A F ee rin is t/z e rs t urrow lo u /ied a n d g fi f p g , i s a gu ide fo r a ll t/z e res t .

T/z e plo ug/z ing of t/ze field of T/z e Ca é ra e/z is onl be u n in t/ze res e n t volu me éu t ma tlz is y g p , y fee rmg gu ide 10 a s atisfaelo ry ’ E DIT O R S P R E F A CE .

T a lo r e smurdie was The late Mr James y , of Milltown , L , a much interested in his native place , and when ch nce w a w brought in his y some old diaries and ne spaper cuttings , w relating to The Cabrach , hich had belonged to his uncle , H “ ” John Taylor , of oghead , familiarly known as Boggy , he thought it might occupy some leisure hours to arrange and s o h e elaborate them . But soon his enthusiasm grew , that w was not content ith these meagre records , but sought out nd every book containing any reference to Cabrach , a r gathered info mation from every possibl e source . I had the pleasure of helping Mr Tay lor in this work I for some years , and spent days in research in the Public ’

Librari es of Aberdeen and Edinburgh , in the Advocates

Library , the Scottish Register House , and the British was Museum Reading Room , while Mr Taylor , who pre vented by ill -health from j ourneying s o far from home for this purpose , would eagerly wait for news of some elusive land charter or family history . H e was able to go to Elgin , y however and spent many an hour in the Librar there , or in searching at home through the bo oks he was able to buy or borrow . Mr Taylor had intended the work to be much more ex tensive ; as readers will see for themselves , the Upper Cab “ rach i s not touched on in the chapter entitled Traversing ” The Cabrach , nor is there much information about the I school there . have by me a paper on which are noted points to be cleared up , and give them here , in case any reader can supply the information

B eldo rn e B el h er e l a c r . G u s t o n y , y , and Succoth , pro rie t r ? p o s as far b ack as possible . Tenants of the three When did Co rrin as s ie come to the Duke of Gordon ? n n The burying ground at F o rte ith . Is a ythi ng k own of d de n a the the writing of Mr Robertson , Woo si , Elgi , bout cists and skeletons found ? 6

“h at was the name of the chapel on th e river bank o n ? the farm of To mbally ? I s anythin g known about the chapel ? “h en was th e last laird of Le smu rdie in In\ ercharro c h “ " ? Can a copy of The \ Ii :\ sionar Kirk be had y Is anythin g known of the histor of th e Cabrach , or of ? u t 1 1 8 2 the ch rch , be ween 79 7 and 4 y u s wri r Are there an acco nt , tten or othe wise , to be had ? of th e s muggling v Are there an y wri tings about the Cabrach 1 860- 1 - 3 such as w ere contributed to th e E lgin Co u ra n t b y the ‘ ” 3 Rambler “h e m and ho w was the bo u ndary between the S o c co ch ? and L es murdie defined

m 1 1 TVh en the war co menc e d in August 9 4 , the Cabrach I history was put aside for the time . In 1 9 1 6 left The Cab bu t my rach , before departur e arranged all our manuscripts in a connected formto awai t an opportuni ty of publishing .

y i u i 1 1 8 w e The rema ned ntouched t ll the summer of 9 , h n ’

. fi th m . B an e bundle was sent to Mr Ja es Grant , LL B , of , who u ndertook to arrange for the publication . The first negotiations were proceeding when Mr Ta y lor suddenl y died i m I w as a n Septe ber 1 9 1 8 . st ying at the Milltown at the ” i wi y t me , and had some talk th Mr Ta lor about The Book , his ri l as f ends used to cal it , but as his death took place two y my rr w i an y da s after a ival , e had no t m e to make defini te ' fl h e n I aw y arrangements . s Mr Grant a few da s later he w a ver hi ly s y enthusiastic about s task , and keen regretted t Mr y hat Ta lor had not lived to see his boo k in print . TVithin un fo rtim atel a few months Mr Grant , y , was seized w nz n e ve r ith infl ue a , from which he recovered , and the i i i ” w quest on of publish ng Cabrach Feer ngs as dropped , il y it unt Mrs Ta lor arranged for s issue in this form . ' “ e h ave been much indebted for assistance in y ario u s w y a s to the late Mr James Grant , LL . B . ; Mr Yeats , of ff Mr ria Ban ; Fraser , Libra n of Ab erdeen Public Library ; y Mr John Mallett , London ; and to Mr G . T . L nam , l ma for his exce lent p .

JANE T ANDE R S ON .

a y B rnsle , o y emb er 1 9 20 . CO NT E NT S

I nt roduction ,

I — n d Ch ap . . Posit ion a Ext ent of t he C abrach ,

— i a . . a Ch p II C abrach an d ts L irds , — . h a Ch ap . III . Tra ve rsing t e C brach ,

— an C hap . IV. We ath e r d Crops ,

V — e a and F C hap . . Str ms i shing ,

V — I . a Ch ap . Educ t ion , — VI E a r Ch ap . L cclesi stical His to y , — a Ch ap . VIII . The Libr ry ,

x Appe ndi I .

Appendix II .

A ppendix III .

A ppendix IV .

A ppendix V .

Ma a a p of P ri sh of C brac h , F ac ing Title

S CAB RAC H F E E RING .

R e si n th r‘ a so the d re a g e h p dy, m T o me n o fl arger re ach ; B e o urs th e que st o fa. pl a i n the me ,

T h e pi ety o fspe e c h .

N T R U T N I O D C I O .

a m m C brach , or The Cabrach , for in com on with so e o ther districts , as The Tyrol , The Engadine , this enj oys n the distinction of the definite article , though k own and u n loved of many , yet is by others less fortunate totally known o r much misunderstood . It is believed to li e in that “ ” - be far region , vaguely called The Back of Beyond , to d ffi a i cult of pproach , and to be , even in summer , a place of “ residence for . only the most hardy of men , a place abound in i and ing noth ng but precipitous hills , yawning passes , e ndless marshy mosses , through which stranger and foreigner may never hope to pass . A spot iso lated from all n d know regions of civilisation , and estitute even of the o m rdinary privilege of accom odation roads , by which its o n wilds m ay be explored and its desolation seen . A land w hich barrenness is so terribly written that corn grows but to frost and die ere its ear be full , leaving the inhabitants e ntirely dependent upon the fertility of other districts for u n their means of support . A p lace where the summer s r n scorns to exert his influence , and whe e the rains of spri g a n d the frosts and snows of winter linger with tenacious ' n h ei ht like c hold amo g its barren g s , the robber aterans of o l n e d, lo g after they have be n driven from the homes of

c n . ivilisatio , and scared from the genial face of the plains and n n A place so wildly desolate i hospitably barre , that fi m n othing but the r es t nerve , urged on by dire necessity , ” c ould ever induce a human being to traverse it . Such is the account given by a writer of the middle of last century of the popul ar idea of The Cabrach in those 10

th e days , and even now some people seem to have much is same notions concerning it . Here another interesting glimpse of the ideas formerly held about this elusive region , “ ’ ” o f h entitled , Dr Michie s first impressions Cabrach , whic we found among some old papers .

