Weavers of Strathearn

                                  Weavers of Strathearn

For Strathearn, the diminution in importance of the Michaelmas Fair or Market brought about by the collapse of the cattle trade,was to a certain extent offset by the rapid growth of the linen trade. Traditionally,rural communities had always had a weaving tradition although mostly in wool.With the Union of Parliaments, the protective tariffs set up by the English state were abolished and at last Scottish merchants were given equal opportunities to deal with the lucrative London market where the light ,cheap linen cloths had begun to usurp the hold of the traditional woollen garment.

A " count " of heads in Scotland had been carried out around 1755 by Dr Webster. This is a useful base to compare with later figures. Indeed in The Statistical Account of Scotland edited by Sir John Sinclair and covering the period 1791 to 1799, the contributors for each parish, invariably the local minister, estimated the local population. Although this cannot be regarded as absolutely correct it does allow us to draw comparisons with the earlier statistics and come to some interesting conclusions.

TABLE ONE                                        POPULATION

PARISH                               1755       1790'S   %        1801   %       1835    %     o/a

CRIEFF                                1914        2640   +38       2876   + 9     4306   +50    +125

COMRIE                               2546        3000   +18       2458  -18     2622     +7      +3

MUTHILL                             2902        2949   + 1.5     2880   -2       3421   +19     +18

AUCHTERARDER                     1194        1670   +40       2042   +22     3315   +62    +178

As can be seen, the principal centres of population all showed considerable increase in the later part of the 18th century. One of the reasons was clearly the rise in handloom weaving . Some of the contemporary and 19th century accounts portray vividly the position in the towns and villages of Strathearn.  Reid's  " Annals of Auchterarder " quotes thus : " Handloom weaving , principally for the Indian trade, was 60 years ago,* the staple industry of the place. In the town and the neighbouring village of Aberuthven there would be upwards of 500 weavers."

*  This refers to the year 1837.

Going back to the Statistical Account , the accounts given by the ministers are most revealing in their description of the weaving trade of the time. Although their job was that of saving souls they had a position of great importance within the community. Their bias against faiths other than the established church was very noticeable and the vitriolic comments on those of other persuasions perhaps reflected on the turbulent passage of time over the last century when the control of the " Church " was in some doubt. With regard to what actually was happening within their Parish, it is clear that in most cases they endeavoured to paint a picture that gave a true reflection on the every day life of their parishioners.

Comrie

Looking at the Parish of Comrie in the 1792/93 Account, we note that the staple industry is linen yarn  " of which a great quantity is spun and sold each year. With the money which this yarn brings,most of the farmers pay a great part of their rents. This yarn sells at about 2/4 per spindle " (i.e. about 11 pence in present currency ). Very much a cottage industry, the small farmers or cottars produced a variety of cloths to suit their needs. The lint was spun into a yarn and from that a cloth was produced . The finer cloth was made into men and women's shirts whilst the coarser was turned into " sailors jackets and trousers ". Comrie in the 18th century was a Highland village unlike its near neighbour Crieff some seven miles to the east . The women of the Parish produced a great quantity of  " plaiden cloth " and a considerable quantity of tartan from which they made plaids and hose . The Account tells us these products were partly for home use and partly for the market .

The second Account in 1844 relates that  " the manufacture of cotton and woollen cloth is carried on in the Parish. The hand loom cotton weavers are employed by houses in Glasgow and Perth. During the winter

months ,136 hand loom weavers are employed and of these only one tenth are employed during the three months of winter . The remaining 120 may , on an average , earn 1/- ( one shilling or five pence decimal ) per day, for 280 days in the year , that is deducting 30 days in the harvest, and Sundays and other occasional vacant days , sixty five . Of these there are about 50 heads of families who have each good gardens , and a patch of potatoes , and a pig , which may  add about  £ 4/10/0 ( £4.50 decimal ) to each family's income . The only woollen manufacture is carried on at the River Lednock , in the village of Comrie . Eleven men and eight children are employed at the mill , and five persons are employed out of doors. "

Shortly after this picture of what was an apparently thriving industry things changed rapidly. The day of the cottage industry was over as more and more factories in the industrial belt sprang up undercutting prices and offering steady , regular employment . As with other parts of the Highlands emigration denuded the glens of their industrious occupants. Many Comrie people sailed for Canada.

