IssueIssue No No 8 8 NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER FriendFriendss ofof Perth Perth & & Kinross Council Council Archive Archive

Honorary Presidents: Mike O’Malley, Provost of Perth && KinrossKinross CouncilCouncil and SirSir William MacphersonMacpherson ofof Cluny and BlairgowrieBlairgowrie

James K Cairncross 1920-2002 We regret to inform you that one of our life members passed away recently. Mr Cairncross was well-known in Perth and much further afield as a partner, with his late brother Alistair, in the long-established firm of A&G Cairncross, jewellers. His connection with the Council Archive goes back to the old days in the Sandeman Library when he kindly deposited records relating to his father’s trust. Along with good friend Archie Martin, and sister-in-law Mary Cairncross he was quick to support the setting up of the Friends of Perth & Kinross Council Archive. We were also pleased recently to receive a generous contribution from his own charitable trust towards the cost of equipment for our volunteers. It is apparent from the appreciations of his life that have appeared in the local press and the warm tributes at his funeral that Mr Cairncross will be deeply missed by his many friends and also by various organisations within Perth. On behalf of the Friends, we would like to pass on our sympathy to his family. Steve Connelly, Archivist

Welcome to our eighth Friends newsletter. It’s been a busy quarter for our members and volunteers. First, our visit to Kinross House was most interesting. Arriving at dusk, the sweep up the drive to the spotlighted house was quite breathtaking. It was quite clear why the house has been described as having ‘the rare and serene beauty of a true masterpiece’. Sir David Montgomery kindly welcomed our group and, surrounded by family portraits in the Grand Salon, introduced us to a history of Kinross House and Estate. He outlined the life of the house’s architect, Sir William Bruce, explaining how he had bought the estate in 1675 and designed and completed the building of the house and gardens between 1685-1693. This was notwithstanding his close involvement in the politics of the day and consequent periods of imprisonment. Partly because of his turbulent career, Bruce never lived in Kinross House and lots of the final finishing work, such as decorative plasterwork, was left undone. After fifty years of ownership by Ann Bruce-Hope the house was sold to the Grahams, whose descendant Sir Basil Montgomery sold the family seat at Stobo and came to live at Kinross House in 1902. It was he who laid out the gardens, now open to the public, and refurbished the house. His job was somewhat eased by the fact that the house, having lain empty between 1720-1900, was a blank canvas. Since then, the house has been lived

Perth & Kinross Council Archive, AK Bell Library, York Place, Perth PH2 8EP, Tel: 01738 477012, Email: [email protected]

in by the family, currently Sir David’s son and his wife. Sir David’s narrative touched on the personalities, highlights and tragedies of the Bruce and Graham families as well as describing the changes that have occurred in Kinross over the centuries. To help illustrate his tale, Sir David then showed us the family portraits that hung in the Salon and stairs, some of which are by Raeburn and Hoppner. He had also laid out several items of interest for us to look at, including a photograph album and letters from the Crimea, an inventory of the household of 1779, and surrogate plan of the House and garden. The interesting and informative evening was rounded off by the kind hospitality of Lady Delia who provided us with delicious home- baked refreshments. Our next event is in January when Fiona Slattery will speak to us about Perth silver. This will be held in Perth Museum itself, so those of you who attend will also have the opportunity to browse and see the items Fiona will be discussing. Finally, I’m pleased to announce that we have new volunteers on our team, and also that the OS map project is now complete. Many thanks to the hard work of Jim and Gavin, who are now looking forward to using their large-format expertise to tackle a whole bunch of building and engineering plans! Merry Christmas, everyone, and a Happy New Year.

The United Combination Poorhouse of Upper Strathearn Notes on the history of the Poor’s House gathered from the Council Archive at the AK Bell Library Archives