The doctor by nature was a very stout built man , to and a great pedestrian . On his first approach

Cabrach he preferred walking across the hills from Rhynie . On reaching the summit of the hill and loo king down on the valley below he observed a river winding its serpentine course along its midst this river had the appearance to, emerge out from below a mountain to the west , and to dis was appear below a mountain in the east , there no appear

. ance of an ingress or egress , its banks were decked in green sward where black cattle grazed in abundance , and its heath- clad braes covered with fie e cy flocks ; after surveying the scenery below he cast his eyes westwards and he could “ behold mountain after mountain . He said to himself I ’ have travelled mony a weary foo t through this warl but no o

. I have reached the back side of it . I wager this colony has escaped the researches of Dr Johnson , when he reached the Hebrides he said they were the outside or the rid-dlings of a creation . I began to contemplate in my mind what sort of its race inhabitants might be , it brought to my recollection

the incidents related by a pedestrian something like myself , . who had travelled largely through the world ; on his return

home he related that he found a colony whose inhabitants .

had but one leg , they had a very large round foot like a girdle , they hopped while they walked , and were called ‘ ’ Girdle Hoppers . Well , I presume this to be that colony I have made a wonderful discovery and perhaps a p ro fitable to o one , I may catch a pair of these creatures and have them

exhibited , or at least I may do the public service and send ! ” one of them to the oological Gardens at London . The aim of the present volume is to dispel all these

illusions , to introduce this charming countryside to n ew and friends , to make its history better known to old ones . 1 1

1 CHAPT E R .

N T OF T H B R H P O S IT I ON AN D E X T E E CA AC .

H OW T O R E A CH I T .

’ “ th r F ae F o ggylo an to e B ig o P o tarch , ’ ’ An s o o th by th e Gle n 0 D ye . ’ ’ r M ar F ae the B uck o th e Ca brac h th o idm , Wh aure ver yo ur tryst may lie At ilka to ll o n th e we ary ro a d ’ ’ an a ra o r e There s a pi e ce d m f by , ’ in G in ye sho w the m yo ur gro a t, an s ay lai c h your thro at ’ ’ T he B ac k 0 B e yo nt is dry.

A . M R AY (CH S UR . )

a First , let us explain ex ctly the extent of the Cabrach , and the meaning of the terms “ Upper ” and “ Lower ” “A Cabrach . reference to the sketch map will greatly aid in understanding this . It will be seen that the Cabrach is —N nf . all in the county of Ba f , its limits are , Craig Watch , in t ru ar Inn e f . B W . 1 0 ft . . 0 54 ; S , Craig an , 2 73 ; , Cairn na , ft 1 0 . . . 224 ; and E , East of Elrick , 25 0 ft The boundary n line runs along the tops of the hills surrou ding the district ,

8 s e . and in no place is it lower than 00 ft . above a level r and The Uppe Cabrach is the original parish of Cabrach , is & n c . the district always i dicated in charters , , previous to 1 6 the year 6 5 . It was formerly included in the shire of I e and e nn in . Aberdeen , ext nded from Craig an on the S to Al au ch N o n td . the burn of on the , and from the Elrick R mu a was o u na ck . the E . to on the W The Lower Cabr ch trathdevero n o at one time known as S , and was divided int dau c h Co rrinu is ie e mu rdie and three s , , L s , Blackwater ; it to formed part of the parish of Mortlach , but was united 1 6 the . Upper Cabrach for chu rch urp o s es in the year 6 5 . _ p In 1 8 the county boundary was moved back to coincide with that of Upper Cabrach , thus bringing the whole parish nf into the county of Ba f , except for Parliamentary election in purposes , when the people of Upper Cabrach vote West 1 2

1 1 Aberdeenshire . The extent of the parish is miles from

8 o . . N . to S . , and % miles fr m E to W Of the entrances to the Cabrach that from Dufftown a may be considered the chief , s the station there is the nearest point on the Great North of Scotland railway for the ff greater part of the parish , and at Du town also is the fort nightly market , to which the Cabrach farmers take their an fo r cattle d other produce sale , and there they transact

their necessary business , while their goodwives do their shopping and study the fashions . Immediately aft er leaving the station at Dufftown a o ff road breaks to the left , and skirting the hill , j oins the main road through the town about three- quarters of a mile

further on . About three hundred yards along this road , n o the side of the hill b etween it and the town , are the i ruins of the old castle of B alve n e . The castle is said to

have been built originally by the Danes , and a large room “ ’ ” in it is yet called The Danes Hall . It was rebuilt about 1 60 h the year 4 by the Earl of At ole , who obtained the lord his - ve nie . ship o f B al from King James II , half brother , it having been forfeited by the Earl of Douglas fo r j oining in ’

his brother s rebellion . It has been a strong building , with a large court enclosed on three sides by a turreted wall ,

the castle itself forming the fourth side , and above the principal entrance are still plainly to be seen the arms of “ i e th F r vin Athole with the r motto , o t And Fil Thi ”, P atris . The iron gates are supposed to have been brought

from Rothes Castle . After the castle ceased to belong to

the Stewarts , it passed into the possession successivel y of r Lord Saltoun , Lo d Ochiltree , Sir Robert Innes of Inver Kinminit markie , Sutherland of y , Arthur Forbes , brother

to Blackton , and finally of Alex . Duff of Braco , from whom

it has descended to the present Duchess of Fife . The new B alvenie o castle of , directly opp site the station , was built in 1 7 25 by William Duff of Braco ; the Duke of Gordon a llowed the builders to take what stones they wanted from Au chin do u n the castle of , hence the demolition of that castle of its ornaments o f freestone ; and also gave wood i from Glenmore for its fittings . It s now converted into a

distillery . The town takes its name from the family of the Duke wh o s e ‘ land 1 8 1 6- 1 8 1 of Fife , on it was built in the years 7 ; 1 3

it is situated on a hill about a mile from the station , and is a typical Scotch Village , with low stone houses , wide - an streets , wind swept and clean , d a central square with a t clock tower erected by the h Earl of Fife . , —4 Dufftown produces excellent whisky there are no fewer than seven distilleries in or near the town—there are also u - - very p to date lime works , and in the main streets some good shops .

The Parish Church is one of the oldest in Scotland , part of it dating from the time of Malcolm II . , who founded s e e the of Mortlach , afterwards transferred to Aberdeen .

There are besides , churches belonging to, the United Free

Church of Scotland , the Episcopal Church in Scotland , and the Catholic Church . l A little be ow the town the road crosses the Dullan , a small and very clear stream , which , after a course of four F iddic h miles , here j oins the . Next we reach the bridge o f S an d hillo ck y , which used to be a very dangerous corner , but which has recently been much impro ved by th e widen ing of the bridge , and the cutting away of the bank ; turn ing sharply to the right the way now begins to ascend , and o mno presently the small wood of T n is reached . This was formerly a commonty for the resting of cattle on their way s f outh from the Muir o Ord and other markets in the north .

After passing the farm of Laggan on the left , the character o f the country begins to change , and we descend to the

F iddich . valley of the , through a birch wood Here is the le nfi dich entrance to G d shooting lodge , three miles up the F i c h river ddi , which belongs to the Duke of Richmond and ’ t e Gordon , with a keeper s cottage at the gate . From h bridge we look down the valley to the ruined castle of

A u chindo u n o n . , standing in a commanding position a knoll

Little is known of its orgin or history , but it is assumed that 1 1 00 it belongs to the period between 000 and 2 , when many forts were erected both as a means of defence against inva sion , and as a protection to the surrounding country in the

- frequent inter tribal wars . It was rebuilt by Cochrane , i the favourite of James III . , then passed into the possess on o f Lord Drummond , who sold it , with other lands and c s astle , to Sir James Ogilvy of De kford , from whom it came to the Gordons . It was burned down by the Mackintoshes in C 1 00 revenge for the murder of their hieftain in 5 , and 14

is n th e afterwards repaired , but now fallen into rui under influence of the weather and the depreda tions of modern

builders .