Muthill                                                                                                                                                          

Moving across to the adjoining parish of Muthill , we find a similar pattern of life albeit that most of the area can be termed Lowland rather than Highland . The Muthill Parish Account is to all intents and purposes a more detailed report on the  conditions in the parish than that given for Comrie . The Rev.John Scott tells us in some detail the population break down according to religious beliefs . You can sense his glee and air of superiority when we are informed that there are 2843 Protestants  " of all persuasions and ages " and a mere 59 " Papists " !  The good Reverend notes that since Webster's population survey some 40 years earlier, both in the rural part of the Parish as well as the village of Muthill , the population had risen. The Account attributes this to the increase in the number of farms by sub division into smaller units ( strange in light of the converse happening elsewhere at that time ) and in Muthill itself the increase is attributed to the increase feuing and building . There is little mention of weaving activity apart from a brief note that there were " 4 flax mills , 3 of which have been erected lately " and that there is a  " cotton work on a small scale ".

In the 50 years that had elapsed since the first Account , the Parish had undergone substantial changes .The population had risen by some 16% and the author of the second report in 1844 gives the split down into three parts . Muthill village had some 1210 persons , Braco village some 384 persons and living and working in the country were a staggering 1827, involved in a labour intensive farming industry ! The Rev. James Walker seems somewhat pre occupied by the ecclesiastical condition of his flock rather than elaborating on the industry or trades prevailing at the time . Indeed he comes over in a rather patronising and superior way when he describes his brethren thus :  " Of the inhabitants we may safely say , that they live comfortably and soberly, and at peace with one another . We have not the temptations of a populous city to contend with  neither have we the influx of strangers to captivate us with their novelties and often times their vices . Neither have we any residenters wasting overgrown fortunes amongst us , and exciting the envy or dislike of their poorer fellow men . But we have a rural and simple hearted people , remarkably kind to each other , and given to rejoice , and weep with them that weep . "

Weaving was still an important part of the economy although it appears that Muthill was not so orientated in that direction as neighbouring Crieff ,Comrie and Auchterarder . It is reported that the village had  " about 60 of its inhabitants employed in weaving cotton which is sent to them from Glasgow . "

Auchterarder

The " Lang Toon " of Auchterarder was very much into weaving as an important part of the town' s economy. Our first real insight into this was the revelations contained in the First Statistical account written around 1775 by Reverend Andrew Duncan. He tells us that at that time the town had 49 weavers . There is criticism however of the methods employed by the weavers and their associates.

" About 20 years ago a considerable manufacture of yarn and narrow linen cloth was carried out in Auchterarder. It was fold bleached and unbleached , and exported to Glasgow . But this trade is now in a great measure extinct . Sale linens are still manufactured in the town and neighbourhood ; and linen , of a fabric peculiar to the place , and which goes by its name ."

Outside Auchterarder lay the " village  " known as Borland Park which had been built by the Government  " after the war in 1763 ". This referred to the end of the Seven Years War when Britain clashed with France in North America . Despite the fact that this " model " village reflected a " generous " settlement it was obviously a bit of a flop with most of the planted soldiers leaving shortly after its foundation . Despite this factor the good Reverend tells us that its 140 or so inhabitants were mostly weavers.

What we learn about the modus operandi of the weaving and its associated trades was ,that according to Duncan , " Were the two handed spinning wheel more used, it would probably contribute in some measure to better the circumstances of the lower class of people as well as to increase the materials of the linen manufacture . There are but one or two such wheels in this Parish and it is but little used in many parts of the country. It might also be for the interests of the lower classes of people, and especially the women, were they more employed than they are , in manufactures for which they are qualified . The great demand for men for all kinds of work , has raised their wages to an exorbitant height , whilst in this part of the country , at least, the wages of female servants are barely sufficient to support them when in health ."

On reflection one wonders at the somewhat chauvinistic attitude of the cleric towards both the female sex and the " lower classes " amongst his parishioners. Indeed such a knowledge with regard to the workings of the intricacies of the spinning wheel would no doubt have been a useful tool for them to prosper above their station !

The next Statistical Account was published some 54 years later in 1844 . In that time much had changed not only in Strathearn but in Scotland as a whole .The author of the Auchterarder contribution , Mr James Aitken , based his report on information gleaned in 1836 / 1837. It is dated  " May 1837 ".

In the period between the two accounts the population had doubled from 1670 persons to 3315 . Four times as many people were involved in manufacturing than in agriculture.

According to the author the trade of the town consisted mostly of weaving cotton supplied from Glasgow .There were upwards of 500 looms in the Parish whilst on the Water of Ruthven there were 13 mills or  " manufactories " on a small scale . These included two linseed oil mills , two flax mills , a fulling mill and a woollen manufactory of shawls and blankets and similar materials . These were indeed the boom times for both the cottage industry and the power looms of the new water powered factories.

