determined to play off a joke upon the in- habitants of Forfar for their wantof hospitality, headdressed a letter to the Provost, to be communicated to tlie Town Council in haste. It v/as imagined that the letter was from the Estates of Parliament then sitting at St. Andrews. But what was their chagrin when, after as- sembling with due solemnity, they read these lines: — " The Kifriemarians an' the Forfarians mot at Muir Moss, Tlic Kirrioinariaiis heat the Forfarians back to the Cross ; Siitors ye are, an' Sutors ye'Il l)e — Fye upo' Forfar, Kirriemuir bears the greo ! " We will now give an outline sketch of the principal families and properties within the parish. As we have alreadj-, in our articles on Airlie and Glamis, given a con- densed history of the families of Airlie and Strathmorc, mmmm 224 STRATTIMORE : PAST AND PRESENT. ' ' I- ^ I: nil' wo shall not here repeat them. Inverquharity was anciently under the superiority of the Earls of Angus ; and Sir Alexander of Crawford received, in 1329, the charters for the property from liis sister-in-law, Mar- garet, Countess of Angus. In 1890, the first Earl of Crawford resigned the Newton in favour of one John Dolas ; and in 1405, Sir Walter Ogilvy, then Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, came into possession. In 1 420, Sir John Ogilvy, received from his brother the lands and barony, and became the founder of the liouse. King James II. granted a license to Sir Alex. Ogilvy in 144'), to fortify his house and to " strength it witii ane Irne yhet." This Castle of Inverquharity was one of tlie strongest, and is now one of the most entire, in Angus. It was a fine ashlar building, with walls nine feet tiru-k, in the Goiihic style of architecture. The walls project consi^lerably near the to]) and terminate in a parap t. East of it are some vestiges of a wing, demolished, it is said, by the Crawfords in some feud witli the Ogilvies. The third baron was ay)pointed Justiciary of the Abbey of Arbroath ; and, being wounded in the battle of Arbroath, was taken prisoner to Finhaven, where he was smothered by his sister, the Countess of Crawford. One of the family was composer of the Jacobite song, " It was a' for our rightful King ;" and was with Kino- James at CD CD ^ O the battle of the Boyne. The ruined Castle is still glorious in its ruins. Ai'ound it are some fine chestnut trees of great age ; and some massive ash trees, of not less than a hundred cubic feet in contents. One ash is upwards of fourteen feet in circumference, only equalled by an elm. Yet no lunnan step treads the grounds once so hallowed by a long and honourable family lineage ; and the dwelling stands " Now forhow't And left the howlct's prey." IvUlIllKMUIH, •1-1 :> y was Vngns ; >9, the r, Mav- 5arl of G Jolm d Hi.^li 4<20, Sir ids and I. King mU45, ^ne Irne I of the a Anj:;us. et tliK'k, parap t. lied, it is Ogilvies. |iG Abbey oattle of •e he was ,rd. One , " It was James at is still chestnut es, of not [lie ash is ccpialled Ids once so lage ; and Tlie family of Kinloch of Logie may be traced to the twelfth, if not to the ninth, century. There is a charter extant which was confirmed by William the Lion to Sir John do Kinloch. One of the family v/as raised to the high position of physician to King James the Sixth. The baronetcy was forfeited after the battle of Culloden. On the passing of the General Police Act, Colonel Kinloch of Logie was appointed the first Lispector of tliat force in the counties and burghs in Scotland. The house of Logie stands about a mile south of the town. It is sur- rounded by the largest trees in the parish. One ash-tree measures twenty-one feet in circumference. Irrigation was ver}'' extensively and successfully practised by Mr. Kinloch in 1770. Having command of the river Gaiiie he flooded his enclosures in November, continuing to do so at intervals until April. The consequence was that the rent for grazing very soon rose. The grass was the earliest and best in the district. Before that date, his land was letting at 8s. an acre ; but after six years of flooding, it let at nine times that sum; and from statistics in 1830, after being fully fifty years in grass, when tlie fields were broken np for a course of cropping, some of them rose as high as £7 8s. the imperial acre. This ex- periment showed that irrigation not only improves grass, but ameliorates the soil. Can no hint from such a pro- cess be taken now ? Proprietors who have the command of rivers might surely try something to feed the starving land. Logie has shown that the benefit of irrigation is no dream, but a demonstrated fact. The principal resident heritor is Charles Lyell, Esq. of Kinnordy. His famous ancestors have done full justice to the Mansion-House and grounds. Last century, tl\e proprietor embellished his seat with planting every variety of ornamental trees on all waste pieces of ground in his 111.1. t ) -'m I n ♦ } I, -i I* W: I \ ■ t ■k ]'■■ ' :'!' ij •■ » - '■' ■ - ' I^S !1 22G STRATIIMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. ftii policies. The garden is enriched by many rare plants ; and there is a valuable Museum, consisting of minerals, bones of animals, antiquities, and the insects of the dis- trict. Mr. Lyell is the Baron and Superior of the town. Shielhill is a property which also belongs to the Lyells. It is beautifully situated on the banks of the South Esk. Lindsay property down to 1G29, it was then sold to John Ramsay of Balnabreich. The Castle stood on the top of a romantic rock, and part of it forms the walls of the cottages which now occupy its place. These are about three feet thick ; the door and window lintels are of old hewn ashlar, and one of them is dated 1G86. At a little distance is a fountain, known by the name of St. Colm, which was probably near the Chapel. The wife of Dr. Jamieson, the celebrated lexicographer, was a Miss Watson of Shielhill. Balinscho — the town of rest — is a property with many historical associations. During the sixteenth century it was possessed by Bailie Scrymgeour of Dundee. In 1595, the Ogilvies were proprietors ; for Sir John Lindsay, son of the tenth Earl of Crawford, slew an Ogilvy and took possession. His sons were distinguished for their bravery in foreign campaigns. Fletcher, who married the youngest daughter of young Ogilvy of Airlie (who fell at Inver- lochy), was the first of his name in Balinscho. In 1(324, George Fletcher of Balinscho succeeded to the Barony of Bostinoth, to the tcinds of which Robert was served heir in 1058. Eleven years afterwards, the magistrates of Forfar bought tiie patronage and teinds. The Castle of Balinscho, now the property of the Earl of Strath more, is a roofless ruin ; a circular tower and other buildings stood at the north-east corner down to a late date. The ruins of the more modern house stand near by. Many fine old trees surround the Lindsay's Castle ; and in the orchard KIllRIEMUIR. 227 ants ; erals, e dis- town. jyells. lEsk. ) John top o£ of the about of old a little &. Colm, of Dr. Watson )h many ntury it In 1595, Isay, son ,nd took bravery oungest ,t Inver- In Vol^, ,arony of •ved heir Itratcs of Icastle of Aimore, is |nf>s stood he ruins ly fine old ,e orchard there is the largest walnut-tree in the kingdom. As al- ready mentioned, a cliapel stood on the west of the turn- pike road. The " Stannin' Stane o' Benshie," which stood for centuries, and was the source of much antiquarian speculation and superstitious awe, was blown up by gun- powder about fifty years ago. It was not less than twenty tons in weight ; and, at a considerable depth below it, a large clay urn, three feet in height, was found, containing ?j quantity of human bones and ashes ; but to whom this rude monument was erected must remain for ever a mystery. " All ruined and wild is their roofless abode, And lonely the dark raven's sheltering tree ; And travelled by few is the grass-covered road Where the hunter of deer and the warrior trode." The population of the parish, in 1755, was 3409 ; in 1792, 4358 : and in 1881, 6G16. The valued rental is £G74; and i'ne real rental, £30,000. The town of Kirriemuir is pleasantly situated, 400 feet ?i-bove sea level, on an inclined plane which rises to the ranges of the Grampians. It is a first-rate starting-point (after landing from the Caledonian railway, which has a terminus there), for a three days' pedestrian tour by Clova, " Dark Lochnagar," Braemar and Glenshee, Glenisla to Alyth, where the railway can be got again. The form of tlie town may be fancied to resemble an anchor, giving ample evidence of taste, industry, and success. The Parish Church is a very handsome edifice (built in 1787 and seated for 1 260), to which Charles Lyell of Kinnordy added a handsome spire, catching the observer's eye for a considerable distance. There are, besides, seven places of worship in the town. Four banks show the business stir. Above a dozen schools prove that education is well attended to. In 1784, Mr. Henry of London left £1400 to Ids native town of Kirriemuir, the interest of which 228 - t« STRATH MOR i: : PAST AND I'RKSKNT. Ml !»