In front of u s now lies a wild and picturesque region . On the farther side of the river rises the steep and rugged m o f its hill of Bemai , along the side which our road winds w ay steadily upwards till lost to View between the hills . Allawakin On our right , as we follow it is first the burn of , rushing down beside it , then a wide stretch of moor , with

hill upon hill beyond , covered with heather , which in r t August will be richest purple , and at othe seasons sof o br wn or green , with here and there patches of a brighter th e green where the ground is marshy , and on the brow of w b e nearest hill a dark fir plantation , j ust below hich may

- traced the site of the farm buildings of The Brackery , the ground near showing signs of having been cultivated , but - P re long since become part of the deer forest . s quently , e pecially in bad weather , when they come down

from the higher parts of the forest , large herds of deer may i ’ be seen , and if it s the traveller s fortune to come this way b on a dark night of autumn , he may be thrilled y hearing the roar and stamp of the stags as they send forth their

challenge to battle . Plenty of grouse , too , will most likely

- - - be seen , rising with a birr bik bik bik , to alight again a s o l cr hundred yards or farther on , whi e the y of the whaup

and the peewit but serve to increase the loneliness , remind ’ ing one irresistibly of Stevenson s lin e s

h n n r d r t e vaca t wi e e m o o , h H ills o f s e ep an d the h o we s o fthe sile nt vanishe d race s , ” n A nd wi ds austere and pure .

’ Three- fourths of the way up the hill is the Wall 0 ” the Balloch , a fountain with horse trough and iron dipper , w th e here , j udging by the number of spent matches on

‘

ground , many a welcome rest is taken . It is told of a Cabrach man that he was returning from Dufftown with a

bottle of the best in his pocket , and reaching this well ,

thought to taste , but he had no corkscrew and was com elle d ! w p to knock off the neck of the bottle . Alas the blo

was awkward and the bottle broke , spilling its contents in

- the basin . The worthy man gazed horror stricken for a moment at the appalling sight of the go od whisky mixing

with the water and running over the edge , then , determined 15

no t n o n and to waste more tha he could help , fell his knees drank till he could drink no more , then went regretfully on his way vowing thenceforth never to t ravel without a corkscrew . The well has attracted a more distinguished d though , for the late King Edward has sometimes stoppe as here for luncheon , and on one occasion that luncheon w man wa shared by a who , though not a Cabrach man , s next door to it . t a Arrived a the top of the hill , after a climb of about mile , we turn to look backward ere advancing farther below winds the path we have traversed , all around are wild

- bare hills , heather clad , blue or purple or black as the light no t strikes them , a house in sight , on the horizon to the e S . . E the sharp p ak of Ben Rinnes , and away to the N the far blue hills of Sutherland seen across the Moray

Firth ; this is , indeed , one of the finest Views of the neigh bo u rho o d and no visitor should miss it . n Just before entering th e arrow pass in front , several ’ mounds , known as Jean s Hillocks , are to be seen . They are said to have been s o named in memory of a certain Jean d o f- esmo ir Gor on L , who , having squandered her estate , was reduced to beggary and died here of hunger and fatigue . ri A ballad of the time desc bes her misfortunes , but the only fragment we could find was the last two lines :

‘ ’ S he dran k her lan and so ld h er sh o o n , i ’ A n d di e d at Allawak n .

a lack t This p ss , called The G s of the Balloch , is j us wide enough to admit the road at the base of the hills . a o n forming it . It is not quite str ight , so that o ne h but entering cannot see w at lies beyond , it is only about a hundred yards long and we i are soon through it . Here , on the calmest day , a breeze s felt , and on a day of wind the gale rushes through the pass n as through a funnel and seems to beat back the i truder . The road now slopes away , and if the visitor happens to be awheel , he will find an easy run down for the next three miles , to compensate him for the toil of the j ourney hitherto . We must not omit to mention the Wormy ” n n Howe , the popular ame applied to the Old Caledonia u in o u Road , the highway from Forres by A ch d n and the 1 6

th e Cabrach to Mearns , which here makes its appearance as - de fin e a fairly well d hollow , and which may be traced th e G lac ks through , along the base of the Muckle Balloch , 1 G arbe t 0 1 th e left , crossing to the hill , and thence along B o h e ad its face and over the Kelman Hill to g , where i t ’ c rosses the D e ve ro n and runs South to Tap o Noth . By i n some it s thought to be a rem ant of a Roman road , but as

there is no evidence in its character to prove it such , and as also there is considerable doubt as to whether the Romans

were ever in this region , we prefer to believe it is the old

Caledonian or Pict road . Tradition , however , supplies an

explanation of its existence , from which its popular name ” w is of Wormy Ho e derived . At some far distant period two d huge worms appeared in the north , and j ourneye B e n achie to meet each other , the one starting from , the o ther from near the Balloch Hill ; the latter , as it gathered i r tself togethe for the start , threw up those mounds already ’ as l referred to Jean s Hil ocks , then with a thrust of its lac k powerful head pierced the hill forming the G s , and d ragged its length over the co urse described , hastening to j oin battle with its rival . What happened then , or if indeed two the ever met , is a question left unanswered by the n o t legend , but so long ago there used still to be in the

Cabrach a few believers in the story , and one old man always “ his I concluded version of it with the words Gad man , , , ” kenna fat wad hae happened if they worms had bit met . ' no t We shall yet enter the Cabrach , but take a look

first at the other approaches to it . The next in importance N e is that from the . E . , and in thes motoring times it is fast becoming the more popular with travellers from the south , for though the road is twice the length of the first ,

“ yet an hour of railway travelling is saved .

Alighting at Huntly Station , the visitor must pass through the town , which is a thriving place , with wool mills and farm implement manufactories . In . the centre is the inevitable square , with a monument to the last Duke of an 011 Gordon , d the right a road conducts to the Gordon

Schools , under the arched p ortal of which one enters the park of the ruined Castle of Strathbogie , commonly called

Huntly Castle , for long a stronghold of the Earls of Huntly . The lands of Strathbogie first came into the possession of in 1 the Gordons 3 27 , when they were forfeited by their 1 7

trathbo l ie s owner , David of S g , a descendant of the house “ ” of Athole and Fife , who as one of the disinherited barons j oined the Balliol faction , and were given instead to the

o hi . loyal Sir Adam Gord n , the founder of s line Our way leads out of the town in a south - westerly w direction , and bends a ay to the left till it reaches the river D eve ro n Cairnfo rd t at , where it forks ; one branch keeping o th e ri ht . g bank of the river is a fair road for some seven s o r miles or , then it dwindles to a mere footpath , and afte another mile becomes again an accommodation road , finally crossing the D evero n at a point in the Cabrach three miles . from the parish boundary . The other branch crosses th e Cairnfo rd th e river by a substantial iron bridge at , and is main road to the Cabrach . The first place of importance Cairnbo rro w l is , on our eft , which is of some antiquity , being mentioned in a charter of 1 35 3 as belonging to d William of Keith , Earl Marischal of Scotlan , whose ' o f daughter married one of the Gordons , into the possession

