PERTH. 
land having firft publicly broke out here, on the nth of 
May, 1550, when John Knox preached a fermon againft 
idolatry; after which, the prieft being imprudent enough 
to difplay his images and relics, he was attacked by the 
audience, who broke the images in pieces, tore the pic¬ 
tures, overthrew the altars, and entirely defaced every 
implement of Catholic fuperftition in the church. This 
done, they proceeded to the different monafteries in the 
town and its neighbourhood, and pillaged or demoliflied 
every edifice that had given (belter to the worfhippers of 
the church of Rome : it being one of his maxims, “ to 
pull down the nefts, and then the rooks would flyaway.” 
The venerable remains of this kirk, fuppofed to be the 
mod ancient (tone church in Scotland, were levelled to 
the ground, by order of the infpedfors of public works, in 
the month of November, 1817. Perth was very anciently 
called St. Johnjlon's, from this church, which was dedica¬ 
ted to St. John, as the patron of the place. 
The caltle of Perth (food near the red bridge, which 
terminated the narrow ftreet called Skinner-gate. At the 
end of the Caftle-ftreet another narrow ftreet leads weft to 
the black-friars, called Couvr e-feu-row, where the curfeu- 
bell was. The kings of Scotland before James II. were 
crowned at Scone, only two miles north, and refided at 
Perth as the metropolis of the nation. James refided and 
was educated in the cable of Edinburgh, and was 
crowned there 1437. The parliaments and courts of 
juftice were removed from Perth to Edinburgh; but Perth 
kept its priority till 22 James III. 1482. It gave the 
title of Earl to the family of Drummond, which is now 
forfeited. James Drummond, 4th earl, was created Duke 
of Perth by James II. for adhering to whofe interefts he 
was outlawed. His two grandfons were attainted in 
1745 * 
The chief inftitutions in Perth of a public nature are a 
grammar-fchool, an academy, and a literary and antiqua¬ 
rian fociety. The grammar-fchool has long been regarded 
as one of the beft in Scotland. Many celebrated ftatef- 
men and fcholars have received the early part of their 
education here; and, among others, the admirable Crich¬ 
ton, and the late celebrated and excellent William earl of 
Mansfield. The academy is of much more recent efta- 
blilhment than the fchool, having been commenced about 
the year 1761. It is, however, in a very flourifhing con¬ 
dition, and is ufually attended by from eighty to a hun¬ 
dred ftudents, who are inftrudled in various branches of 
learning. The literary and antiquarian fociety was foun¬ 
ded 16th December, 1784. Belonging to this inftitution 
is a general library, befides a large collection of rare 
books, original effays, ancient manufcripts,coins, medals, 
and other fubjedts of antiquity, fuitable to the defign of 
the eftabliftiment; and fir David Moncrieff, bart. has pre- 
fented the Literary and Antiquarian Society of Perth 
with a very handfome donation of two beautiful coins of 
Robert II. two gold (St. Andrew’s) of Robert III. and 
fix filver coins of Robert III. two of the latter (truck at 
Perth, and all in the fineft prefervation. They were 
turned up by the plough on the farm of Balgony, in the 
parifli of Abernethy, belonging to the baronet. 
Perth at prefent is a place of very confiderable trade. 
There is a conftant intercourfe by water between Perth 
and London. Every four days, during the fifhing-feafon, 
a fmack fails, and ufually makes the paffage within a 
week. A number of merchant-veffels likewife frequent 
this port; and thofe of heavier burden are loaded or dif- 
charged in the river, by means of hoys. In 1806 there 
belonged to the port of Perth 35 veflejs, of 2635 tons in 
all, with 153 feamen. The ftaple manufacture of the 
town is linen; but the cotton-trade is rapidly on the in- 
creafe. The number of looms employed in the town and 
fuburbs is eftimated at about two thoufand. Cotton- 
mills, bleach-fields, and print-fields, have been eftablifhed 
in different fituations. Leather is alfo one of the manu¬ 
factured products of Perth; and great quantities of that 
article are made into boots, (hoes, and glove's, for foreign 
Vol. XIX. No. 1339. 