>•! *l 'i ■ i; '■'n, ill 1 . ■ t . ;( . ''{[■■■ ' f 1. ■ fe ■- i. :::.-.' i| ;'il ;■ (' was to be laid out in educating and furnishing with schoolbooks, pens, ink, and paper, a number of boys be- longing to the parish. Mr. John Webster, in 1829, left £8000 for endowing a school, at which instruction in the arts and sciences may be obtained. A dozen Friendly Societies conserve the saving's of tlio industrious. A Justice of Peace Court for the eight neighbouring parishes is held ; and the ratepayers have availed themselves of the Lindsay Act for the Police Connnission. A weekly market for corn is held on Friday ; ftiirs are held on tlio first Monday of the first five montlis of the year, the Wednesday after the 2Gth of May, the fourth Tuesday of July and October (for sheep), and the fourth Wednesday of July, October, and November (for horses and catti. ). In no town of its size (about 4000) is more trade car- ried on, being the centre of a wide agricultural district, and having considerable manufacturing work. About a century ago, many hands were employed in the manu- facture of Osnaburgh, Scrim, and Birdy, £38,000 sterling being realised annually ; 1 200 pairs of shoes were made annually for exportation. Piece-work caused many keen competitors, one man having for a wager wrought a web of 91 yards in 18 consecutive hours. In 1782, there was great distress in the towU;, not so much from a scarcity of victual (for the crop was good), but from a resolution entered into by the people not to give above a certain price. Famine threatened them, and to prevent its ravages, a society called the Weaver Society was instituted, the surplus funds of which were to buy meal at cost price to the members. From 1786 to 1792 trade got gradually brisker, and wages proportionally changed. In these six years a labouring man's wages rose from £5 to £10 13s. ; a woman's Irom £2 10s. to £4 4s. ; a mason's daily wage from Is. 3d. to 2s. ; and a joiner's from Is. to Is. 6d. The t with oys bc- 29, left I in the riendly )us. A parishes elves of weekly I on the ear, the esday of jdnesclay 3atii- ). radc car- . district, Ahout a nianu- sterling ere made any keen ht a web here was carcity of resolution a certain ■event its instituted, cost price gradually 1 these six :iO 13s. ; a iaily wage 6d. The le KIRRIEMUIR. 22i opulence of the town was tested by the collection at the Church-door (before there was any dissent in the parish), the average in 17G2 being 9s. 9d., and in 1792, £1 8s. per Sabbath. The Rev. Thomas Ogilvy, in the " Old Statistical Account," gives this character of tlie peojde a hundred years ago: — "Such is the disjiosition of the people that their purse is open to every vagabond wlio can tell a plausible tale of woe, most of whom are tit ol>joets for a house of correction ; and Li tliis way as much money is squandered as would make all the poor in the parish live comfortably." In his day nine carriers went regu- larly to Dundee twice a week, and two came twice a week from Mont"ose. There were ten brewers, ten inn-keepers, twelve retailers of foreign spirits, three of wine, twenty of ale and whisky, twenty-seven merchants, two hundred and twenty-eight weavers, three tan-yards, and one dis- tillery — all in a town of 1584 inhabitants. What a dif- ference in the railway conveniences, for bringing coals and provisions to the very door and taking away so ex- peditiously the produce of the town and district ! Ever since 1820, when about 2 J million yards of brown linen were stamped, the trade of Kirriemuir has steadily in- creased ; and now, by the aid of steam instead of hand- loom work, a very considerable business is being success- fully carried on, making Kirriemuir a recognised : cder of the great manufacturing industries. By industry, may the town go on flourishing ! For, if conducted in a right spirit, it will have the reward of Ben Jonson's prophetic couplet: — " Virtue, though chained to earth, will still live free, And hell itself must yield to industry." ^i:l KINNETTLES. ■ >ii fh'. ^-ma TiTE northern part of this parish lies in the lowest hollow of Strathmore, where probably at a remote period was the bed of a large lake, which, finding a pretty level passage into a small valley among the Sidlaws, formed a basin. This basin, when the water was diverted into mother channel, formed a marsh ; and at the head of it was built a Church, probably in the twelfth century. From the nature of the situation, this (j'hurch took the name Kinnettles, meaning in Gaelic " the head of the bog." The marshy ground still bears the name of " The Bogg." The ])arish is of nearly a square form, two miles aside ; and is enclosed by the three parishes, Forfar, Gla,rnis and Inverarity. Brigton Hill (543 ft.), or, as it is sometimes called, the Hill of Kinnettles (being divided between the proprietors of the two estates of Brigton and Kin- nettles), divides the parish into pretty equal parts. The form of the hill is elliptical and flat on the top; it is arable, except in a few acres of rocky land crowned with varied coloured trees ; and its appearance adds much to the beauty of the parish scenery. About half a century ago, a herd-boy sat on that part of the hill which faces the valley of Strathmore ; and, fascinated with the grandeur of the view on a summer evening, when the licrcely brilliant streaks of the sun's crimson were dis- appearing, and over the western hills a flush of orange hovered, he made a strange resolve, which showed the inherent genius and ambition beneath the ple- beian fustian, that if he should sucgeed in amass- KINNKTTLKS, 231 it hollow riod was ;ty level formed a ted into ead of it century, took the d of the of " The es aside ; amis and ^metimes ween the nd Kin- bts. The op it is ned with much to I century ich faces vith the when the were dis- )f orange showed the ple- II amarss- insf wealth he would huy that hill, and on that spot build his house. Tiie wish and resolve suc- ceeded ; and, in 18G7, Paterson of Kinncttlcs huilt there one of the most handsunie and most handsomoly furnisiied mansions we can find in any part of the country. Numerous springs su])ply the parish with excellent water ; one at the Kirkton discharging about twenty-five gallons per minute. The Kei'bet or Arity (rising in ]3ilty Moss, in the parish of Carmylie), affords a diversi- lied beauty to the parish, gently flowing along, driving mills, and giving good sport to anglers. Whinstone rock is found in several j»arts, but is difH- cult to work ; thougli it is very useful, on account of its lasting qualities for drains and load-metal. Sandstone, stratified to the surface, forms the base of the hill of Kinnettles, and furnishes stones of very large dimensions. Slate-rock, though not extensive, is used for flagstones, which are of good quality. In these three kinds of rock various ores are found, copper is embedded, and veins of lead are disseminated ; but the quantity is too small to pay the working. Garnets, micas, and lime-spar are fre- quently met with. The soil is various, consisting of brown clay, loam, mixed loam and clay, and mixed loarn and sand. Boulders were once ver}'- numerous; but these have been blasted and removed. How these bouldei-s, of a different character from the adjoining rocks or soil, got into their places is a problem which has excited the in- genuity of the Fellows of the Royal Society; and after ten years' enquiry over all Scotland, these learned men have issued a Report (only the other da}'), making in- dividual suggestions, but not agreeing as to the exact way of accounting for their existence. \yith such a variety of soil and rock tliere is to be ;((! 