’ 1 1 2 n which family it had passed in 5 , when the name agai 1 occurs in a charter . In 594 it is recorded that the Marquis of Huntly came to Cairnbo rro w in search of recruits for his . army before the battle of Glenlivet ; he asked the lady o f h e e the house if s could let him have some men , and s h ans wered without hesitation that s h e would send her bu s ~ a band and her eight sons , with their attend nts . Huntly wished the laird to remain at home , for he was an old man “ and had done his share of fighting but Na , na , my lord , I ’ ll ’ 11 blood the whelps mysel , they bite the better , said

old Gordon , and he and his eight sons , each with a j ackman t re and foo man , went to the battle , from which they all 1 1 o n turned safely . In 7 5 a s of the house was Roman Cairnbo rro w is no w Catholic missionary in Glenlivet .

owned by Mr Stevenson . A s s wan At about six miles from Huntly , the house of

- - ley stands on the right bank of the river . It is a good sized

- i - s te ad n . e house , with farm g adj acent , among old trees Her “ lived Elizabeth Cruickshank , the mother of Jock and “ o Tam Gord n , on the question of whose legitimacy the o f authorities are divided . It was also the residence e H u tch o n Calder , who stole the cup from the camp of the “ Earl of Crawford as related in A Concise History of th e , ” A ntient and Illustrious House of Gordon , by C . A . 18

G 1 . ordon , published in Aberdeen in 754 There was one H u tc h e o n Calder in company with Huntley when he went

to the batell of Brichen against the Earl of Crawford , who by his cunning and courage got into the camp of Earle

Beardy , and likewise into his tent , who , after supper , brought away the said Earl ’ s drinking cup (which cup A s Swanlie Calder of keeps to this day), being a large silver

cup overlaid with gold , holding a Scots pint and two gills ,

of fine engraven and carved work , and with a cape upon

which there is ane inscription , which is now lost ; where n with returning to the camp , in the sile ce of the night , he ’ g ave account to Huntley of the situation of Earle B eardy s h camp , and number of is forces ; and as a testimony of his

being there , produced the said cup : upon which intelligence they attacked Crawford in the morning and defeated his H u tch eo n forces , for which service the said Calder obtained A w anli the lands of s e , whose posterity possess it to this ” day . This Earl of Crawford was the terrible Earl Beardy , who figu res in the weird and awful tales of the haunting of

Glamis Castle , the family seat .

The road now branches again , the lower path leading ff directly to the Haugh of Glass , the upper to Du town . A

mile farther on these two are connected by a crossroad , at

the foot of the Glass Market Hill , thus enclosing a triangle

within which are situated Blairmore Castle , the property Invermarkie of Mr Geddes , the original home of th e G le nmarkie Geddes family ; shooting lodge , and the Parish

Church and Manse of Glass . Keeping for a little to the

upper road , we presently turn down an avenue to the left , a n d s e e in front of us the gate of the Castle , while farther

down the Church and Manse stand on a rising ground , one

of the most fertile spots of the parish , as is amply testified i by the gay garden . The Church , which s quite modern , c ontains a fine organ , the gift of Sir Frederick Bridge , who

‘ b e makes his summer home in the neighbourhood . From a lo w the Church good View of Blairmore Castle , towering

above the trees , is obtainable .

At the Market Hill is held annually , on the third Tues i ’ day o July , Glass Market , originally called St Andrew s

Fair , an ancient institution , and formerly of great import i ance , last ng two or three days , but since the extension of

the railway , it , like many more of the old markets , has

20

' s ix s eve n ac e dren : lying betwixt two rocks , about or p s in o de e th length , with two of breadth , and four or five fo t in p , A bo u always full of water , even in the greatest drouth . b t m le a quarter of a y doun the river , clos by the water side , Wal achkirk t there is ane ruinous kirk , called l . Some par e of the walls do remain , with the Font . There is a larg churchyard about it , where many of the dead thereabout e nterre are d, to this day , with a glebe , yet belo nging to the minister of the parish ; with some marks of the priest his house yet remaining . About a hundred paces beneth the ’ kirk is Saint Wallach s Well , much frequented by sick ” affe c folk . The well was supposed to be useful in curing l tions of the eyes , while the baths wer e especial y good for weakly children , who were immersed therein on the first o l of May by their superstitious m thers , who also hung gar 1 n euts on the bushes surrounding them , and this practice 1 6 8 th continued at least until 4 , for on the 7 of June in that “ o r year the Presbytery of Strathbogie met at Glass , and dained to restrain bu rialls in the kirk and to censure all ” al ak W allakirk D u mme th was W l . superstition at Kirk , or , n in the parish of Mortlach , but whe the Bishop removed to Aberdeen in the 1 2th century it was annexed to that of Glass ; the lands of D umme th were given to the Church bv f Malcolm II . , afterwards passed to Du f of Braco , and now l n are included in the estate of B e do r ey . B eldo rne The house of y , mentioned in the foregoing , was yet another of the numerous possessions of the different

branches of the Gordon family . The founder of this branch so n was Mr G eorge Gordon , a natural of Adam , Dean of

o n I s t . Caithnes s , s of Alexander , Earl of Huntly He built B eld rn e the house of o y , and his descendants lived there 1 until about the beginning of the 8th century . The Bal 1 1 bithan MS . brings down the succession to 63 , in which year the then laird of B eldo rn ey married the daughter of M u irho u s e r the laird of , and had succession , but the e it a stops . In the graveyard of Wall kirk there is a stone to

the memory of Katherine Gordon , daughter to James

B el o rne . i 1 Gordon , late of d y She d ed in 795 , in her th s o 94 year , we suppose her father to have been the grand so n o f 1 6 1 the laird who married in 3 . The representatives

War h u s e n . of the family now live at d o , near I sch Bel n dorney is at the present time in the possession of Mr Gra t . 21

From here onwards there is nothing worthy of note in r the scenery , the valley being like many anothe in Scot ' : o land green rolling hills , their sl pes plentifully dotted over r and n with farms , the rive swift clear , as upla d rivers are , n now rushi g over rocks , now widening into some deep pool l i be oved of the angler , and the white road wind ng along the

hillside above . Passing through a fir plantation the Linn e o burn is reached , wh re a m untain torrent makes its way i through a deep gorge , which s spanned by a stone bridge , n n and again we are in the Cabrach , for this bur is the bou

o . dary , not nly of the parish , but also of the county The two main roads we have traversed give access to n r s the Lower Cabrach : There is still a othe , which enter

the Upper Cabrach at the Elrick at the foot of the Buck . i G artl In this d rection y is the nearest station , and it is m s iles from it to the Church of Cabrach . The road run ’ G artl T a from y over the lower slopes of p o Noth , on the o t summit of which are the remains of a vitrified fort , the m s

massively built of the fifty similar forts in Scotland , having

8 2 . walls ft . high , and from 0 to 30 ft thick , with a well ’ in the centre . (Macdonald s Place Names of Strathbogie . ) o e If , as seems probable , these f rts were built for defenc a m gainst invasion , this one is ad irably situated, for from e a an it a view of the s can b e had to north d east , and i t m e -s s e a l co mands two valley s l ading toward the coast , whi e i d n behind it the country s wil , mou tainous , and at the time of its construction probably covered with tangled Woods

and treacherous bogs .

The village of Rhynie is 3% miles distant from G artly .

