PerthshireCrieffStrathearn Local History

I have in my collection , the original Rental Book for Ochtertyre Estate near Crieff  covering the years 1865/ 1866 . That was some 150 years ago , and , as  you would expect , things  have, since then , changed more than a little ! In those far off days , the Laird  was Sir Patrick Keith Murray ( born 27 January 1835 ) and his  residence was Ochtertyre House built in 1785/1789 to the design of architect ,James McLeran . The Estate was a thriving source of income to the Murray family .   The Rental Book shows the holdings of the Estate   split into the three distinct areas all owned   by the   Murray family . These   were Ochtertyre itself ( to the   west of Crieff ) , Fowlis Wester (east of Gilmerton ) and Fowlis Easter   immediately   west of Dundee . The   Roll lists building leases , farms , holdings of labourers and cottars , grass parks and dwellings . Rental Book for Ochte...

The old Cultoquhey demolished in the 19th Century Many of our  Scottish place  names pose problems  not only for visitors   but indeed  for native Scots ! When I was married  a long time ago I settled  down in the  small town of Milngavie  north of Glasgow . Milngavie  is pronounced Mil- guy as Kirkcaldy is pronounced Kirk- caw – di and our delightful Strathearn village of Muthill is pronounced Mewth- ill ! The present Cultoquhey  which is now an hotel Now that brings me to the subject of this  “ blog “ - Cultoquhey . This ancient place name  is pronounced Cul- to – whey ! Its roots in the mists of time have  resulted in at  least  source two interpretations of its Gaelic source . Coillte a' Che meaning ‘the woods of Ce’.  Ce was one of the seven sons from whom the Pictish race was said to descend and this seems eminently possible . During the 1930s, Margaret Ethel...

Methven is a Parish and a village lying  due  west of the City of Perth .  The name  is derived from the Gaelic word Meodhan, signifying "middle “ . Perhaps  because of its  location and proximity to Perth , it has  featured  in numerous tales concerning our ancient heritage . Let  me  start off this Blog with reference  to my namesake , Culen who was crowned  King of Scots at Scone in 972 AD. Culen  was  a bit of a high liver and  not exactly the most moral of individuals . To quote  the words of Victorian author  and cleric  , William Marshall : “ He abandoned himself to the grossest of licentiousness and in a few years was such an abhorrence to the Nation that a Parliament was  summoned to meet at Scone  for the purpose of   disposing him “ . Culen was on his way there when he was ambushed ,attacked and killed by the Thane of Methven . The Thane  had saught r...