2J]2 STRATHMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. \\:ir i i'm :l ■ w : I if . 1!: i; It \l l foiin'T a oorrespondin^ variety of flora. Among these we can see the ]\i ilk-Thistle (with the white veins on its leaves which give it its name) ; the Rest-harrow (with its handsome rose-coloured leaves), generally found nearer the sea; and the Scarlet Pimpernel — the Poor Man's Weather-glass — whose brilliant petals close at the approach of rain, thus alluded to by Dr. Jenner in hi^ " Signs of Rain " : — •' Cldiictl is the pink-eyed Piivipcrnel : 'Twill surelv rain, 1 see with sorrow, Our jaunt must be put off to-morro\A'." The parish has an atmosphere of considerable humidity. Tlie climate is mild and genial in the valley, and pure and cold in the elevated situations ; on the whole it is good and salubrious. The Rev. Mr. Ferney, in the " Old Statistical Account " — written in 1703 — naturally won- dered why so many people left the healthy air of the country to live in the stifled dens of towns: — "The si'-kly looks of many children, in large, crowded, ill-situ- ;it' (1 towns, show that the country is the preferable place for children. But how is the prevailing resort to towns to be prevented, when the present taste is to raze or sufl'cr almost every unrequired house to go to decay?" According to liis c'lperience, the year 17iS2 mu.st have been a most exceptionally bad one. The driest lands were not for receiving seed till the 17th of April. About the *29th of May, it rained without intermission for fifty hours. C)n the IGth of August, an uncouiDion flood chilled the ground for a considerable time. On the morning of the 12tli of September, there was hoar-frost as thick as at Christmas ; and after this was melted by the sun's heat, peas and potatoes had the look of having been dipped in boiling water. The corn soon grew white, then fi'om whitish to green, according as the frost or rain pi'evailed. The flne, deep, Mack soil only produced from KIN NETTLES. liese we I on its V (with found le Poor 3 at the r in hi'" imidity. id pure dIo it is be " Old ily won- f of the — " The ill-si tu- le place towns raze or ecay ? «t have t lands About or lifty n flood On the )ar-frost Ited by having V white, or rain cd from / three to four bolls of oats per acre io light that it yielued mill-dust instead of meal. Considerable misery was the result. Fortunately the next year's harvest was early, producing a heavy crop ; thus convincing men of the com- pensating powers of Nature. The Kev. Robert Lunan, in his scholarly and elaborate notice in the " New Gtatistical Account " of the parish — written in 1835 — remarked : — " Every species of corn is less or more ex- posed to the depredations of insects. Wheat suli'ers from slugs ; but the greatest enemy that has j'et assailed it, is a fly that was introduced in 1820. This insect in- serts into the ear its ova, whieli, soon becoming small worms, injure it very much. Wheat has in consecpienoc been almost banished from the parish for the last six years.'' Ecclesiastically, the Church of Kinnettles was in the Diocese of St. Andrews. It stood upon an eminence — called Kirkhill — not far from its present site. Kynetles, Kiueth's, Kynathes, and Kjmneclcs are the oldest farms of its name in the several chartei's. In 1189, during the Chancellorship of Hugh, King William the Litm gave to the Priory of Rostinoth (then a cell of the Abbey of Jed- biir^li), tlie lands of Cossans in exchange for those of Foiiarty in Kinnettles, which, with watc :;, woods, and plains, meadows and pastures, muirs and f larshes, were to be held in free and perpetual alms by the Prior and Canons. In 1220, Laurence of Montealt was rector of the Church. In the Tcwatlo of the Priory of St. Andrews, in 12.'30, the Church of Kinetlys was rated at 18 merks. In 1204, Robeit of Monterdt, Sheriff of Forfarshire, and his brother Laurence, the rector of Kinnettles, were witnesses to the foundation charter of the Hospital, or Malsondieit, of Brechin. Homage was paiu to King Edward I. of England, in 1290, by " Mestre Nicol dc Merton, persone ^i^: > ! H ■ L : ■ i' ; V ( 1 - ; l\ -. t I: ,: * 234 STRATHMOKE: PAST AND PRESENT. del EgHse de Kynatlies." Four years afterv/^ards, this parson was a witness to a grant by Bishop Lam- berton of tlie Kirk of Dairsie, in Fife, to the Priory of St. Andre v/s. From the Register of the Abbey of Arbi-oath we find tiiat Mathew was rector of the parish in 1304. For two centuries we can trace no references to this parisli. In 1597, James Fotlieringham was minister of Kin- nettles along with Inverarity and Meathie (sup])ressL'd in 1007 by the Court of Teinds), with a stipend of £8 (js. 8d. It was joined to Forfar, Kostinoth, and Tannadice, in 1574, Alexander Neva being local reader under the minister Ninian Clement. In 1G04, King James VI. gave the Church of Kinnettles to the Archbishop of St. Andrews. James Lawmonth (with seventeen other ministers) was deposed in the Synod by the Assembl^'^'s Committee of Visitation, in 1G49, for " insufficiencie for the ministrie." After his death, his widow received twelve shillings from Archbishop Sharp, and was referred by the Synod to the charity of the Kirk- -essions in the diocese. Alexander Taylor, the last Episcopal clergyman of Kinnettles, was i.he author of a curious poem entitled : — " Signal dangers nnd deliverances both by land and sea with a violent tem- pest, when going to Edinburgh, in 1G81, with Claverhouso and many of his brethren for the purpose of taking the oath required by the Test Act between Burntisland and Leith in the boat called The Blessing." Here is a specimen of his quaint style, where he is describmg the effect of the stormy waves on the frail vessel : — *' Each kept his time and place, As if they meant to drown us with a grace— The first came tiind)liiig on our boat's side. And knockt us twice her breadth and more beside ; But, vext that it liad wrouglit's no more disgrace, It spits on us — spits in its follower's face." In 1743, Thomas Brown was deposed for deserting his charge for seven months. Under an assumed name he KINNETTLES. 235 Lrds, tliis )p Lam- ;*riory of A.rbroath I 13G4. iS to this sr of Kin- :)ressL>d in £8 (3s. 8d. 5, in 1574', minister gave the Andrews, iters) was niittee of ninistric." ings from lod to the (Alexander :ttles, was al dangers olent tem- averhouso akinc: the sland and , specimen Feet of the le; |5erting his i name he C('lcl)i"ated an irregular marriage, for which hft was in- dicted and tried before the High Court of Justiciary, and transported to the British plantations in America for fourteen years. At the time of the Reformation, the Bishop of Dnnkold was propietor of 250 acres {quoad civilia in Caputli), wliich he let to Alexander Pyott, a staunch papist. Alarmed at the progress of Protestantism, Pyott, with the Bishop's consent, went to Rome, and got the deed of con- ve3'ance confirmed by a Papal Bull. Though we cannot ascertain the date, yet sometime after the Reformation this propietor of FofFarty, aidev.1. hy the Catholics in the neighbourhood, built a chapel there (probably on the site of an old chapel), and appointed a priest, with manse, offices, and glebe. This chapel was burnt by a party of royal dragoons in 1745. Remaining roofless and ruinous for many years, the stones were afterwards used for making drains. Mr. Bowor of Kinca' m:i removed the stone, which contained the holy water, to is (.