It i s the post town for the Upper Cabrach , but otherwise s has little to interes t us . Four road meet here , and we

select that running west , and, beginning to ascend , pre e n t e S c au rdar u e o f s ly find ours lves at g , the former home “ - Jock Gordon , half brother to the heiress of the Gordons c al d o n of th e du line , and himself , through his thir s , the

ancestor of the Earls o f Aberdeen . From Rhynie to the Cabrach there is a long ascent of

6 miles . With the exception of the small village of Brunt b vil land , few houses are passed . Just efore reaching this

lage is the kirkyard of Essie , but no trace of the kirk itself e smo ir remains . Near by was formerly L Castle , the seat of “ a t c o an important branch of the Gordon family . The C s l f ) J i ! L

L e smo ir has vanished . It seems to have been inhabitable t h w as a bout the year 1 7 26 . During e last century i t used a s a quarry to build the neighbouring farms , and some of the carved work is still at Craig . One stone with a uni ’ corn s head o n it w as discovered some y ears ago in the wall m IV o ir m . o f the Mains of L e s by Mr Leiper , w o Architect , Glasgo (a descendant of the Gord ns of Ter h is er ers ie p ersie), who built it into house , T p , Helens ‘ ’ m ir m ay burgh . L e s o mean the large garden (Lois Mohr) w w from the alluvial soil ashed do n from the hills . The w a name s derived by Mr Macdonald from Lios mor , the big mu ie 0 e s rd . 2 fort , of L The Gordons held the lands for 3

- 66 e s mo ir a y 1 1 . ears , 5 3 7 7 (The Gordons of L , by Capt in

Douglas II imb e rly . B r un tlan d is 11 0 After passing there little or cultivation , and the onl y signs of human industry are the peats set up

“ w c - t o dry , hile an oc asional post box by the roadside indi

- y c ates a lonely farm house out of sight of the passer b . a n The ground is hereabouts very rough and boggy , d there a re w quantities of huge stones scattered about , hich might seem as if dropped from a fairy apron , like those forming t h e an ann e t quarry of L g in Kincardineshire , of which it is a said that the f iries , desiring to build a castle near that l r p ace , were car ying stones in their aprons for that purpose c when the apron string of one of them broke , s attering the - w stones , here they remain to this day . Evidence o f the exposed and lonely region traversed is given by the posts r l driven into the ground at inte va s , to mark the road in w u n warv snowy eather , and to keep the from losing the w a . y y alto0gether This road from Rh me is considered a o f w of good test the hill climbin 0g po ers motor cars , and as such has on two occasions formed part of th e ro iite pre scribed for the Reliability trials promoted by the S A . C . At the top of the hill is the boundary bet ween the parishes o f an Rhynie and Cabrach , d there a road comes in from A u ch in do ir t w a Lumsden and the parish of , the shor est y to

‘ t h e Cabrach from Aberdeen , but rough and narrow from

' t h e main ro ad re i ts leaving at Lumsden , and not to be c n omme ded to motorists . In addito n to these three important roads to the Cabrach t here are numerous cart tracks and footpaths leading to it f rom the outer world across the hills . Two of these , one 23

artl 111 s tarting from G y , the other from F glenny , both in the p arish of Rhynie , enter the Cabrach near to the Hillock , B ru ntlan d s o while another , from and E sie , c mes in over the h ill of the Newton and there j oins an accommodation road on the right bank of the river . A footpath comes from Huntly o Clas hmach ver the , through the Lang Hill , and along the mn a en foot of G ro mack to T o v . The Upper Cabrach has r - communication with Glenbucket by a ca t track , which c omes p ast the Gauch and Aldivallo ch to the hamlet of Aldu nie Aldivallo ch e , and another path , entering at , com s f k rom Glenlivet , through Blac water ; while yet another , f G le nrinn e s G le nfiddich rom , comes through , and , keeping o f B adchier to the east side the Balloch hill , and passing , ff jo ins the Du town road at Bridgend . Surely now the would- b e visitor to the Cabrach cannot f s e t s ail to find it from wherever he may out , o we shall c d an e p ro ee to a description of the parish itself , d end avour to give a short account of its history from our earliest avail

’ a ble records down to the present time .

M az fe) e - fi 2L" :

l CH APT E R l .

CA B RACH A N D I T S L AIRD S .

’ ’ T s l caul l ac e t e ca T h e Cabrac . h e re a c au d, d p h y h

wh ? is Well now , y do they call it The Cabrach There some diversity of opinion here , some philologists assert it d is c to be a Gaelic wor , others deny that there any Gaeli s o - at all in its composition , but as many of the place names i c in the neighbourhood a e Gaeli , there is no reason why s o this too should not be Gaelic , and those who think it is make out a much better case than the others . Even among v those who agree as to the Gaelic origin , howe er , two or three quite different interpretations are given , and these w e shall now consider . It must be born e in mind that Celtic place- names are almost invariably descriptive , either of the country itself or “ ” - of some local happening ; for instance , Tom bain , the “ - ballie white knoll ; Tom , the spotted knoll ; and Auch ” ffi o r . mair , the field of the mair ( o cer) In Irish Gaelic

there i s a word closely resembling Cabrach , namely , Cabragh or Cabro gh (bad land) but the natives of the

Cabrach deny that the land is bad , asserting that the fault i l es in the British climate , not the soil , for in good years the harvests are more abundant than in places commonly

thought to be far superior in productiveness . Perhaps early e to settlers , att mpting in vain cultivate the boggy lands ,

might give such a name in disgust , but i t is not likely that w d “ ’ i t oul continue in use , for It s an ill bird that fouls its ” o wn c nest , and the Cabra h people are , above all , attached i to the r home .

A 11 ff - entirely di erent meaning is D eer thicket . Now ,

some of the land may not be the best for farming , but it is i of a nature well suited for deer , and from t me immemorial 25

m l arge herds have made it their ho e . Originally it was a and no r oyal deer forest , part of it is w included in that of

the Duke of Richmond and Gordon . In the district , too , a re found names which confirm the probability of this e G le n fiddich l o f B adchier xplanation . means fu l deer ; , ’ h ind s thicket ; while the Buck of the Cabrach undoubtedly

refers to a stag rearing his head above his fellows , as this

h ill towers above its neighbours . In this connection there i is an interesting trad tion . As we shall notice later , at one

‘ t no w ime the Cabrach , treeless and bare , abounded in

thickets and coppices , well suited for lairs of the deer , and

fo r nurseries for their young . When these disappeared , s and did and the herd left the Cabrach not return , as their d eparture was a great loss to the district it was determined

“ - to try to get the m back . A certain Johnny Stewart was de u te d i s u s i p to perform this d fficult task , and he , having p sions that a large number had take n refuge in the forest of e - Glenmor , in Inverness shire , went thither in search of e u ‘ th m . Soon he came pon a herd and began driving them

- across the hills on the forty mile j ourney to the Cabrach , a m a see ingly impossible feat . Anyone who has h d experience o f s s h fle etn es s the keen cent , the y habits , and the of foot o f the Highland deer , can readily understand how nearly b afile d o they their driver . Often after , with infinite lab ur , h aving succeeded in getting them safely over th e hill he _ , e e would himself reach the summit , only to s them rushing

“ l and back along th e va ley below , all his work to be done o ver again . However , Johnny must have had unlimited

- patience as well as a deep knowledge of wood craft , for he s ucceeded at last in bringing all his captives home to the C r e abrach , whe e they and their desc ndants have lived ever m e s c . We referred above to the Cabrach having formerly been well wooded , and this brings us to another variation of the m eaning of the name , and one which seems most likely to “ ” N e b e the true one . In The w Statistical Account the ” - Rev . James Gordo n gives the meaning as timber moss , “ ” r - t B and later write s speak of i as a derivative of CA AR , a t ree , a word still in use , applied to the pole or tree which “ ” i ffi A C s tossed at Highland games . The su x H i s also in c l ommon use , and signifies a p ace or field ; therefore Cab “ ” r ach is The place of trees . It is worth while noticing 26

h that , although there is no authentic account of the Cabrac y e t the woods or their destruction , i t is a common belief in district that the hills w ere at one time covered with trees ; i t is even said that so thi c k w ere they that once a man e n n i travelled from F ingl e in Rhynie , to the Gauch , in Cab w w rach , ithout touching ground , s inging himself along on their branches . Evidence of the existence of these tradi tio n al woods is found when cutting peats , for roots and y u t n st umps are c onstantl dug o , ofte showing marks of fire , w dire c and in the c ase of hole trunks , mostly laid in one

by . tion , as if a gale The story of how they came to b e thus destroy ed is as follows :