Dr Joan Macintosh

Prior to the Poor Law () Act 1845 responsibility for the poor of every parish lay with the Heritors (landowners) and parish Kirk Sessions, primarily to provide ‘outdoor relief’ enabling the destitute to survive – but to move on elsewhere. The Act changed emphasis towards organised ‘indoor relief’ – intended in part to discourage tramps and tinkers from wandering the countryside by consigning them to ‘homes’ where they could be controlled as well as housed, in accordance with strict Victorian conscience. One important change under the Act (Section 16) was that it became possible to set up ‘Combined Poor Houses’, under the joint control of several parishes. The parishes would be ‘thenceforward combined for the purpose and considered as one Parish as far as regards the support and management of the poor and all matters connected therewith’. A central Poor House for this purpose was required – and a handsome example is the building at the end of Western Road in Auchterarder. It was some years after the Act, August 1861, that meetings were held of contiguous Parochial Boards in Upper Strathearn, to decide whether, how and where to support proposals for such a project. The purpose of the Committee was spelled out: ‘the erection of a Poor House - with full power to obtain plans, to enter into contracts, to raise money by loan’ in the belief that ‘such an Institution would be a great advantage both to the parties bound to support the Poor and to the poor themselves’. The following parishes discussed the scheme and agreed to take ‘shares’ in the cost in proportion to their population and prosperity. and Auchterarder took 27 and 25 shares respectively, while Blackford took 10 shares, and 9. Trinity Gask, Gask and each took 3 shares while Methven took 5 beds. We do not know the shares of and . A letter of 27 December.1862 to the Board of Supervision in , set up

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under the 1845 Act, invited approval of the scheme. The speed of decision taking - reflecting presumably a sense of urgency and some previous discussion - is shown by the fact that at a Perth meeting, less than two weeks later, it was decided ‘the Poor House to be proceeded without delay’. It was agreed that it be called ‘The Upper Strathearn Combination Poor House’, and that Mr James Walker, Edinburgh architect, be employed. First he had to select a site in co-operation with Dr Gardner of Crieff and Dr Cochrane of Auchterarder, whose advice was required on site suitability from the point of view of health. Also, the design of the Poor’s House was from the first intended to cast credit on the community. It was to be a handsome building, not a makeshift structure. Members of the various Parochial Boards were appointed to the Poor House Committee and were all men of high status such as landowners, professional bankers and lawyers. For example, Viscount was delegate for Blackford, Murray of Dollerie for Crieff, with Col. Hunter, Major Graham and Mr William Young of Belvidere for Auchterarder.

Location of the Poor House The two contenders for the site were Blackford and Auchterarder. A critical issue was an adequate water supply and good drainage. Blackford failed to meet requirements in this regard, but the 1860 Auchterarder Muir Improvement Act had meant that open space for the building and adequate water supplies were available in the Muir, described as

a field about a quarter of a mile from Auchterarder, well sheltered from north and east by rising ground where trees be planted, slopes gently to the south with fine southern exposure…the views being interesting and extensive…Bounded on the North by public road between Auchterarder and Blackford…on the West by a field about to be planted with trees…on the South by a running stream and the Auchterarder Curling Ponds, the latter being artificial, very shallow and clean…and on the East by arable fields.

There is a detailed account of the water sources including ‘an excellent and copious spring’, and of provision for discharge of sewage into the running stream(!). The Auchterarder Water Committee agreed to add a pipe of ¾ inch bore. The Auchterarder Commission for the Improvement of the Muir having agreed to the rate of ‘five pounds for Imperial acre’, the Architect was instructed to begin and the Poor House scheduled to open by 1 November, 1863.

Early Days Committee meetings of the Parish Delegates were originally held at the Star Inn in Auchterarder, but by 1 October 1863 the new Poor House was able to accommodate them. An early requirement was the appointment of a Governor and Matron. After several meetings Mr and Mrs Findlay, with previous experience at the Barony Poor’s House in Glasgow, were appointed. Special and extensive quarters for them were to be provided by the Architect. The Governor was to receive as his salary £45 plus board and the Matron, £20 plus board. Early decisions taken by the Committee illustrate the detail of consideration given to the care and control of inmates. For example, the gates were to be locked at 9pm and opened at 6am; cocoanut fibre was to be provided as it was thought to be the best material

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for mattresses; a ‘Timepiece’ was to be bought for the Public Room and a Piggery was to be erected. Ventilation of the ‘Dead-house’ was also an important consideration for the architect. All the local clergymen, of every denomination, were formally requested ‘to have the goodness to attend occasionally at the Poor House for the purpose of affording to the inmates the comforts and instructions of religion’. Their willing compliance was duly noted and appreciated.