\vn pre- mises. The glebe of the statutory five acres remained unclaimed for many years after the demolition of tlie chapel. The Earl of Strathmore, in 175S, bouglit the lands of Foffarty ; yet, for a long time, he would not venture to break up the glebe, but let it lie waste and unclaimed. As it was declared by the General Assembly of 1773, quoad ch-'dla in the parish of Caputh, the minister of tliat parish about eighty years ago advanced his claim to it ; but he lost it in the Court from the want of a charter and occupancy. But the wliole lands of Foffarty, being church-lands, pay no teind to this day. The Parochial re- cords consist of six old volumes, containing notes of the doings of the people under the old and time-honoured ecclesiastical police supervision. The modern ones are in accordance with improved ideas. 4:: t"i I ; r. ; 1 V ! i i I : ■ „ 5, I ■rl 23G STRATHMORE : PAST AND PRESENT. Historically, we have not much to say about Kinnettles. A branch of the famous family of the Lindsays settled there about the year 1511, and flourished in considerable repute for nearly a century and a-half Robert, a descend- ant of a younger brother of the third Earl of Crawford, was the first Lindsay of Kinnettles. In 1C12, one of the family of Wishart of Logic- Wishart, who was proprietor of Balindarg in Kirriemuir, had an interest in the lands of Ingleston (in Eassi<^) and Kinnettles. In the church- yard of Rescobie is a tombstone where the inscription shows that one of the two wives of the minister there (David Lindsay), in 1G77, was Marjory, daughter of Lind- say of Kinnettles. This Marjory was the aunt of the famous Dr. Thomas Lindsay, Archbishop of Armagh, and Primate of all Ireland, who died in 1713. With him all trace ui the male descendants of the house of Kinnettles passed away. Mr. Bovver of Kincaldrum then became proprietor. Of this family was the learned Jesuit Archi- bald (1G8G-17CG), whose principal work was a "History of the Popes," in seven volumes, concerning which, as well as his connection with the Jesuits, he stood accused of much imposture. About the middle of last century, the pro- prietor of Brigton was Mr. Douglas, who did much good to the parir.h, and after whom the \ illage of Dougiaston took its name. His gardener's son, William Patterson, born in 1755, had the good fortune to receive the patronage of Lady Mary Lyon of Glaniis, by whom he was educated. He rose to the dignified station of Colonel of the 102nd Regiment and Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales. After a long period of ill-health, he attempted to return to his native country, but died on the voyage in 1810. A cenotaph, with a suitable inscription, containing an account of his services and abilities, was afterwards erected in Kinnettles churchyard. About the beginning: KINNETTLES. 237 nnettles. ; settled siderablc descend- rawford, le of the [•oprietor he lands church- scription ter there of Lind- it of the agh, and him all i nnettles . became it Archi- 'i story of LS well as of much the pro- 1 good to luuiaston 'atterson, >atronagc educated. e 102nd h Wales, to return 1810. A g an 'ter wards 1 |)ogmninc: of this century, Kinnettles was possessed by the fjunily of Harvey, one of whom, John Inglis Harvey, in 1823, obtained an appointment to a very honourable and dis- tinguished office in the East Indies ; afterwards becoming a Civil Judge there. It is stated that Harvey was to be proprietor of the estate (which came by his wife) so long as his wife was above ground ; accordingly, to keej) to the letter of the deed of settlement, he, after his wife's death, put her into a glass case which he laid into a mau- soleum above ground, and thereby retained his vested rights. The churchyard contains some very old tomb-stones. One of date 1G26 is quite legible, and another of IGoO. From the shape of the letters, and the quality of tho stone, some undated appear to be even much older. Two large monuments, and a number of stones, well designed and executed, occupy prominent places ; but most con- spicuous of all arc those erected, in 1814, for the three principal families in the parish. The Church was entirely rebuilt in 1812 ; and is commodious and substantial, seated for 420 sitters. With tlie exception of tlio seats of the heritors, minister, and elders, the sittings are let annually, to keep up the Jieccssary expenses. The Manse was rebuilt in 1801, and has been frequently repaired — the old Manse having lasted from 1737, with one repair in 1785. ]\' r. Ferney, in his Account of the parish, very judiciously suggested that the ordinary glebe to a minister is little more than a " white elephant," for he said : — " A minister, labouring it at the expense of a man and two horses, must be a considerable loser. It was an unluckv circumstance, in assigning land to ministers, that the Legislature did not think of allotting more." However, the good feeling which ought to subsist between a minister and his people is often creditably shown by the farmers 238 STllATHMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. Ill ^'[\' i: ' ' working the glebe for the minister — a great saving to him, and no Ljss to them. In 1833, the upper stone of a hand-mill, of mica-schist, was dug up in a grass-field. It was 25 inches in diameter, and 1 1 inch in thickness — being nearly circular, with a neat chisel ornament round the central opening. This is probably of great antiquity — having been in use long before the larger mill driven by oxen ; and that would likely be before the Romans were in Britain, or two thousand years ago. Towards the end of last century, Mr. Douglas of Brigton erected a large and commodious spinning-mill, of twelve horse-power — driven originally by water, then partly by steam, which gave employment to a consider- able number of hands. The same gentleman superintended the thorough repairing of the roads, and the erection of stone bridges, which do him lasting honour. There are two villa<2;es — Douer, who bronght over the " pricker of the witches in Trennent," to assist in the detection of sus- ]>ected culprits. They had to secure the services of the executioner and " scourger of the poore " of Perth, to ad- minister the extreme penalty of the law. Tlie site of the gallows — when tliat alternative was em])loyed — was either in that part of Forfar where a saw-mill is now (and where human bones have been dug up in great quantities) ; or on the western part of Balnashannar Hill. The last exe- cution which toolv place there was in 1785 ; and that was of the last criminal in Scotland who was executed by the sentence of a Sheriff. In the Old Church steeple are the jottgi^ — an instrument consisting of a fiat iron collar with distended loops, through which a padlock was passed to secure the delinquent from Church discipline in his " dur- ance vile." ii '■ ;i*': ! h. l^^ Ecclesiastically, the parish takes a prominent place as to antiquity, influence, and work. Spottiswood states that, in G97, St. Boniface came from Italy to Scotland ; and among the Churches erected by him was Restennet, on the Loch of the same name. It was encompassed by the water except at one passage, where it had a draw- bridge. But narrow and poor was the church-life of that early period, though retired from the rancour and storm that raged without; for the religious devotees, uneducated and unrefined, consecrated themselves by ascetic fastings and scourgings, till the time when they were " doomed to die as the world's life grew." Upon the old site of this primitive Church, the Priory was erected, in 1120, by King Alexander I, as a repository for the public records which were not so convenient for reference in the Cathedral of lona. The Priory was dedicated to St. Peter, rjcncc of • of the L of SllS- s of the 1, to ad- te of the '■as either lid where ities) ; or last exe- that was }d by the ■e are the )llar with passed to his '* dur- place as d states Icotland ; ;,estennet, ^^assed by a draw- Ife of that Ind storm leducated fastings loomed to [,e of this 1120. by ic records in the St. Peter, FORFAR. 2[: .111(1 ()c*oii]>ied by monks of the Order of St. An^iisdnc. liobed in "white, with a black eloak, and a Iitul covering,' tlie head, neck, and .'h tiilders, thest) nuiiik^ trod tlie sacred courts, and made the " grand oli I jismIih peal tliroiigh tlie pillared calm." Of a diifeient tnii and training fnmi their predecessors, they encourn^e i the arts and education, becoming the practical iiistvuctois, as well as the religious teachers, of the whole neirli- b')urhood : — " ]Jut soinothing of wisdom the monk would know, Soinc'tliiiif,' of j,dadiR'.SH hero Ix.