1 26 . In the year 3 , Alexander III repelled the invasion of the Norsemen , under King Haco , at the battle of Largs r e Befo e , and for some time after the battle , t rrible storms ic did r raged , wh h Alexander good se vice in fighting against ' e a a a s ldie r w as the s rovers ; but s well as being o , the king w r to a forester , and hen he tu ned homewards he began think that perhaps his beloved trees had suffered in the i an d n gales wh ch had helped him , in his a xiety to hear w about the trees , he forgot to inquire first for his ife , Mar

wh o . y garet , had given him a son in his absence Naturall , w as ve n the Queen angry , and in her anger took a lasting e an c e s h e s e t g , for ordered the royal forests to be on fire ; w co n fla ra io n the ind helped , and for days the g t raged until c scarcely a tra e of her rivals remained , and The Cabrach , c w - day the pla e of trees , became hat it is to , destitute of all b u t fe w - an d! y a birches by the river side , some trees recentl planted .

In attempting to trace the history of the Cabrach , it will ve ry much simplify matters if w e continue to pr e serve w w r the distinction bet een the Upper and Lo er dist icts , and consider each separately . And first as to the Upper Cab rach . From the earliest records i t seems to have been a may royal forest , and have been reserved , like the neigh ’ b o u rin g Strathaven , for the grazing of the king s horses . ' w Ho ever that may be , it is certain that it formed part of r 1 the Crown lands p ior to 374 , when King Robert II . m “ granted to IV . Douglas all and whole the lands and forest of the Cabrach an d a half d'avat of the lands of Auch ”

c . mayre , & From this time the Cabrach changed hands l frequently , ti l it finally came to the family of the Duke o f

28

“ t we en Sir Robert Erskine and his so n 0 11 th e tap art a nd 11 t thir c S ir Alexander Forbes 0 the o , in whi h Forbes pro th e h e mis e d to hel p e Erskines to r gain their rights , to “ e e e l d r e c e ive as a r comp nse , in the ev nt of success , the or o f A u c hin o ir e ship d , with pertin nces thereof , donacion of th e an d a h al d c in K y rk , the Buk the Cabr ch with a f ava h ”, h e . r forest annexed to said lordship As Sir Robe t , though u c e n t e ne s c e ding to the Earldom , ( lid o b come the ow r of a d was nd the estates , Sir Alex n er given certain la s in S tr h e e d c a t d instea , and the Cabra h remained the property ’ 111 1 c l a nd of the Crown . 45 7 the Erskines aim was upset th e d w d was Earl om , as ell as the lan s , annexed by the w s e a f Cro n , in the posse sion of which they r mained for h l a - c e n tu rv w ei e n e , twice ithin that period b ng giv n to you g r members of the royal family . I n 1 5 08 the final donation of n the Cabrach was made to Alexa der , third Earl of Huntly , wh h a m 11 a o d perfor ed great services to the. King . 1 the s me ’ e was d e o v ar i t sol to the Earl s kinsman , Jam s Gord n of A m l u c h yll. In the charter of this s a e the boun daries of are 1 - ac the Cabrach defined . By the year 5 39 the Cabr h c u l d had ome back to H ntly , who exchanged oth e r an s for e and m i t with his uncl , it has re ained in the u n disput e d d th e e possession of the Huntly G or ons ever since , e pr s n t repr e s e ntative of the lin e bei ng the Duk e of Richmond and G ordon The fol lowing is a brief account of the Duk e of ’ d e d n wh G ordon s esc nt from Sir Adam Gor o , o got Strath bogie :

d d i e Sir A am , of the family of G or on n Berwickshir , was l la d a oyal friend of Robert Bruce , who gave him the n s 1 of Strathbogie in 3 2 7 . From this tim e th e G ordons ih c r e ased in power and prosperity until a great part of the o f c a was h North S otl nd theirs . Sir Ad am died in 1 3 1 2 ; is was son , Sir Alexander , killed at the battle of H ali do n Hill 1 11 1 an d n d n wh o 333 ; his gra son , Joh , succeeded his fa ther th e e d ’ in title , was kill at Durham at the battl e of Neville s in 1 6 h Cross 34 . Sir Jo n was the first to receive th e desig na “ ‘ I-Iu ntl A . d m s o n a tion of y a , his second , was t ken pri s o n e r l , n t n e K n l Th e h e a o g wi th i g , at the same batt e . ir , n , was l d h 1 88 an Sir Joh kil e at C evy Chase in 3 , d his brother A d at H o mildo n in 1 0 w am fell Hill 4 2 . It is n ote orthy of in c e h u l in these five lineal suc ssion t at fo r were kil ed battle , n a d one taken prisoner along with his king . From Sir

A dam the descent is in the female line , for his elder ’ ” wo w brother s t so ns , the famous Jock and Tam , ere ille itimate g . His daughter Elizabeth marri ed a S eton from the l South of Scot and , and from her are descended the Seton e d - was Gordons , the ducal line . Al xan er Seton G ordon c reated first Earl of Huntly in 1 449 . H e obtained from the o and his king Baden ch Brae Lochaber , and by marriage

first with Margaret Keith , and second with the heiress of G i ht the Bog of g , became possessed of the estates of Touch , G le n tanar G le nmu ick Fraser , Aboyne , , and Clunie , and

. i h . e n the Bog of G g t He was succ eded by his s o George , w as e who built G ordon Castle , and he in turn succe ded by h is d s o n th e el est , Alexander , same to whom the forest of

Cabrach was granted for his faithful service . Alexander l d wh o was was fo lowe by his grandson George , Chancellor o f c 1 wh o w S otland in 549 , and as killed at the battle of

T h a . Co rric hie . e w fifth Earl s G eorge , and also the sixth

To the sixth Earl came a further advance in the peerage . a He w s created Marquis of Huntly in 1 5 99 . The second Marquis was captain of the Scots Guards maintained by th e r as King of F ance , and w beheaded by the Covenanters in n 1 6 . w s o 54 H e was succeeded by hi s son Lewis , hose G was c 1 68 eorge reated Duke of Gordon in 4 . The fourth d Duke , Alexan er , marri ed the famous Jane Maxwell , of

1 6 . Monreith , in 7 7 H e was created Earl of Norwich in 1 s o n w 784 and died in 1 8 28 . His , as Marquis of Huntly , ith t h e i assistance of his mother , raised the reg ment of Gordon “ - a wa Highlanders . He i t w s who s known as The Cock of ” the North ; his portrait by Raeburn hangs in Gordon Castle and offers a marked contrast to the portraits of his “ ”

w o . noble ancestors hich als adorn the walls , for it lives “ ' ” IlVith o f th e 1 8 6 the death of The Cock North in 3 , the title of Marquis of Huntl y passed to the Aboy ne branch of an e the family , d that of Duk of Gordon became dormant ,

r . u e for he left no hei male Charlotte , daughter of D k wh o c a Alexander , had married Colonel Lennox , be me Duke o f d h e r s o n w ho Richmon , and , Charles G ordon Lennox , , o n d the eath of his father , became Duke of Lennox in the m peerage of Scotland , Duke of Rich ond in the peerage of ’ D u - the United Kingdom , and e d Aubigny in the peerage o f H is s o n France , succeeded to the Gordon es tates . 30

