The Perthshire Clearances and Glen Beich
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 had been built near by and had been constructed as a
fortified tower house for the
chief of the Clan McLaren . It
has been referred to as both Ardveich and Dalveich Castle over the years
and now is sadly a mere pile of rubble
surmounted by a clump of trees .These
lands were originally as noted the fiefdom of the McLarens . The origins of the
clan are uncertain, but by tradition the MacLarens are descended from Loarn mac
Eirc of Dál Riata, who landed in & settled Argyll in 503 A.D. The clan name
is supposedly derived from Lorn (variations Loarn, Laurin, Laren); these
variations are all ultimately pronounced Lawrin in Gaelic. However there is no
concrete evidence of Lorn being the progenitor of the family. A more likely
origin of the clan is that they take their name from a 13th century abbot
called Laurance of Achtow. This theory is also supported by the MacLaren
rallying cry which in gaelic is: "Creag an Tuirc" which means
"Boars Rock". The rock in question is near Achtow in Balquhidder .
Dalveich of course is not that far from there and in the 17th century
this powerful clan held all the land in the lower part of the Glen . They were however in something of a decline
and the lands came into the possession of the Marquis of Atholl and
eventually the powerful Marquis of Breadalbane . From the extremely informative
Stewarts of Balquhidder Discussion Forum (http://www.hostmybb.com/phpbb/stewart.html)
, it is explained that the lands of this part of Glen Beich were occupied
by the Stewarts from about the
middle of the 17th century on leasehold tenure ( wadset ) . These
Stewarts were a branch of the well known
Stewarts of Ardvorlich on the south side
of the Loch .
In those far off days this would have been a thriving community with the tenants living a
crofting existence relying on fish ( from the Beich Burn and no doubt
the adjoining Loch ) as well as root crops such as potatoes , seasonal barley
or bear for food and beer and flax which was spun and woven into linen cloth . A hard but satisfying
existence in this idyllic spot . The old parish records show countless generations of Stewarts being born
, living out life and dying in this so beautiful airt . Alas, by the mid 19th
century all was to change . The rapacious
Marquis of Breadalbane realised that sheep were more profitable than
people and the Perthshire clearances began both here and in Glen Quaich near Amulree . En masse
the people moved away having been thrown off their lands and the roofs of
their cottages stripped and burned . It
is part of our history which in a Perthshire context has been overlooked . It
should not be forgotten . These people should be
remembered for the suffering they endured prior
to reaching the promised land of Canada . Not a few failed to make
it .
Ruins of Ardveich/Dalveich Castle
Fascinating article
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