PERTHSHIRE 



PEUTHSH 



m 



Can. at Oowri*/ the district watsrsd by the I.U and iU tributarte. 

 to. Kriobt na tiw Airdl*. and sxWadinc into Forf*rhire. It U a 

 low alluvial di-trict, Ui flow!, in an agricultural point of view, of an; 

 ia SooUaod. The lomr |rt of Stratheam, or the vale of Earn, 

 mrthar low allurial tract, it soarcHy inferior to it The Tale of the 

 Tay. alor, r r-.li. and the vales of too Forth and Tdth, contain clan- 

 air* tract* of low aUnviam or of gnvelly ndy loam. The iie of the 

 farm* rrii from 60 to 500 acre* ; and in the lower ditricU they are 

 universally beld oo Uaw, commonly for 16 or 1 ream ; come of the 

 mall Highland ooonpien an yearly tenant* The Cane of Cowrie, 

 Sunthrarn, and the valley* of the Teith and the Forth yield good 

 wbeat and beam; but in the midland dittrioU oaU and barley are the 

 principal grain crop*. Turnip cultivation ha* been carried to a con- 

 siderable extent. The chief article of agricultural produce ii the 

 potete, of which great quantities are yearly cent to London by railway. 

 Cooaidarable quantities of apples, pears, and other fruit are rained in 

 the Talleye and low ground*, particularly in the Cane of Oowrie. 



There u no bread of cattle peculiar to the county. Ayrshire cows 

 for the dairy bare been introduced of late yean into the lowland*. 

 The Wiet Highland breed it that commonly fei on the Highland 

 paiturea. The number of ibeep ha* been vatly augment <!, chiefly 

 by the laying out of aheepwalki in the Highland tracU. The uiual 

 breeda an the black-faced Tweoddak and Cheviot There are some 

 Uiossten and Southdown*. 



JHrititutt 7W, <<-. This county wu formerly divided into the 

 ditrieU of Cowrie, IVrth, Stormont, Stratheara, Menteith, Bread- 

 albane, Balquhidder, and lUnnoch, each of which wm in the juri. 

 of a distinct sheriff or (toward. These divisions are now obsolete, 

 though the name* are Mill popularly applied to the district*. To them 

 may be added the Highland district of ATHOL. The number of 

 parishes in the county u 75, which form several presbyteries. 



PMTUandCULKOSS are roy si burghs; AUCHTKIIARDKR, and Dun- 

 blane were formerly royal burghs ; Abernethy, AI.TTII, CBlErr, COPAB 

 Axucs, and Dunkeld are burgh* of barony. Those printed in small 

 capitals are described under their respective titles. Of the others, as 

 well a* of the more important villages, we subjoin brief notices ; the 

 populations are those of 1851. 



Ahtrmrtky, at the junction of the Kara with the Tay, is 7 miles S.E. 

 from Perth : population of the burgh of barony 972. It was anciently 

 the capital of the Picta, and the scat of a bishopric. Abernethy is 

 chiefly remarkable for the possession of a round tower, which is built 

 of hewn (tone, and is 74 feet high, and 43 feet in circumference at the 

 bate, but diminishes toward* the top. It serves as a belfry and clock 

 tower to the church, which stands near, and is a modern building. 



Dunblnnr, population 1816, anciently a seat of the Culdees, and 

 subsequently a cathedral city, is situated about 6 miles N. from 

 Stirling, on the left bank of the Allan. The town consists of a street 

 of old-t'nshioiie 1 house* and a fw lanes. The former cathedral, the 

 choir of which (80 feet by 30 feet) is now used as the parish church, is a 

 large gothic building, seated on an eminence. Every part, except the 

 choir, is dilapidated. The nave is 130 feet by 68 feet. The choir was 

 repaired, and the window* were renewed, in 1819 by the Earl of 

 Kiunoul. The Free Church, United Presbyterians, Independents, and 

 Episcopalian* hare places of worship. A modern steeple, 128 feet 

 high, ha* been erected adjacent to the church. There is a public 

 library, the foundation of which wa* a bequest of book* by Leighton, 

 archbishop of Glasgow, who held for a time the see of Dunblane. 



iHmktid, population of the town 1 104, a burgh of barony and market- 

 town, or city, as it i* often termed, is situated on the left bank of the 

 Tay, 15 miles N. from Perth, in a deep hollow under the brow of 

 lofty wooded hills. The town attract* many visitors by the beauty of 

 it* situation and its convenience as the entrance upon the Highlands. 