The last of the "Accounts"was that published in 1953 and revised in

1962 . This was just to early to record the final death throws of the local textile industry. After a thriving period , the changing pattern of world trade coupled with the cheap labour of the third world proved just too much.

" The chief trade of Auchterarder is , as it has been for well over a century , textiles. Over 100 years ago , Auchterarder and Aberuthven were chiefly occupied by hand loom weavers . These depended on middle men who supplied the yarn to the weavers and bought the finished cloth to sell in Glasgow . William Hally was one such . In 1850 he established a business in Borland Park . In 1863 he opened the Castleton Mill and in 1869 the firm of Hally and Co., which emerged from this , introduced 60 power looms In 1872 the first of their Ruthvenvale Mills was built with 25 power looms ; in 1874 the same firm had the Dollerie Mill in Crieff ; in 1880 all 3 mills were incorporated at Ruthvenvale . In 1883 in this mill there were 453 looms with 300 workers . In 1892 the mill was extended with 540 looms and between 300 and 400 workers . Cloth was exported to Australia , India , China and New Zealand , but not to Europe , while there was also a vigorous home trade. Seventy per cent of the raw material was imported from Belgium and 70 per cent of the finished article exported . In the inter war years , there was here , as in other mills throughout the country, a great slump in trade. Despite modernisation carried out after the war, all weaving ceased in this mill at the end of 1956. In 1929 a knitwear business started and is now the only activity on the premises with 20 employees . This firm goes by the name of Gleneagles Knitwear Co., 80% of its products being exported to America. Only 5,000 square feet of the premises out of a total 65,000 square feet are being used . The firm of Robert White and Co.has experienced similar development . This business began in the 1840s with hand looms in individual houses .The first factory was situated off the High Street in what is now known as Kinnoul Place . It comprises two rows of buildings , one containing dwelling houses with hand looms , the other housing hand looms only. The present building, Glenruthven Mills was built about 1874 . It houses 60 single width looms , which make shirtings and material for blouses and ties . In 1959 ,6 double width looms capable of making light weight worsteds were added . The normal number of employees is about 40 ,16 men and 24 women . "

And so endeth a period in the history of the Town which looked at one time as if there would be an orderly transition from the early hand loom weavers to the power loom factories and eventually into full scale manufacture . It was not to be. Like so many industries in this country it succumbed to unforeseen economic pressures both from home and abroad . A proud tradition had died out and is now all but forgotten.     

Dunning

The Parish of Dunning is as ancient as any of its Strathearn neighbours . Unlike some of them it retains a deep feeling for its past and its Local History Society has proven itself  innovative and forward thinking . Indeed its web page attracts “ hits ” from all over and its presentation of local history through the internet surely is the sign post to the future.  According to Dr Webster the Parish had a population of 1491 in 1775 which by the time of the First Statistical Account had grown to about 1600 . Steady increase over the next few decades saw it rise to some 2125 in 1841 . As can be seen , comparison with the other parishes shows Dunning lagging substantially behind adjoining Auchterader in terms of growth ( 43 % compared with 178 % ) and Crieff  ( 43 % to 125 % ) , but well ahead of both Muthill and Comrie . Here we see signs of the growing urbanisation that effected Scotland as the drift  from the country side accelerated with the  rapid growth of industry and mechanisation .

In the First Statistical Account on the Parish written somewhat anonymously by “ a Friend to Statistical Inquiries ”( it was the norm for the Parish minister to carry out this task ) , there is an interesting section dealing with the tradesmen of the period in Dunning

“ The only manufacture carried on here is the making of a few course linens for the Glasgow and Perth markets .Weavers in the Parish ,63 , about 40 of whom are employed in factory work  ” . It goes on later to state that “ the blue bonnet is not altogether out of fashion in this part of the country - a considerable quantity of coarse linen is spun by the women in the Parish , not a few of whom spin on the two - handed wheel , which a good many years ago was introduced from Fife ”

In the Second Account written by the Rev Dr Russell in 1842 , little concerning the weaving trade attracts  the good doctor’s attention . In a brief passing comment he points out that “ A greater proportion of the inhabitants are weavers , and are supplied with work from Glasgow .”