Inmates There were two classes of inmates, one being the ‘Test’ class, which required ‘strict discipline and deterrent administration to secure order and decent conduct’. Dealt with more benevolently, were the aged, sick and infirm, the children and mothers ‘requiring a house of refuge…where inmates should receive liberal and sympathetic treatment’. Regrettably, the first surviving register of the Poor House starts in November 1884, some twenty years after the opening. Each entrant had been numbered on entry; by the end of 1884 the first listed entry was No. 762, the last listed, in 1894, was No. 2121. The impressive volume listed every entrant by registration number; date of admission; name; age; by whose authority admitted; parish and religious persuasion. Entries under each of the eleven member parishes, plus ‘other Parishes’ for those from further afield, showed ‘men/women/boys/girls/Total’.

The origin of residents listed during November 1894 were as shown below

PARISH MEN WOMEN Auchterarder 7 2 Blackford 2 2 Crieff 6 2 Dunning 1 1 Forgandenny 1 0 Forteviot 0 0 Fowlis Wester 1 1 Gask 0 1 Madderty 0 1 Methven 2 1 Trinity Gask 0 0 Other Parishes 6 3 TOTAL 26 14

In addition there were 6 admissions on the first recorded week of 4 men and 2 women. This total of approximately 40-50 inmates seems to have continued as the normal occupancy. For example, in November 1885 there were 25 men, 14 women and 3 girls and in November 1893, 25 men, 20 women, 5 boys and 1 girl.

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Discharge and Death The last column in the register recorded the dates of inmates’ discharge and their deaths. The latter are regularly reported, but are not as frequent as might have been expected. Many happened fairly soon after admission, presumably from age and illness, with no one at home to take care of them. Examples include a Crieff woman aged 60, who entered the House in November 1884, and died two months later; also a man from Dunning aged 74 who entered in March 1885 and died the following September; and a man from Fowlis Wester, aged just 50 years, who entered in May 1885 and died in September two years later.

Length of Stay The days spent by each resident in the Poor House were carefully recorded, primarily no doubt, for the purpose of charging the parish responsible for support. For example, Mrs McFarlane was admitted 16 December 1884, aged 78, and was a resident for precisely 2358 days, while Jean Cummin, aged 68, was resident for 2053 days. Most inmates though, were there for much shorter periods. Unfortunately, there is no record where they went thereafter.

Religion The overwhelming majority of admissions were of Protestants, and there was no distinction between sects. It would appear that the occasional Roman Catholic stayed only a few days before departure. For example, five Roman Catholics in 1884 all left within three days; in 1885, two left after a week; and in 1887 one young 10 year old girl from Auchterarder also left within a week. One woman from Crieff with three small children stayed longer, leaving after five weeks.

Visitors Books These refer to inspections carried out by Official Visitors. Unfortunately they survive only for the years of 1937 to 1945. They are of some interest, although rather bland and very brief. The standards they were required to monitor are characteristic of the period, for instance that ‘Separation of the Sexes and of the various classes of Inmates to be strictly enforced’. The inmates were uniformly described by Visitors as ‘happy and content’, while the only repeated complaints were of the bad smells from the men’s urinals. The development of a vegetable garden was praised, especially during the War.

On 14 November 1863, shortly after its opening, the Strathearn Herald carried the following report:

This Poorhouse is now in full operation and for all the purposes necessary to secure comfort and health we know of few similar buildings that will at all equal it. Previous to its being opened we had an opportunity of going over the building and anyone who has seen it must have been satisfied that there are worse places than even the poorhouse - in fact so commodious and comfortable a building is it and so ample the provision made in every way for the inmates that we suspect in a few years the paupers outside will rather be seeking than refusing to go into it. The Governor, Mr. Findlay, has done everything, we believe, in his power to make

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A Genealogist’s Nightmare!

Sheila Hay

Old Monkland Kirk Session Minutes 7 November 1836

‘Forward, 42nd!’

Donald M Abbott.