735 
confumption. From the vicinity of the Highlands, the 
manufacture of doe-flcins and buck-lkins has long been 
eftablifhed in this town. Here is a refpeCtable banking- 
eftablifhment, .under the firm of the Perth Bank ; befides 
a branch of the Bank of Scotland. 
We copy the following from CruttweH’s Gazetteer: 
“ In the river here are found pearls, of which io,oool. 
worth were fent to London between the years 1761 and 
1764, and fold from 10s. to 36s. per ounce; but the 
avarice of the owners exhaufted the fifhery.” 
In 1801, the number of inhabitants was 14,878; of 
whom 3535 were employed in trade and manufaClures. 
According to the parliamentary returns of 1811, it was 
dividedinto four parifhes, and contained in theaggregate 
4510 houfes, and 16,948 inhabitants ; in 1821 the popula¬ 
tion had increafed to 19,068. The markets are well fup- 
plied with all kinds of provifions and luxuries. The an¬ 
nual fairs are eight in number, and are ufually well at¬ 
tended. Lat. 56. 54. N. Ion. 3. 26. W. 
Of the ancient importance of Perth, while it was a 
royal refidence, few traces remain ; with the exception of 
the parliament-houfe, and fome modernized manfions of 
the old nobility ; fuch as the houfes of the bifhop of Dun- 
keld, earl of Errol, and earl of Athol. The original for- 
trefs belonging to the town is now a ruin; and not even 
the fcites of its monadic inftitutions are difcoverable to 
the eye. Gowrie-caftle, already mentioned as the refi¬ 
dence of the earls of Gowrie, is fituated on the fouth-eaft 
fide of the town. It was built, or, perhaps more properly 
fpeaking, rebuilt, in 1520, by the countefs of Huntly. 
After thjg forfeiture of the Gowrie eftates, it became the 
property of the corporation, and was prefented in 1746, 
by the magiftrates, together with the freedom of the 
burgh, to William duke of Cumberland, who afterwards 
fold it to the board of ordnance for the fum of 5000I. and 
it has ever fince been appropriated as barracks for a com¬ 
pany of the royal artillery. In the pleafure-grounds at¬ 
tached to this houfe is a curious ftrudture, called the 
Monk’s Tower-, the origin and former ufes of which are 
not corredlly afcertained. This ftrudture is of an oval 
figure, and meafures internally 24 feet by 13. The roof 
is very lofty, and vaulted ; and on the ceiling are coarfely 
painted the twelve figns of the zodiac, the heathen gods 
and goddeffes, and the arms, creft, and ciphers, of the Hay 
family. From its ftyle, this painting does not appear to 
be more ancient than the reign of Charles I. and fome 
even think it has been executed by the fame artift who 
painted the ceilings of the palace of Scoon : hence it is 
conjedtured, that the tower has been eredted fora ban- 
quetting-houfe, at that period. But others refer its ori¬ 
gin to the 14th century, and affert that it obtained its ap¬ 
pellation of Monk’s Tower from having been built at the 
expenfe of the monafteries of Lindores, Balmerinoch, 
Aberbrothick, and Coupar-in-Angus; which expenfe, 
Fordun fays, “ in a manner ruined thefe monafteries.” 
In digging the foundation of the houfe here, belonging 
to colonel Mercer of Aldie, the remains of an ancient Bri- 
tifti temple were difcovered. This edifice is mentioned 
by Holinftied, and by Jeffrey of Monmouth ; the latter of 
whom fays, it was eredted by a Britifh king, foil to Re¬ 
gan, the fecond daughter of king Lear. It was dedica¬ 
ted to Mars ; and, as we prefume, muft have been of later 
date than the Roman invafion, as the architedture of its 
ruins exhibited confiderable advancement in the building 
art. 
The parifli of Perth, without the town, extends about 
four miles in length, and three miles in breadth. The 
foil varies, but is extremely fertile, and well cultivated. 
The adjacent fcenery is highly beautiful; but, owing to 
moft of the eftates here being entailed, gentlemen’s feats 
are lefs numerous than otherwife might have been ex- 
pedted. The moft remarkable houfes are the Caftle of 
Balhoufie, an ancient feat of the earls of Kinnoul; the 
Caftle of Pit-thevelefs, an ancient feat of the lords Oli- 
phant; and Few-houfe, a feat belonging to Mr. Mar/hail 
9 B of 