 There wa* an ancient monastery of Culdees here, and in 1127 it was 

 mad* the seat of a bishopric. The cathedral, which was partly of 

 Norman, partly of Ister architecture, is in ruins, except the choir, 

 which aerve* a* the parish church. The tower is 24 feet square at its 

 base, and i* 96 feet high. Episcopalians, Independents, and Free 

 Church Presbyterians hare chapels. The Macintosh library wns 

 founded by the Rer. Donald Macintosh, the lout of the nnnj tiring 

 clergy of the old Episcopal Church of Scotland. The Koyal Grammar 

 school of Dunkeld, founded by James VI. in 1567, lias an average 

 attendance of about 80 scholars. There is a girls school, founded in 

 1788 by Jane, Duchesa of Athol. The market is held on Saturday : 

 five fain are held in the course of the year. A fine bridge of seven 

 tuba* ire**** the Tay ; it was erected in 1809 by the Duke of Athol. 



.4 eafciyawim, population of the parish 3232, chiefly employed in 

 the cotton-work* at Stanley. Quarries of freestone are in the vicinity. 

 There i* a mall salmon-fishery. C'allandtr, population of the parish 

 1710, on the Teith, at the junction of the stream from Loch Lubnaig, 

 contain* substantial freestone house* roofed with slate. The village 

 i* resorted to by tourkU C'omrit, population of the parish 2463, 

 situated on the north bank of the Kara, in the midst of picturesque 

 emery, is noteworthy for the ihock* of earthquake* with whicl. it 

 ha* been visited of late yean. /fount, imputation of the village 1459, 

 on the bank* of the Teith, 8 miles N. from Stirling, i* remarkable for 

 a handsome gothic church and tower, of modern erection ; a fine old 

 bridge orer the Teith ; and the ruin* of Doune Castle, an ancient 

 fortre-s of great strength and extent There are extensive cotton- 



work* at Deanston, close to the village. Earn, Jlriilye of, a salubrious 

 village in Dunbarney parish, frequented by invalids. The parish also 

 contains the village of Ptlcailhly, the mineral well* of which are much 

 frequented. Errol, population of the pariah 2796, is beautifully 

 situated near the Frith of Tay. The church is a modern cruciform 

 building in the Norman style, with a lofty square tower and pim 

 Quarries are worked, and salmon and smelt fisheries carried on ; but 

 the linen-manufacture is the chief branch of industry. / 

 lation of the pariah 1608, stands at the junction of the river Mochai t 

 with the Lochy. Near the village are two islands in the stream, on 

 one of which i* the tomb of the Macnabs. Fingal's grave is pointed 

 out in a Sell to the north of this village. Killiecrankir, in tli piirUli 

 of Moulin, u a paas on the great north road from Edinburgh by IVrt h 

 to Inverness. Several handsome villa* have been erected along both 

 ride* of the pas*. At the northern end was fought the battle in which 

 Qrahame of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, lost his life, ITtli .Inly, 

 The pass is famous for its picturesque scenery. A'mcjnttM, 

 population 2(507, is a burgh of barony and a thriving little port ou 

 the Forth, with a good qusy and harbour. There are sail-lofts and 

 rope-walks, besides the chapel of ease, thero are chapels for Free and 

 United Presbyterians. Lonyforgan, population of the town 463, is a 

 long straggling place, 18 miles from 1'erth on the road to Dundee. 

 The chief occupation is the weaving of sheeting, sacking, and linen*. 

 Near the town are the ruins of an ancient Cistercian chapel, and the 

 noble baronial seat of Castle Huntly. Melhren, population of the 

 parish 2454, a manufacturing village, 6 miles W. from Perth, has a 

 commodious parish church, several schools, and a library. .'/ 

 population of the parish 2972, is a clean village, beautifully n- 

 in Strathearn. There are at Mntliill a parish church, an Episcopal 

 chapel, a Free church, several schools, a library, and reading-rooms. 