Charles succeede d him in th e s e titl e s in and fo r him 1 8 his the title of Duk e o f G o rdo n was re vive d in 70. A t 1 0 s o n h le s H e n d n e nno de ath in 9 3 , his , C ar ry G or o L x , c c am Du e o f hm n and d n and Earl of Mar h , be e k Ric o d G or o n his h e e ei do n as le o w er of the est ates , c i f s ats b ng G or C t i c e and dw d H n uss . at Fo hab rs , G oo oo ouse S ex The Lower Cabra ch has passe d through almost as many c h the c ha nges of own e rship as th e Upper C abra . At p resent time it is divi ded amo ng fo ur landlo rds : the Duk e m nd an d wn th Dauchs o f of Rich o d G or on , who o s e Iil c k at r and o rinac h e lai d e s murdie a w c C y ; Mr Leslie , t r of L ; \Ir n B e l o rne o m t ie lc he rr . t ho he I G ra t of d y , w farms of y a nd S o c c o c h belong ; an d Mr Taylor o f Millto wn . e s mu rdie h h no w o m h land o n th e le L , w ic c pri s es t e ft n ve ro n m th e banks of th e Charrach bur and the D e , fro C th l o h F o rtc ath at o ne m e de d to lacks of e Ba l c to , ti e xten in nbu rn and n lu e th h f Invcrc harrach the L , i c d d e t ird part o , and c hn n in G le n rinn e A earl 1 we fin d A asta k s . s y as 4 73 S trath au chin e murdie an m him th m n a in L s , d fro e ai part o h as o m in n n u the n f. the estate c e u broke s ccession to prese t w r o ne . h d c trathau c hin o smo thie At t at ate , George d S of L bough t from Lawrence N u dry o f O vire ste ad a third part B e lch er n h e ro ch n ; u n t nk - n n e e ve rc a A c h as . of , E , d a Thirty i n r trat au hin d i a and years later , Alexa de S h c di vi ed h s est t e ld so n an d hi th e nd granted to hi s e est , G eorge , s wi fe , la s E as te rto u n o s mo rd and a d a o f nver of of L y , thir p rt I u he rac h A u ch na tank a lialke r In 1 e s nd . q , , y 5 39 G orge S trath au c hin h ad a mi n d to i ncrease his po rtion in the h and in u t em a e o Cabrac , accord gly b o gh t h e r i nd r f the l d ialchcr m o n t, o ne ands of y fro J h G or on , par w r of A nch na tank I n m c s . 1 549 th e re was a Ja e s S trathan hin in L es mu rd who h n d u e n M y , by a c arter gra te by Q e ary , of '’ ' ' l nds o f I h o mba n e an d W s I l TTIOI w h th e the a y e ter / S n , it m l u l r e io ns . ill thereof , stil f rther added to th e fami y p e s ss He appears to have le t the mill so o n a fte r to o n e Ale s te r ‘ ’ M G ras c ht bu t o n th e s le tc h y , aid A s r s death with o u t eirs , in 1 6 2 s c h a th e m l l nds an d all mo va was 5 , e e t of i l a , bles n d tratha hi s 66 r i gra te to the S u c n I n 1 4 th e I . csmu d e es tate became the proper ty of James S te wart of the family in A nch o rae h an e o f , Gl nlivet , a branch o f th e Stew arts A l m . e t o n e o f th e u au h e s tho e He arried Elizab h , fo r d g t r 3 1

a trathau chin of the l st S , who di ed without male heirs , and i by dispos tion from his wife , her sisters and their husbands , n d . so acquired the lands His , Alexan er , succeede d him te c rach an and Convey ed the estate to James S wart o f A u ho , ’ - d his brother , in life rent , and to James s son Alexan er , in A u ch rac h an r o f 1 6 . o fee , in 9 7 James Stewart of , the eafter e s murdie de t L , married Margaret , el s daughter of Alexander f Ke ithmo re n irns e lf Du f of , a d thus allied h with the family f . n o of the Earl of Fife His so Alexander , fourth e smu rdie m r L , had a daughter who a ri ed James Leslie of K i ininvie . r n Her brothe , Francis , succeeded his father 1 8 e s mu rdie 75 , and he sold L to his second son , William , s o n who died before his father , and was succeeded by his , . - n 1 Maj or Ge eral Francis Stewart , who married in 79 5 so n Margaret , daughter o f Sir James Grant o f Grant . His , 1 8 Captain James Stewart , who died unmarried in 74 , was the e smu rdi n last of the family of Stewart to own L e . It the ’ the passed to descendants of his father s brother , Maj or ' W n General illiam Stewart , who had a family of one so and three daughters . One of these daughters married Lieut . M o u nt e rald 1 8 1 Colonel Simon Fraser Mackenzie of g , in 4 , o n and had e daughter . Another married Geo rge Aber Kinin . vie two s cromby Young Leslie , Esq , of , and had son o n and three daughters . Miss Mackenzie and the eldest s of

- Mrs Leslie became j oint heirs to . the property of their m i ’ e u rd . cousin , and L s e fell to Colonel Leslie s share At 1 1 n his death in 9 3 it passed by will to his seco d son ,

Archibald S . Leslie . I n ve rc harm c n in h was in time past a baro y , and its m cluded in lordship , beside the far lands now known by the hie r h that name , several farms and crofts of B adc , wit n o I h e Tom av ulin and Crofthead . ts palmy days , when t castle was standing , and the tenants of the various farms and e e 1 crofts r nder d service to its owner , were about the 3th

1 . and 4th centuries . At a later period it was divided into three parts , belonging to different perso ns and included in f dif erent estates . The earliest men tion of such a division is “ 1 nve rc h e r ch to in 4 73 , when a third part of E o was sold S trath au chin e N u dr Ovire s te ad George de by Lawr nce y of , and this third continued to belong to the L es mu rdie estat e

0000 . 1 2 r until It is mentioned again in 5 7 , when Alexande S trath au chin hi o n 1 8 granted it to s s G eorge , and in 5 7 , 3 2

1 6 1 66 L e s mu rdie . 0 7 , and 3 it appears in the charters There

- 1 1fter no mention o fit is made until 725 , when , according to L e s a rec ord in the Cabrach Session Minutes , the laird of a mu rdie was in residence at I nvercharr c h . The first entry o f I n ve rc h arrac h in the rental of the Gordon - Richmond 1 o was estates occurs in 75 0 , s that apparently it acquired by

the G ordons between 1 7 25 and 1 75 0 . It is probable that the r register of the sale was among the lo st L es mu die papers . Of the remaining two - thir ds we have the following re c o rds z—In 1 88 Crai m ll Crai m ll 4 , John g y of g y , Lord Por