-low, SoiiK'thiug of beauty, and what it can ! He was not sinless, and yet lie brought A larger heart, and a freer thouglit, And a fuller life to the sons of man." We find from the charters reuardmcr Rostinoth (m the pr; session of, and arranged by, the late Patrick Chalmers (>t Aldbar), that, about 1140, King David I. gave to the monks the rents of certain thanages, bondages, and other royal lands. From its foundation until 1100, very con- siderable grants and privileges were made to the Priory. Among these in the parish was the Church of Craignathro, which had existed for some time. Of others, we may mention the Churches of Forfar, of Petterdcn (between Forfar and Tealing), of Tealing, of Duninald, of Dy.sart, and of Egglispether. The Priory also possessed the Crown teinds in Angus, including those in money, wool, chickens, cheese, and malt, and those of the mill and ti.^li- market of Forfar ; also 10s. out of Kynaber, and the teinds of the King's lordships of Salorch, Montrose, and Rossie. It had the free pa^ssage of Scottewater (Firth of Forth) ; and tofts in the burghs of Perth, Stirling, Eilin- burgh, and Forfar. But, between 1159 and 11G3, King Malcolm IV., by a charter signed at Roxburgh, made the Priory of Rostinoth, along with the chapel of Forfar, a cell of the Abbey of St. Mary of Jedburgh ; and m k I m ^'■\: : i ■,, m '■ W 24() sj iiATn:tioiiE : past and phesent. granted all its pertinents to tliat ALboy — Rostinotli being the motlier church, and tlie chapel of Forfar (wliich was dedicated to St. Jamcs; being dependent tliereon. This royal charter was, in 1242, confirmed by Bishop Arnold of St. Andrews ; the Priory being in his diocese. From the Registers of the Abbeys of Cupar and Ar- broath we find that the chaplain of King William the Lion bestowed on the former a tenement in the burgh of Forfar (of rental 2Gs. 8d.) ; and that, in 1211, the King liimself gave to the latter a toft in the same burgh, which was formerly possessed by the Bishop of Caithness. William also signed, at Forfar, charters for the confirma- tion of the grants of eighteen churches to the Abbey of Arbroath, and two to the Abbey of Cupar. Tlie same King likewise gave to the Abbey of Jedburgh the lands of Cossans, in exchange for those of Fofi'arty (in Kin- nettles) • and during his reign, Adam, Abbot of Forfar, in the event of his dying " without offspring," constituted ti}c monks of Forfar his heirs. Besides the Priors, who arc witn^isses to many roj^al charters, we find, in 1227, the only trace of the existence of a steward of the Con- vent, viz., " David Senescalle de Rostynoth," who was the perambulator of the mai'ches of lands in dispute between (lie Abbey of Arbroath and Kinblcthmont. In 1234, Alexander II. built tlu chapel of the Holy Trinity, n^ar tnc ruins of Queen Margaret's Castle, on the island in Forfar Loch ; he likewise gave ten merks yearly from lands in Glenisla, and pasture for six cows ijnd a horse on tlie lands of Tyrbeg, fur the sustenance of two monks, who were pepctually to celebrate Divine service there, In 1508, the Abbot of Cupar granted to Sir Alex. Turn bull, the chaplain, the whole chaplaincy, on certain conditions. A century ago, the vestiges of this chapel were FORFAR. 24: ;,ostinotli f Forlar :i pendent rmed by n£C in his and Ar- liam tlie biirgli of the Knig le burgh, Caithness, confirma- Abbey of The same the lands (in Kin- Forfar, in instituted iors, who in 1227, the Con- 10 was the between the Holy tie, on the I'ks yearly ws tsnd a ce of two no service ) Sir Alex. on certain Lia pel were seen by the incumbent of Forfar, in the shape of an oven and the furnishings of a pleasure garden. King Alexander, in 1234, also confirmed, at Forfar, seven charters for the Abbey of Arbroath, and one for the Abbey of Cupar. Eleven years afterwards, he gave to the Abbey of Arbroath a hundred shillings stg., from the Royal Manor of Forfar, for the relief of thirteen poor people. In the Taxatio of 1250, Rostynoth and Forfar are assessed at 24 merks, and the lands of Rostvnoth at 40 merks. King Alexander III. gave the Prior and Car.ons a right to the tenth of the hay grown in tlie mea- dows of the Forest of Plater ; and granted them the ])rivi- lege of uplifting so much bread and ale every day the King resided in Forfar Castle. In 1280, the Prior of Rustinoth was one who signed the letter of the Com- munity of Scotland, consenting to the marriage of Prince Edward of England with the Scottish Que-in Margaret. In 129G, " Robert, Prior de iiostinnot. et les Chanoines," swore fealty to the English King Edward I. " lie vcrtew ofane antient gift, in 1299," the minister of Finbaven (Oathlaw) had a small annuity from the burgh mails. After the Castle of Forfar was destroyed in 1308 — " And all the towris tumlit war Down till the erd'' — King Robert the Bruce I'csided occasionally at tlie Priory, from which he issued two charters to the Abbey of Arbroath, and granted to the Prior of Rostinoth power to cut wood in the forest of Plater at all convenient sea- sons. In 1322, he granted to Roustinot 20s. lOd. from the thanage of Thanachayis (Tannadice) , and aj.pointed Alisaundre de Lambeiton to in(iuire into the ancient rights and privileges of the Priory. In 1333, the first Lindsay of Glenesk mortliied a small suia to the Prioiy from the tiianedom of Downie ; and three years after- I .^ t • I Li 111, *[■ ' ' ' i )■ r4-^ ^? 1 ii,« i4 248 STRATHMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. wards, the Bishop of St. Andrews made over to it his whole lands of Rescobie. King David II., in 1344, out of special regard for the Priory as the place where his brother John was buried, granted 20 merks stg. from the great customs of Dundee. The last gift to the Priory- was £4 annually out of the thanedom of Menmuir, by Dempster of Careston, about the year ISfiO. It may be well said, with Keble, of both Kin.^rs and Monks : — " They gave their best. tenfold shame On us, their fallen progeny, Who sacrifice the blind and lame. Who will not wake or fast witli Thee ! " The Abbot of Arbroath, in 1434, feucd the land in the burgh of Forfar ; and, nineteen years afterwards, exactly defined the property there belonging to his Abbey. In 14G5, a long-standing dispute about the commonty was brought to a bearing by this writ of King James III., at Edinburgh : — " For as meikle as thair is certane debaitis botcux the Abbot off Abirbrothoc and the communite of our burgh off Forfar for certane landemairis we grant liciens and fredome to the said par tees to accord e in the said cans as suir pleisis tham sa that it be na prejudice till us nor our successors." This was about the ri^dits of the inhabitants of " Ouchterloony " and the tenants of the lands belonging to the monks of Arbroath, about the occupation of King's Muir ; and in the preceding year the Magistrates had drawn up a deed when " duvly gaderit in our tolbuth obligin us to defende the saide Abbot in iosyng off the said commone." For a hundred years there is merely a register of the Priors and their occasional signatuies to charters. But at the time of the Reformation in Scotland, in 15G0, the Conmiendator of Jedburgh and Rostinoth had charters of tlie dominical lands ; and his sister had a charter of confirmation of the •' house and enclosure of Restenneth." ; !■■( FORFAR. 