Strageath - a Roman camp- a holy well- St Patrick's Church and an old Mill


Strageath

A Roman camp- a Holy Well - St Patrick's Church

and an old Mill


Keeping the locals quiet !

Fort probably built C. 80 under Agricola, Abandoned briefly in 85-86 AD , reoccupied and the annex probably built at that time.
This is one of the Gask Ridge Forts established between 70 and 80 in the campaigns in Scotland, although the exact dating is uncertain. 
The forts ran along the line of this ridge, but extended well south of it as well, and contemporary historians describe the line as the first comprehensive Roman border fortification system.  

 Where is Strageath ? ( Pronounced Stra -gayth )

 From Crieff take the A822 Muthill Road and  turn left at the Templemill sign on the left  just before  you reach Bennybeg .Follow  this twisty  road  for  about 2 miles . The site of the Roman camp is on the right hand  side just before  you reach Strageath Mill Farm ( OS reference NN8918 ) . Park your  car  in the lay by beside  the farm and walk to the Mill and Churchyard .
The old Church is  no more ! St Patrick’s Well is but a memory  ! We read about it in the writings of the past :

" Strageath where the inhabitants till lately venerated St Patrick’s memory so highly, “that on his day neither the clap of the mill was not heard nor the plough seen to move in the furrow “.
















The Old Mill 



Neglected !

                                                       Across the Earn


Yew Tree in the churchyard




Strageath Burial Ground : There was a mediaeval chapel on his  site together  with a holy well dedicated  to St Patrick ( on this his day the 17th March ! ) . It lies north east of Muthill ( Grid Ref NN 882 185 ) . The  chapel was demolished  in 1846  but the small  burial  ground  remains  if somewhat overgrown . Names  listed  include McLaren , Drummond, Keron and Bayne . It  is  approached  through Strageath  Mill farmyard (please  leave your  car at the road ! ) The  site is adjacent to the old Strageath Mill which lies  directly opposite the  demolished Dornoch Mill on the other side of the Earn . The picture shown below  was  painted  by Catherine Wright in 1887 and  is now in Innerpeffray Library .She was a descendant of the Wrights who owned the Milnab Tannery.





                                             










 Painting done in 1887 by Catherine Wright and  now  in Innerpeffray                                                                  Library



The Old Mill






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise and Fall of Inchbrakie – The Story of the Graemes and Why A Great House Was Demolished and A Family Heritage Threatened

Image
Inchbrakie House The Inchbrakie story is one of the sad tales of the Strath. This ancient family once were one of the dominant influences in Strathearn and their names appeared with frequent regularity as the centuries unfold. The Graeme family of Inchbrakie are however still around. There is a most excellent web site http://www.inchbrakie.com/ which provides a superb source of research and information into not only the family but also their domicile up until the late 19th century at Inchbrakie . Anthony Graeme , a present day descendant and a most charming person , lives in far off Devon but is a frequent visitor here in Strathearn .Interestingly , there are here in Crieff,  a couple of roads bearing that illustrious name .One wonders just how many of the inhabitants of houses in those specific airts know much about the original name ! We are, however ,  most fortunate that the family history of the Graemes was painstakingly recorded in a book Orr and Sab...
Read more

Glen Artney and Auchnashelloch : A Royal Forest and Comrie’s Highland Heritage .

Image
A number of years ago I purchased a  small booklet on Glen Artney in the book shop  that existed for  some years in Drummond Street Comrie. The author was the late Gordon Booth FSA , a superb researcher and accomplished author . He was not a local man since moving to the village  from I believe the Island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides. Since arriving in the area, he  had  read and assimilated much of the history and folk lore of this part of the Strath  .I recall the late Tom Weir ( of the woolly hat ) doing a programme in his Weir’s Way series on Glen Artney an d featuring Gordon Booth . Regrettably  all seven of his little books are out of print although they may be available to borrow through Perth and Kinross Library Service. I have incorporated partial excerpts from his  writings in this blog on the Glen which I duly acknowledge as a fitting tribute to his diligence . Glen Artney is some eight or  so miles in length...
Read more

The Story of Ferntower House

Image
There has been considerable   discussion   recently regarding the    state of decrepitude of   many of the older   and better   known   buildings   in Crieff . The Drummond Arms , the old Parish Church in Church Street ( aka the Community Hall ) , the George or Strathearn Hotel and the old Crown Hotel in East High Street . One   does   not   to travel too far back in time   to recall   the   fate of   many other fine buildings in Crieff and indeed in Strathearn on a wider basis . Although I devoted   a small space   some   months   back to Ferntower House   I find   it   so fascinating that I have   decided   I am going to elaborate further   and   include   more information   about it and   its most   celebrated occupant General Sir   David Baird   whose monument dominates so much of the Strath . It was a building ...
Read more