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Fancy A Trip On The Crieff Canal ??

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Robert Stevenson , Glasgow born engineer and grand father of RL Stevenson(left ) Sir John Rennie , Scottish born canal engineer who advised Perth Burgh on Stevenson’s scheme(right ) The Proposed Strathearn Canal OK ! I conned you somewhat with that picture of Uncle Jimmy on the Forth and Clyde heading for the Falkirk Wheel !! In reality however we might just have had a similar canal here in the Strath if things and indeed history had been just that wee bit different ! It is a fascinating tale . so read on ! The early part of the 19th century saw a movement towards the construction of canals . In Scotland the Forth and Clyde Canal had started construction in 1768 and took until 1790 to reach completion and open to traffic . This canal had reputedly been financed by monies from forfeited Jacobite Estates Whether this was the case or not is not clear but certainly the idea of canal transportation for both passengers and goods r
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The Rise and Fall of Inchbrakie – The Story of the Graemes and Why A Great House Was Demolished and A Family Heritage Threatened

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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 Sable – a bo
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Who were the Culdees and why were they in Muthill ?

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1900 pic of Muthill Parish Church 1. Culdees in Muthill   I have  a particular interest in the religious  sect  known as the Culdees . I lived for a number of years in an old  stone  house in Muthill called “ Little Culdees ” It had been built circa 1790 using stones from the remnants of Culdees Castle in what is now the farm and estate of the Maitland Gardners . A somewhat be- turreted idiosyncratic dwelling located over a flowing burn and distinctive  but with its  stone slabbed flooring perhaps the coldest house I have  ever lived in ! " Little Culdees " from a painting by my old friend the late Norman Aiton of Muthill Who then were the Culdees ?  Culdees were holy men who loved solitude and lived by the labour of their hands. Gradually they came together in a community, still occupying separate cells, still much alone and in communion with God  but meeting in the refectory
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