2-tO to it his 1844, out vhere his from the e Priory imuir, by b may be tid in the i, exactly 3 Abbey, ommoiity lesIIL, at 3 debaitis nunite of we grant de in the prejudice riohts of inants of ,bout the ing year L " devly he saide jr of the rs. But .500, the charters larter of ,enneth." Accordhigto Dr. Scott's " Fasti," the Churches of Forfar, Ivestcnnet, and Aberlcmno were served, in loGO, by tlie same minister, at the salary of £1G 13s. 4d., and tlie glebe lands. Fourteen years afterwards, Kinnettles pnd Tannadice were added to this incumbent's labours. In 1500, Forfar and Ivestennet were given to one minister ; but, six years afterwards, these were made one charge, Restennet being suppressed, though originally it had been the mother-charge. In IGOG, the Earl of Kelly re- ceived from James VI, a grant of " the haill temporal landis and rentis quhilkis pertenit of befoir to the Priorie of Restenneth, with the richt of the patronage of the Kirkis of the said Priorie." On two occasions has the minister of Forfar been Moderator of the Genei'al Assembly, viz. : James Elliot, in IGIO ; and John Kerr, in 177G. Until 1G43, the glebe of Rostinoth-Forfar was situated within the Priory ; but the incumbent (Thomas Piersone, whose books were estimat at £200 Scots, and debts at £1900), succeeded in getting it removed nearer to the town. In 1G57, three very handsome bells — cast in Stockholm — were presented to the Church of Forfar by two brotliers, of the name of Strang, who also gave money for the re- lief of the deserving poor. When the principal bell arrived in Dundee from Stockholm, it was thought by the magistrates of that town too good for a small })lace like Forfar. A struggle ensued for possession of the bell, durinn: which the tongue of it — made of silver — was wrenched out and thrown into the Tay. After a time, Forfar got possession of the Strangs' gift ; but only on condition that Forfar would buy all the ground to be passed over in conveying it from the quay to tlie northern boundar}'- of Dundee parish. This was done at great cost ; and the place in Dundee goes still by the name of Forfar Loan. The bell was without a tongue for a cen- jSBamaBBmmmmmmmmK wmimmmmm w 250 STIlATHMORi:: PAST AND PRESENT. I ■ i li'N I a I ] tiny ; and the one now in it has not power enough to brinf;; out its rich tone. As a reward for the determined opposition which the Mao-istrates had taken aQ-ainst the " Nationall Covenant " and the " Solemne League and Covenant," King Charles II., in IGGo, gave a new charter to the town, confirming all that had been lost of the charters durino- the raids of the Revolution period ; among which was the patronage of the Kirk of Forfar, previously dis[)oned for a certain sum to the town by Sir George Fletcher of Balinsho who had secured the patronage. In 1GS7, James Small w^as driven from his Church ''without so much as a shadow of a sentence against him." In 1G90, the Burgh- records show that Forfar owes £933 Scots to the Church of Dundee ; and that the minister received £G00 Scots for " teynd corn eaten and destroyed by yr Majestie's forces and their horses." The Presbytery of Forfar was erected by the Arch- bishop in IGII. The Records are contained in eight volumes ; but one of the early volumes is said to be in private hands. It was re-arrranged in 1717. The Parochial records go back to 1G59. The Session Clerk, Mr. John Knox — a scholar and antiquarian — has very kindly furnished us with some extracts from these volumes. On July Gth, 1718, " the Session, con- sidering the great offence, given and taken, by reading from the desk intimations of roups that prove occa- sion to people to break the Sabbath by unnecessary talking thereabout, unanimously discliarge the same in all time coming." In 1720, a representation was made to the Session, " that the scandals of drunkenness and Sabbath-breaking are too prevalent, some by carry- ing in their water and cutting their kail ; others by shaving their faces and carrying home ale in stoups, kc ;" FORFAR. 251 lOUgh to nch the t^enaiit " Charles 1 firming raids of )nao*e of certain alinslio s Small ill as a Buro:li- Church Scots ajestie's ) Arcli- 1 eight ;o be in Session irian — s from )n, con- beading e occa- cessar}' same •n was :enness carry- n-s by s, &c ;" and a joint consultation with the Magistrates was resolved upon to punish such unchristian vices. In the year following, two worthies were "delated guilty of drinking the whole of an afternoon's sermon ; " and, while their case was being under process, it was resolved that the elders " should search the public-houses in time of divine service." As it was proved on oath that the accused had only had "three chappins of ale between sermons, the last being finished before the first psalm was ended," the Session, considering the matter a " little intricat," referred both to the Piesbytery "for their advice." In 17'2o, a farm-servant, having been " delated as guilty of an act of drunkenness when he came in to provide a coffin lor his child, with apparent sorrow confessed his fault on his knees, and was duly rebuked." In the same year, the minister, having a substitute in the pulpit, went out with the elders and made search for people that " might be drinking or profaning the day by idleness, and found loose vagrants " in certain houses. In 1724, more elders and deacons being required, and the Session being ad- vised that the four nominated " were as fit as could be found in the town," in the emergency, these, such as they were, had to be appointed. Shortly after, one who had been fi-equently before the Session for drunkenness " got a token to come to the Table, but he had neither observed the fast nor preparation days ; " accordingly, the oflicer was )rdered to take the token from him. Next year, the minifter and elders "perlustrat" the town, when the pulp^ J '"■as being supplied by the minister of Tannadice. They found two drinking ale, a third "gathering in his lintseed bolls with his coat off and a belt about him ; " and a fourth with his family "at dinner in time of sermon ! " One of the " drouths " was dismissed with an exhortation, because, " being lame of a foot/' he was Pi: 252 STRATIIMORE : PAST AND PRESENT. H ft ' !?■ r ' : I it ill waiting in the public-house for a horse to take liim home, as well as his wife, who was at sermon. The man, without the coat and with the belt, was ordered to be rebuked in presence of the congregation, but this " he obstinately refused, and swore by his faith before the Session he would not do it ;" the man who had to dine, "obstinately refused to be rebuked, and would not even acknowledge it a breach of the Sabbath, thinking the less of himself for even waiting on the Session," for which he was declared contumacious, and therefore incapable of receiving "sealing ordinances." The Provost and Magis- trates ordered this free-thinker to give satisfaction to the Session for his offence ; but he " continued obstinate." In 172c, the church-officer was accused of "not joining in the praise of God, and of keeping silent among the rest who were disaffected, so that the minister was left alone in this work ; " but on being penitent " with a seeming sorrow," he was rebuked, and got another chance. Next year, a scold was accused of calling a young man " the bad name of loun," and of wishing that a young married woman's first child " might be shorn out of her broad- side ; " this case occupied several days in process before proof of guilt could be brought home, and the penalty of the Session duly paid. For repeated offences, especially habit and repute carrying water, sleeping at home, ale drinking during sermon on Sabbath, the delinquents were ordered to be " nailt be the lug," to the church-door, or " put in the jougs " during the interval between the fore- noon and afternoon services. The two principal cases in which the ecclesiastical affairs of the parish had to be settled by the Court of Session, when civil rights were involved, were in 1793 and 18C3. In the one case, the Court decided that, Forfar being a burghal-laudward parish, the cumulo FORFAR. 