PerthshireCrieffStrathearn Local History

    Crossing Dalginross Bridge     Hogmanay -  Seekin' Their Cakes In Fife    Burning The Clavie At Burghead     Hogmanay ( New Years Eve ) is an old and much celebrated occasion   throughout Scotland . The word itself however   is something of a mystery . Amongst the theories regarding its origins is that it is from the word “ Hagmena “ – a corrupted Greek word   meaning “ holy month “ . Another “ learned “ school of thought   implies that the   word is   of French origin and   was   brought over with the Normans in 1066 !This latter line is   based on the   old Norman word “ Haguillennes “ . To add to the   general confusion a third source promotes the theory that the Hogmanay source lies in the   ancient Norse festivals that was celebrated at Yule time . The night   before it started   was called “ hoggin – nat “ or   “ hogenat “ which   meant the slaughter night when the cattle   were   killed to allow    the prepararation   of   food   on

  OS Map showing the area of Glen Beich in this "blog"   Loch Earn from Glen Beich    I recall about ten years ago being asked   by a lady from Ontario   in Canada to look into her Scottish roots and in particular those of her ancestors   who had   come   from Glen Beich near Lochearnhead . At that time I was totally   ignorant   of the significance   of this , one of the most beautiful and unheralded   parts of the Strath . Apparently   her family   had   been small crofters in a n area of the Glen on an   elevated part above the settlement of Ardveich . Ardveich which in Gaelic is Ard-Bheathaich or “ height of the birch woods ” lies   less than half a mile from the shores of Loch Earn on the east side of the Beich Burn . On the west side was another small settlement known as Dalveich- Dal-Bheathaich- “ the field of the birch woods ” . It is   clear that this area had been   inhabited   for countless generations back into the mists of time . A castle ha

  The top of Church Street was known as the " Shambles "    There is   an incredibly detailed   map of Crieff   drawn up in 1822 by John Wood . Wood was a Scottish surveyor resident in Edinburgh . Between 1818 to 1830 he engraved 52 plans of Scottish towns, of which 48 were published in Atlas form in 1828. He also surveyed numerous Northumberland and Durham towns during the period 1826 and 1827. Fortunately his   work   has been   preserved    by the National Library of Scotland in digital form on the internet : ( http://maps.nls.uk/towns/detail.cfm?id=321 ) By clicking on the image   you can increase or decrease the size   making it   so easy   to take   a town tour of Crieff as it was nearly two centuries   ago ! For the   genealogist / family historian with   roots in the town there is an added   bonus   in that the houses are clearly delineated   with the owner or   occupier’s   name shown . Indeed in some cases the   occupations are also listed !

  The Last Thatched House In Crieff   Extracted from Crieff Past & Present published 21 January 1888   Hill Street or Hill Wynd   Among the many new and fine buildings in the town, the churches are a leading feature with their handsome outlines and lofty spires. Within the past few years The Established, Free, UP and Episcopalian Churches have erected noble edifices costing over £20 000 the hotels are also splendid buildings, and the banks are well represented in the architecture of the town All kinds of property have rapidly improved during the last 30 years and , with one exception in Hill Wynd , all the thatched houses have disappeared In the mode of living there is a very great difference from what it used   be . It is not so long since a room and closet were considered sufficient for a family , and ventilation was never taken into consideration . According to the size of the family there would be from one to five beds in the two apartments We

Trades and Industries That Have long Gone Crieff Past And Present (1885)      There is an old Scots word " couthie " which conveys a meaning oft lacking in the" Queen's  English ". Perhaps gentle - agreeable or kindly is an apt translation . The following extract is from one of my favourite collections " Crieff : Its Traditions and Characters " written in 1881 by a certain D McAra . MacAra is somewhat   overshadowed   by the rather   patrician historian Porteous whose 1908 epic “ A History of Crieff ” is still regarded   as the ultimate account of things in and around the town . MacAra – a couthie individual by all accounts, captures   much of the lost sentiment of yester year when the pace   of things   in that pre technology age was that little   bit slower ! The appended tale of trades of the past   depicts a world of rural artisans working at things   which in this   modern   age are   all but forgotten ! Many kinds of trade

  Staute of William McGregor outside Villa Park    Grigor McGrigor was a tailor born in Balquhidder in about 1796 . He married   Jean McNicol in Muthill Parish in 1825 and settled down to raise a family in the village of Braco . Eleven children were born to the couple including William in 1846 . The family live in Front Street near the Braco Hotel ( now known as the Frog and Thistle ) . Young William according to legend witnessed his first football match with his three older brothers near to where the Ardoch Roman Camp is situated . He seemed a bright lad being described in the 1861 Census for the village as a “ pupil teacher “. Shortly after this he headed to Perth where he was apprenticed as a draper. Seeking opportunities that were not readily available in the Fair City , young William headed south to Birmingham where he established his own drapers business in the town and rapidly prospered. McGregor became associated with Aston Villa Football Club and eventuall

The Witches Maze At Tullibole Castle Crook of Devon     This week   my   eye   caught the   newspaper article and the BBC News story on the opening of the “ Witches Maze “ at Tullibole Castle in the Crook of Devon . Quite an appropriate “blog “ as Halloween approaches   complete with witches , black cats , turnip lanterns and the inevitable guysers ! Tullibole Castle   Lord Moncrieff and Lesley Riddoch (  who used to live in Fowlis Wester )at the opening     The memorial however is a somewhat sad reflection on the evil and indeed   bizarre behaviour of our ancestors and in particular our   Established   Church . These pillars of society undertook a spate of trials   which on reflection   make the Salem Witch Trials across the “ Pond “ resemble a Sunday school picnic ! The Witches Maze at Tullibole Castle commemorates the victims of the Crook of Devon witch trials in 1662. The castle was once home to William Halliday and his son John who held court