Crieff

The town of Crieff too, had developed its own weaving  " industry " in the wake of the decline after the departure of the Tryst to Falkirk . It was prior to the '45 Rising when James Drummond , Third Duke of Perth opened a linen " factory " on the site of what is now the District Library at the junction of Lodge Brae and Comrie Street . Known as the Mason's Hall part of it is still owned by the Masonic Lodge and one can see the much worn stone embellishment on the front facade with the inscription “ St Michael’s Lodge ” still visible.

No doubt Drummond's Jacobite sympathies were the root cause of the factory's destruction by the Hanoverian troops in 1746 but so ended the initial attempt to establish a viable textile trade within the town . In reflection this would have undoubtedly have assisted the local economy of the time . With the Tryst still active for about another 20 or so years , the down turn in local trade may have been averted.

Irrespective of ones attitude to the parties of conflict , it is clear that out ofchaos came a semblance of normality and hope. The Government appointed Commissioners to administer the confiscated estates of the deposed Jacobites including the Perth family , until then the dominant Strathearn lairds. A concerted effort was made to establish the linen trade in Crieff . Ground was made available to feu out ( ie to lease in perpetuity ) to enable the individual to build a home with a small garden in which he could grow flax to be spun into linen. The Commissioners also assisted in the development of the linen industry by providing water power for scutching mills at nominal rentals or feus . Scutching was the process which treated the flax prior to heckling and the final spinning of the thread . When the dried flax stalks were going through the scutching mill , the “ scutchers ” threw off a great deal off refuse which was known as pob or pob - tow  and was used by the poorer people as fuel . According to Porteous the chief burners of pob - tow were the inhabitants of Bridgend.

There were several scutching mills in operation and they worked mainly in the winter months . Because of the dust , it became obligatory for the thirsty deliverers of flax to receive a bottle of whisky per load ! The spinning of the flax was normally the work of the women folk . Prior to it being spun it was heckled or broken down . The Meadows  or Town Green was the principal area of the Crieff where the webs of linen were laid out for bleaching.

It was John Drummond , Second Earl of Perth who had brought the first Flemish weavers to Strathearn in the early part of the 17th century . Prior to linen , wool was spun and woven. Waulk and fulling mills were established near Turret Bridge in what is now Mungall Park and at Drummond Castle in the earlier part of the 18th Century .These prepared and shrank the cloth.  Towards the end of the 18th Century a small company carried on a woollen “ manufactory ” at Dallerie . Another such  “ manufactory ” was established at the south side of James Square where the Golf Shop is now located ( 1998 ). The building was known as the Warehouse or locally as Mount Rascal . James McEwan established the Dallerie Woollen Mills which specialised in tartan cloth . It was later bought by Hally and Co of Auchterarder . The Earnvale Woollen Mill was established by James Mitchell at the end of the laid opposite Braidhaugh and functioned for a number of years . It had a somewhat checkered career having been damaged  by fire on more than one occasion . The buildings can still be seen from the bridge although they now serve as workshops for Derek Halley , landscape contractor ( 1999 ) . With planning permission having been granted for a housing development yet another piece of Crieff’s diminishing industrial heritage is scheduled to disappear before very long .

Commercially wool became an important part of the town’s economy . As with Auchterarder , it developed eventually along power loom lines and utilised the water power of the nearby River Earn and the Turret Burn . An examination of the 1901 ordnance survey map of the area clearly shows the utilisation of this resource with the construction of a lade from the weir at what is the top end of MacRosty Park southwards till it joined the Earn opposite the Braidhaugh at the bridge . The lade with its multiplicity of sluices is sadly no more. The storms of the '80s brought torrential rainfall to the upper reaches of the Turret and the violent flood waters caused havoc lower down with the result that the weir was severely damaged and the lade left high and dry. Despite plans and proposals it appears unlikely that water will flow again down its course . In its hay day, there was a saw mill and a corn mill at Milnab on the site of what is now Park Manor . Further down at the entrance to Morrisson' s playing fields at Dallerie was a large and for a long time , a prosperous woollen mill . Established at the end of the 18th century and run by one John McQueen it did not really come to prominence until it was taken over by James McEwan who had been as noted above , been in business on the east side of James Square with a William Hamilton . The business of James McEwan and Sons became famousfor its tartans and for the early part of the 18th century employed a large number of people as power loom weavers . The business and premises at Dallerie were purchased in the 1870s by Hallys of Auchterarder who invested money in new buildings and equipment and for a while employed upwards of 300 persons . In a process of rationalisation the works were closed after a little over 10 years and business transferred to their Ruthvenvale Mill in the " Lang Toon ". The factory then became a dyeing and cleaning establishment and eventually was bought and run by the Crieff Hydro as the Strathearn Steam Laundry Company .