253 m lionie, he man, :lcred to this " he fore tlie to dine, lot even ; the less vhich he pable of 1 Masris- )n to the •stinate." i joining' 1 the rest )ft alone seeminGf ). Next lan " the married r broad- ;s before iialty of ipecially )me, ale its were door, or le fore- siastical Jourt of in 1793 d that, cumulo assessment for the expense of a new chiircli must be im- posed on the two sections of the parish, accordiny^ to a standard, not of the vahie of the property in each district, but of that of the population ; thougli this was afterwards reversed by the House of Lords in the case of Peterhead. In the other case, the Court decided that the principal incumbent alone, and not an assistant and successor, can sue for an augmentation of stipend ; and that the alleged immorality of a minister does not form a relevant objec- tion on the part of the heritors against his obtaining an augmentation. According to the Parliamentary Return of last year, the unexhausted teind amounts to £157. The ruins of the Priory are still of considerable extent. Grose, in his " Antiquities of Scotland," written in 1797, has a beautiful ens^ravinj;; of the ruins of " Restenoto Priory." The tower is about sixty feet high, and of the first pointed style of architecture. The walls of the Church are pretty entire. The ruins are beautified by many fine old trees. Even now, at little ex[)ense, the belfry could be put into decent repair. The area of the Church has long been used as the burial-place of the pro- prietors, the Dempsters of Dunnichen. In olden times the ruffian bands " came to reform when ne'er they came to ])ray." Many a one was nursed in these sacred aisles " to more than kingly thought." We cannot help treading the ruins with a reverent step ; for all is hallowed ground. In these quaint old lines, we, in a word, express the devotion of our historic soul : — *' I doe love these auncycnt Abbayes. We never tread within them but we set Our foote upon some reverend historie." Historically, Forfar can trace itself back for a consider- able period ; it being in early times a hunting-ground for the early Pictisli and Scottish Kings. We very much iW 'l ' . t ( 254 STRATlIMOlli:: PAST AND PRESENT. doubt Boece's statement that it had a Castle at the time of the Roman Agricola's invasion in the first century ; but we have reason to accept Buchanan's assertion that a bloody and indecisive battle was fought at Rcstennet about the year 830, between Fcredith, the Pictish usur- per, and Alpin, King of the Scotch. The Pictish usurper was killed ; and, according to Boece, Apin commanded the body of his opponent to be " laid in Christian buriall not farre from Forfaire " — that is, within tlie walls of tlie first Church of Rostinoth. Doubtless a Castle was the nucleus around which houses gradually accumulated; and we liavc reason to believe that the first of three Royal Castles, under the name of Forfar, was built during the reign of Malcolm Canmore, about 1057, on the island (now a peninsula) in Forfar Loch, called Queen Margaret's Inch. This Inch was a " crannog," or lake-dwelling. Up to 3 612, Monipennie traced the ruins of its tower. Queen Margaret was a lady of the most lovable disposition and singular piety, giving instructions to the young women of Forfar, during her residence on her island-home; where, among other good advices, she is said to have laid down the custom " that none should drink after dinner who did not wait the giving of thanks " — which accounts for the phrase of the " grace drink." For centuries she lived in the affectionate memory of the inhabitants ; and in her honour, as patroness of Scotland, the young females frequently went on the 19th of June in solemn procession to her Inch. It is not unlikely that King Malcolm built a fort on the Castlehill, which was subsequently raised to a Castle. That hill is a conical mound, fifty feet high, in the north-east of the town, where are still the remains of the third Castle. Still we have in its vicinity Can- more Street and the Canmore Linen- Works, as tradi- tionary evidence. In one of these Castles, Malcolm held FORFAK. 250 le time 3ntury ; on that jstennet h usur- usurpor mandcd . buriall Is of the was the ted; and ee Royal iring the le island ;argaret's mg. Up n\ Queen Ition and women e; where, lid down mcr who Dunts for she lived and in females irocession 3lm built ,ly raised eet high, remains ity Can- as tradi- ;olra held his first Parliament; where he instituted titles of dis- tinction, restored forfeited estates, and, by abolish- ing Evenus'« cruel law, raised the social position of women, doubtless by the advice and entreaty of his exemplary queen. The associations of the early kings have been handed down to us by names of places — viz., the King's Muir, Palace Dykes, Queen's Manor, Queen's Well, Court Koad, Wolf Law, kc. — in the neighbourhood. Forfar was erected into a burgh of royalty by David I. about 1150. About twenty years afterwards, in William's reign, we tind from a charter of Robert de Quiuc}^, in the Register of the Priory of St. Andrews, tliat the king had given him the " place of the old Castle of Forfar," which he made over to Rosjer de Arfjenten for one pound annually. In this reign Forfar was recognised as one of the " steddis of warranty in Scotlande." In 1202, King William in person held an Assembly there ; and appointed William Cumyn, the Sheriff of Forfar, to be Justiciary of Scotland. Successiv^e sovereigns fre- quently resided and held their Courts and Parliaments in the Castle. There, in 1225, Richard of Abernethy resigned into the hands of King Alexander II. some lands in Fife, which, fourteen years afterwards, were given at the foundation of the Abbey of Balmerino. Already had the town been growing in size and importance ; but, in 1244, it was almost totally destroyed by fire. At the Court held in 1250, King Alexander III. adjudged the disputed lands of Inverpepper to be the property of the Abbey of Arbroath. Horticulture was then patronised and en- couraged by the King; for it is mentioned that the King's gardener at Foifar had a yearly wage of five merks. It is also recorded in this reign that William of Hamyll, hunting at Forfar with the King's hawks, had a fixed m 'I 256 STRATHMORE: PAST AND PRESENT. '!■. tf i ^^'t ■' I in; m I' i allovvanco, as w^ell as tlio grooms for the King's horses ; that IG pipes of wine were carted from Dundee, and a number of sheep were driven from Strathylif (Glenisla) ; and that 24 cows and 50 hogs were received as rent from the Royal IVIanor of Forfar. When, in 1291, Edward I. of England received the Kingdom of Scotland from the four Regents, tlie Castle of Forfar was held by Gilbert d'Umphraville, an Etiglish nobleman (but Earl of Angus in right of his wife), vvhc only yielded possession to the English monarch upon re- ceiving a letter of indemnity from th' claimants to the Crown and the guardians of the Kingdom, along with a reimbursement of his expenses. This being easily ar- ranged, the King gave the Castle in charge to an English- man, named Brian Fitzadam, one of the five Governors of Scotland. Five years afterwards, the English King and his suite took up their abode in the Castle for four days. The town had so far recovered from the fire as to receive the appellation of the " bonne ville " in the King's Diary, which was not always so appreciative of the Scottish towns. Here Geoffrey Baxter, of Loch Feithie, performed homage to the King ; probably this man or an ancestor had received his property for services as bakester (or baker) to the Royal household there. In the following year the Castle was captured by Sir William Wallace ; but it soon again fell into the hands of the English, who kept possession of it till 1308 ; for then the English King granted a mandate to John of Weston, " Constable of ow^ castle of Forfare," to supply it with the necessary provisions and fortifications. But in that year Philip, the Forester of Plater, made an escalade under night, let down the bridges, and secured a passage for Robert the Bruce and his followers, who put most of the inmates to the sword, and captured and destroyed the Castle. Thus does FORFAR. 