How many of you, and particularly those resident in Perth have taken the time to visit The Black Watch Museum at Balhousie Castle? This very fine Museum records not only the history of the Regiment since its inception at Aberfeldy in May 1740, all of its glories and derring do, as well as its many heroes, but also sets out something of the ordinary soldier who served the Colours over generations. It contains something for everyone and is well worthy of a visit and of ongoing support for our local Regiment. One example is a display highlighting the military career of one of its most distinguished pipers, including a portrait and some explanation as to his Regimental life. This refers to Pipe Major Donald Bain . Donald had been born in Wick in 1819, and had been a shepherd before enlisting in The Black Watch. He died in Dundee on 12 January 1895 and was known popularly as ‘The Hero of the Alma’, after the Battle of that name of 20 September 1854, during the Crimean War. The 42nd, as part of the Highland Brigade, had waded the River Alma and marched straight up the Heights of the Alma towards the Russian lines, led by their Officers and by Donald Bain playing his pipes at their head. The Battle Honour ‘Alma’ was granted to the Regiment as a result of this splendid victory and General Sir Colin Campbell (later Lord Clyde), C.O. of the Highland Brigade, congratulated Donald on the battlefield thereafter. Donald served too at the Relief of Lucknow and he was chosen as the principal Piper when the Wallace Monument was opened at the Abbey Craig of Stirling, where he was stationed at the Castle. In 1871, he moved to Dundee to be Pipe Major of the 3rd Dundee Highland Volunteer Battalion Pipe Band and he and his Band took part in the Royal Review by Queen Victoria in Edinburgh, known forever thereafter as ‘The Wet Review’, arising from the torrential rain. The paper beside Donald's painting in the Museum tells the reader:

As the years passed, Donald grew 'the waur o' the wear'. On his last parade, he was unable to leave the Drill Hall. Doggedly he awaited for its [the Band's] return when he went a little way

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along Bell Street [in Dundee] and joined in playing the homing tune 'Highland Laddie'. He never played again. He was buried in the Eastern Cemetery, Dundee with Full Military Honours. Many Officers from Perth and from other Districts attended and a large turnout of Volunteers and friends formed behind. The cortege was led by his own Pipe Band under Pipe Sergeant J Stewart and Rev. GR Macphail conducted the religious ceremony. As the veteran was laid to rest and the mourners dispersed, the Pipers played that last tune of final farewells ‘Lochaber No More’.

His gravestone in the Eastern Cemetery Dundee carries an inscription:

Famed Alma's Heights and Lucknow's Plain, Have heard his brave and martial strain, That stirred the hearts and fired the veins Of Scottish lads to chivalry.

His great-great grandson, another Donald Bain, is a schoolboy today in Forfar. This is merely a small example of some of the information available at Balhousie Castle, Perth and if you have not yet visited the Museum there, then please do so soon. It is an enthralling place particularly for those with family associations with this famous Regiment. The Friends group might well visit Balhousie Castle at a future date.

Surfin’ Gran

Margaret Laing

Wha wis it that said ye canna teach yer grannie tae suck eggs? Weel, that micht hae been the case when I wis a youngster but no noo! As a trained secretary I wis good at the typin’ – a beg yer pardon – keyboard skills they’re ca’ed noo, so when my dochter insisted that her auld computer wis jist a very modern typewriter, I agreed to give it a go! Tae my way o’ thinkin’ three years wisna that auld but it had been replaced by a ‘lap top’ which tae my way o’ thinkin’ looked like a tray but seemed tae work a’ right. Efter a while I managed no bad wi’ this new technology and saved mysel’ an awfy lot o’ paper bein’ able tae check everything before ‘printing out’. Whit a wonderful machine it is when ye come tae think aboot it. No’ only does it put a red line under yer spellin’ erors, it pits a green line under whit it thinks is a grammatical mistake! My spellin’ and grammar wisna that bad and ah could manage the broad Scots and the English. When I wis at the schule, bein’ in fear and tremblin’ o’ the dreaded belt made us stick tae oor lessons. ‘You’ll have to learn to surf the net Grannie’, says my seven year old grandson. ‘Whit on earth’, says I, ‘dae I need a special wet suit fir that?’ ‘Very funny grannie’, says the wee lad and starts showin’ me how! Weel, I havnae quite cracked this surfin’ yet, but I’m getting there! I have tae admit though, that I’m fu’ o’ admiration for the young lad and how he can use that moose – whit on earth possessed them tae ca’ it a moose? So efter a’ this, I’m jist no sae sure noo that ye canna teach yer grannie tae suck eggs. I think it jist micht be possible efter a’.

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FineFiona & Applied Art Officer, Slattery Museum & Art Gallery

Upper Lecture Hall Perth Museum & Art Gallery

Tuesday 28 January 2003 2pm

All Welcome

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