 Scone, population 1439, near the left bank of the Tay, about a mile 

 north from Perth, is memorable for its palace, the ancient residence of 

 the Scottish kings and the place of their coronation. It had also an 

 abbey of the regular canons of St Augustine. A modern house, the 

 seat of the Earl of Mansfield, occupies the site of the palace. The 

 village of Scone is neat and regularly built. Stanley, population of 

 the town 1769, situated on the river Tay, about 8 miles N. from Perth, 

 possesses extensive cotton-spinning mills. 



Jlittory. Anliquitiet, etc. Little that is certain con be advanced as 

 to the early inhabitants of Perthshire. A Roman road crosses the 

 eastern side of the county from the neighbourhood of Stirling to 

 Orrea, near Perth, at or near which it probably divided into two 

 branches, one directed towards the coast, the other crossing the i 

 pians (the Qrampius Mons of the Roman historians and geographers) 

 towards the shore of the Moray Frith. There were several Roman 

 stations in Perthshire. Alauna was probably at Kier, just within the 

 county, near Stirling. Lindum was at Ardoch, in Strathallan. Victoria 

 was probably Dealgin Ross, in Strathearn, where are some remains of 

 Roman works. Ad Hiernam may be fixed at Strageth, on the Earn, 

 or Hierna, where are the remains of a Roman post The Ad Tavuni 

 of Richard was probably in the neighbourhood of Perth. There are 

 the remains of a Roman camp at Invergowrie. At Instuthill, on the 

 Tay, above the junction of the Isla, are some remarkable Roman works. 

 The remains of a Roman camp are at Fortingnl, in Uleu Lyon. The 

 praitorium is still complete. There are the piers of a bridge over the 

 Tay, close to the junction of the Almond, where the situation of Orivu 

 may be fixed. This county was the scene of hostility in the sixth and 

 seventh campaigns of Agrioola (A.D. 83, 84). The attack made by the 

 Caledonians on the camp of the ninth legion, in the sixth campaign, 

 was probably at Dealgin Ross. 



There are some remains of a large stone circle and of several ancient 

 circular forts in the Highland pariah of FortingaL Remains of circles, 

 cairns, standing-stones, and similar vestiges of the early inhabitants, 

 are found in the parishes of Kirk-Michael, Blair Athol, Cargill, and 

 other parts of the county. 



At the dowuful of the Roman empire, Perthshire was occupied by 

 the Picts, who hod Aberuethy for their capital : it afterwards came 

 into the hands of the Scots. In the latter part of the 10th century, 

 the Danes arrived at the mouth of the Esk with a large fleet, and 

 landing, marched to the Tay. They were entirely routed by the 

 Scottish king, Kenneth III., at Luncarty, near Perth, probably in 990. 

 Duusiuauo Hill, in Collace parish, between Perth and Cupar .' 

 was the stronghold of Macbeth, where ho was defeated by the Kn^lii-h 

 allies of his competitor Malcolm (1054). The importance of IVrtli, 

 and its rank as capital of the kingdom, mode this shire the scene of 

 many contests, some of which are mentioned under PKKTII. 



The chief ecclesiastical antiquities of the county are the remain* 

 of Dunblane and Dunkeld cathedrals. Among other ecclesiastical 

 remains may be mentioned luchntl'ray, in the parish of Fowlis, an 

 ancient abbey now in ruins, founded in 1200 by an Earl of Strathcaru 

 and his countess. Remains of ancient castles are at Moulin, Douiie, 

 Kincardine, Kinclaven, and Drummond castle near Muthill. 



Slatutici: Jieligiotu Worship and Education. According to the 

 Returns of the Census in 1851, it appears that there were thru in 

 I the county 258 places of worship, of which 89 belonged to th< 

 Kstahlii-hed Church, 71 to the Free Church, 41 to the United Presby- 

 terian church, 16 to Episcopalians, 12 to Baptists, 11 to Independents, 

 and 6 to Roman Catholics. The number of day schools was 307, of 