'lol horses ; 3, and a leiiisla) ; iiit from ved the le Castle Enirlish ifo), vvhc upon re- ts to the or with a asily ar- English- ernors of Cing and )ur days. ,0 receive f's Diary, Scottish erfornied ancestor ester (or 'ollowing Wallace ; ish, who ish King stable of lecessar}" 'hilip, the let down he Bruce 3 to the hus does B.n-honr, in 1489, qi.aintly describe the brave deed: — (Dr. Jamieson's edition) : — «« Tho CastcU ofT Foifayr wcs then Stall vt all witli Inglis luoii. Dot I'Miilij. tlic FonihtiT oil' riatmio Jlas oil Ills iroymlis witli liiin taue, And with h'ddrys all jniiicly Till till) Castell ho j^'an him liy, And wp our thr wall oil' stanc ; And .svva.:atc liaa the CastuU tano, Throw faute of wach, with litill i)ayne. Antl .syno all that ho fand has slaynu : Sync yauld the Castell to the King, That maid him richt giid rewarding. ^Vnd syne [he] gert hrek donn the wall, And t'ordyd well and Custcll all. From the records of 1372 we find that Kinnr Robert II. held Parliaments in Forfar, and enacted that Torbeu' and Balnasliannar should be held for the cartage of three hundred loads of peats, when the Court were residing at Forfar. Possibly Heatherstaeks was held under a similar tenure, for furnishing " heather " for the use of the Iloyal kitchen. There is little of interest recorded for two hundred j'cari , but, in 1.593, King James VI. by special Act of Parliament '' changis the mercate dale of the burij-h of Forfar from Sondaie to Fridaio, and the samen to stande with tho like privileges and freedoms as the Sondaie did before ; " yet six years afterwards he incon- sistently fixed the market of Arbroath to be held on Sunday. In 1G27, King Charles I. created Walter, Lord Aston, Baron Forfar, a title which became extinct in 1845. When Alexander Strang went as Provost and Couun's- sioner of the burgh to the Parliament of 1G47, " the re- nowned Sutor " stood alone, boldly denounced tho sale of Charles I. to his English enemies, and, " with a tongue most resolutely denoted in loyal heart and pithio words — ' I disagree, as honest men should doo.'" [The Rebell States, by Sir Henry Spottiswoode.] The bitter strife between the sutors of Foifar and the weavers of Kirrie- 'I 25S STUATIIMORI' : I'AST AND PRESENT. ! i o. 'I V' If innii', in KMS, \vc have tahvady noticed in our article on Kinieimiir. During the Conunon vvopitli the town sufFered nuidi at the hands of the sohliery, on account of the h)yalty of the inhabitants to tlie de])oscd King, Charles II. They secured in tlio Tolbroth " an intelligencer," which so roused Colonel Oc'.y that ho rushed north and pillaged the town, destro} ing all the charters and records. Hence the oldest record extant bears the date of IGGO. After the Restoration, Jharlcs II., in gratitude for their noble actions, ratil'cd the ancient, and granted some new, privileges to the burgh ; making Archibald Douglas, Earl of Forfar — a title which only existed for 54 years. We have not space to go into details about the events after this period ; but we may mention the fact of the " scufHu " on the Muir between the giant M'Comies of Gleiiisla and the Farquharsons of Brochdarg in 1GG9 ; the murder of the Earl of Strathmore in 1728 (noticed in our article on Glamis) ; the " catastrophic " of Councillor Binny in 1741 ; the tyranny of the Tailor Association in 1844, which was the occasion of having the Act of Parliament passed, two years afterwards, to abolish coi-poration monopolies ; and the Quixotic expedition of the Chartists from Dundee in 1842. At what time the third Castle was erased we cannot ascertain ; but a representation of it forms the device of the burgh seal, being a square-like building. In 15G9, a writer says nothing about the state of the Castle itself, but mentions the ruins of the house " quhairin the constabill of Foirfair Castell duelt in the tyme of King Malcolme Kanmore." In 1G74, it is de- clared to have been " now long time ruinous ; " and, ten years afterwards, Ochterlony says that " the ruins of Canmore's Castle are yet to be seen." There was a serious riot, in 1G72, in consequence of the market being pro- FORFAR. 2j0 L'ticle on imifli at yalty of [. They vliicli so pillaged . Hence [). After eir noble >me new, glas, Earl iars. We enis after " scutHo " iiiisla and [lurder of ur article Binny in in 184-i, arlianient •rporation Chartists rd Castle itation of [uare-like the state he house It in the it is de- and, ten ruins of a serious ing pro- claimed by William Gray of Invercichty, hereditary con- stable of the Castle, who thus ij^niored the riiihts of the Magistrates. r!"it;, in 1748, the ofHco, then held by the Earl of Strathmoro, was, with other similar heritable jurisdictions, abolished ; compensation being given by the Treasury. The population of the parish has very much increased. In IGGO, it was 1058 ; in 1755, 2450 ; in 1702, 475G; in 1881, 14,470. The valued rent is £215; the real rent, £4G,346. The town of Forfar is a singular instance in Scotland of a town of any note built at a distance from running water. It is 200 feet above sea level, I24 miles from Brechin, 14 from Dundee, and 54 from Edinburgh. Like most old towns, it was originally without any plan ; every man's fancy dictating the site of his abode. In 152G, Boece speaks of it as having been ** in time past a notable citie, though now it is brought to little more than a countrie village." In 1G84, Ochterlony says: "It is a considerable little toune, and hath some little trade of cremerie ware. It is presently building a very stately Cross." This Cross was erected at the expense of the Crown, at the head of Castle Street (the ornament on its top being a representation of one of the Castles of Forfar.) It was called, a century ago, " in the eyes of the police a nuisance as an incumbrance on the street ; " and was, several years ago, removed to the Castle ruins. King James VI., shortly after he succeeded to the throne of England, when a banquet was given to him by a large English burcfh, was twitted about the niggardliness of the Scotch • to which he naively replied — " The Provost 0' my burgli 0' Forfar keeps open house a' the year round, and ayj the mae that comes the welcomer " — a trite and well-known expression ; but his hearers did not know that that 2C0 STRATIIMOIIE: PAST AND PRKSENT. r > ^i i>! II ' Provost kept an alehouse. The fiivst incorporation of trades took place in 1G.33 — the shoemakoi-s, tailors, glovers, and weavers. Forfar was in those days chieliy famous for a particular kind of shoes, called " broiiiues," light and coarse, and well adapted for hill-travelling. Dr. Arthur Johnstone, in 1042, wrote a Latin poem about Forfar, in which he makes this comparison between the ancient Romans and the modern Forfarians in jocular allusion to the staple trade : — *' Thoy laid their yoke on necks of other lands, But Forfar ties their feet and legs with liands." Since tliat time tho chief occupation has been the manu- facture of Osnaburghs, and other descriptions of coarse linen, carried on in a dozen large establishments, and em- ploying a considerable number of hands. The increase in work lias made a vast improvement in the buildings, the stylo and expense of living, and the dress of the com- munity. Before the rebellion of 1745, there were not ab()ve seven tea-kettles and watches in Forfar ; in fifty years ' the meanest menial servant must have his watch, and tea-kettles are the necessary furniture of the poorest Imusc in the parish." At the one period, a leg of good beef, of 70 lb. \v ^'ight, could be bought for 5s. ; a leg of veal, 5d. ; a leg of mutton, 8d. Very seldom was an ox killed till the greater })art of the carcase had been be- spoken. A man, who had bought a shilling's worth of beef or an ounce of tea, would have concealed it from his neighbouis like murder. Yet Sir Thomas the Rhymer's faith in the enterprise of the inhabitants never slackened; his prophecy will not come true ; but by vast strides the town has improved : — " * n' Forfar will bs Forfar still, When Dundee's a' dung down." In its municipal capacity, Forfar is governed by a provost, FORFAR. on 01 two bailies, a treasurer, eluvcii coiineiU^)rs, and four (Icaeoii.s of crafts. Before the great Reform Act, the Town Council had the privilege of choosing a delegate to vote for the election of one representative in Parliament •for ths burghs of Perth, Dundee, St. Andrews, Cupar- Fife, and Forfar ; now Forfar is united v, itli Arbroath, Bervie, Brechin, and Montrose, in sending one member, the franchise beinof extended to householders. Three famous men are claimed by Forfar, either i'ov birth or residence. Dr Thomas Abercromby, physician to King James VII., an