‘ io n e r Inver u h erach t of q , sold to Sir James Ogilvie of Desk h e ac c 1 1 Inve r u r h & . ford the lands of q , In 5 7 , Alexander Ogilvy got a Royal Charter of G le nfiddich and a third part ' o f Inve rcharrach & c . d , , and the lan s of Findlater , Desk Ke ithm o re A u ch e n do u n fis h ford , , , and other lands , with D e vero n ings on the and water of Ythan , the Constabulary f of Cullen in the counties of Banf and Aberdeen , and the d B ale h all d lan s of and others in Forfar , were incorporate “ into one free barony called the barony of Ogilvie , to him , ” 1 and his heirs male of his body . In 5 35 , Alexander Ogilvy of K e ithmo re w as confirmed in a half part o f Inver u h e rach tnac h q and forest of E , otherwise Blackwater . s e e afie l These Ogilvie w re the ancestors of the S d family . ’ O n e w w Alexand r Ogilvy s death , his ido married Sir John so n G ordon , a of the Marquis of Huntly , and a distant s h e cousin of her own , having been the daughter of Adam , i G ordon , Dean of Caithnes s Alexand er Og lvy had left his d d i a m lan s to Sir John Gor on , on cond tion of. his ssu ing the l u c name and arms of Ogi vy , leaving entirely out of the s c s r e sion his own son by his first wife , Lady Janet Abe nethy , d o . s o n aughter of Lord Salt un Naturally the , James Ogilvy of Cardale , considered himself very badly treated , and , in i w e 1 1 w e V e of the Chart r of 5 7 , unla fully disinherit d , and a s er ies of quarrels aro s e between the families of Ogilvy and o ’ Gord n . The Queen took James Ogilvy s part and c alled u pon Sir John Gordon to surrender the castles of Auchen do an d d . e un Fin later This he declined to do , even r fusing m c . the Queen ad ittan e to the latter , though it is not said that she applied in person . He defeated the troops sent out in dlate r to take possession of F , but shortly after the battle Co rric hie , w w of in hich the G ordons ere on the losing side , h e w as surrendered , and afterwards exec uted in Aberdeen . 33

As a consequence his possessions were forfeited to th e 6 Crown , and in a Charter of 1 5 3 Queen Mary granted the

& c . lands of the baroni es of Findlater , D eskford , , to James

i t . Og lvy . But the Gordons still continued o claim part o f r the lands , the efore a process of arbitration was entered ' into , and a decree given that the lands of Findlater and s D eskford were as igned to James Ogilvy , while Sir Adam d A u ch e n d Gor on , brother of Sir John , got o u n and Keith o more , which included the sec nd third part of Inver

ch arrach .

s o e We have still to dispose of the remaining third , w

. r o turn to a MS histo y of the G ord n family , written about 1 1 73 , and find therein that after the battle of Glenlivet in 1 e I ver h ar 594 , G orge , first Marquis of Huntly , bought n c i rach and Blackwater , but no mention s made of the seller . I nverc h arrach In another place it is said that , Blackwater , and G le nfiddich were in the possession of the Marquis of

Huntly in 1 638 .

Next come two very puzzling records , the first a Retour “ 6 : 1 6 . . of Succession 2 , Aug 28 Anna Forrester , haeres Willie lmi bu r ens i ic ic ano na Forrester , sartoris g s burgi V tem lariis e t do minicalib corum , patris , in terris p , terris u s de G arfullie B adch ett (vel B a dchie r)dimidie tate t e rraru m de Inn e rcharrac h (vel Inner ch annachie ) tertia parte ” h errie u ri u atr natum terrarum B elle c b s o . de , cum j p e The s cond is from the G eneral Register of Sasine , and 2n d 1 8 1 sets forth that on July , 7 , Alexander Duke of n th 1 8 1 Gordon gets a Re unciation , May 4 , 7 , by Alexander “ Cumin Penrose g of Altyre , of parts of the barony of Auch

n Clu n m r mith t- e do wn Viz . o e S s , , y , own , and Old Screen , T u llach allum I ne e rc harm c h B a dc h e e r B ri fo o rd , , , g , Laggan , D r bu rn O ve r a n d N e th e r A rd and y , Forrest of Blackwater , w e ll M o r lic h s . , and Teinds , par t and Cabrach , and of his i u A s s . d . 1 liferent right , in two Disp and g , Sept z 2 7 7 2 and 1 th Mar . 4 It is possible that these lands had been transfe rred to ' o f the Cumings by a marriage treaty , and that in default

issue they h ad returned to the possess ion of the Gordons ,

but Anna Forrester and her father remain a mystery . 0 0 B e lc he rrie — ' b e 5 00 c and . These two farms are twee n the L e smu rdie estate and the boundary between the r l an e . G e e n o Low r C abrach and Glass They belong , with , 3 4

cco ch B eldo rn e w hi c h is in c luded in S o , to Mr Grant of y ,

1 79 2 , in Glass . They both came to the Grants in when “ u , . Wm . G rant , Co nsellor at Law , London , was seised Jan

th 1 2 B elch e rrie . , . 20 , 79 , in third part of , comp Succoth par

M o rtlic h now Cabrach & c . (Register of the Great Seal , , , rd S o c c o th F eb . 3 , Previously had belonged to K hm re Alexander Duff of e it o , the ancestor of the Fife w f was in s ati family , who , ith his kinsman , Du f of Braco ,

able in regard to land . With monotonous regularity the “ s o - - s o D uff re c ords read , formerly belonged to and , now to ” d u S o c co ch 1 6 0 o f B rac e . The Du s acq ired in 5 , and it ’ ranked as a gentleman s seat , for i t is given under a list of 0 Manors in a description of the parish written about 1 73 . Before 1 65 0 S o c co c h belonged to the Gordons the Birken

burn branch of which family had it for some time . There was a George Gordon in S o c c o c h towards the end of the 1 6th c entury , who married a daughter of Alexander Gordon u ll ch ll of T o , Chance or of Murray , but its history previous i we c u n to this s , so far as have been able to dis over , recorded .

r . B elch er ie comes in for much more notice It , like Inve rch arro ch , has been divided into three parts , and of

- “ o t hese one third belonged from an early time to the Gord ns , to one of the many branches of the family descended from “ “ r 1 Jock Gordon . Somewhe e about the middle of the 5 th c entury a daughter of Robert Gordo n of B elch errie married

Thomas Gordo n , a grandson of Alexander Gordon of

! w a Buckie , and a generation later there s a William Gordon l h rie B e c er o n . in , a natural s of Gordon of Pitlurg Both “ ” r o Buckie and Pitlurg we e descended fr m Jock Gordon , but they c ould never agree as to which w as the elder b 1 6 . o 2 ranch The next menti n of this third part is in 7 , when George Gordon of B e ldo rn e y was served heir to his B elch e ri father , Alexander Gordon , and r e appears in the

. 1 6 8 his s o n list of his lands In 3 George succeed ed him , a n d e aft r that there is a gap of nearly a century , when in 1 7 30 there is a Sasine to Jas . Gordon of B eldo rn e y of the “ l B elch errie ands of , sometime pertaining to the deceased ”

r . B anif Mr Robe t Maitland ( Field Club Transactions ,

. 1 2th 1 6 Feb , In 7 7 Charles Edward Gordo n , B eldo rn e eleventh and last Laird of y , sold the lands and c B eldo rn e B lc a astle of y , with e h errie nd S o cco ch to Thomas

36

c ounted. This piece of land belongs to the Duke of Rich n mond and Gordon , and has apparently been in the possessio of the G 01 dons since the 1 7 th century . Before that nothing; re lating to it has been discovered . One of the farms is th e named Hillo c k of Echt , and this name i s derived from Co rinac baron y of Ec ht Forbes , of which y seemingly formed ' o rbe s es part , being in the possession of the F of Echt , near two to Aberdeen . The families , Forbes and Gordon , appear h ave owned Co rinacy at the s ame time . There are three — firs t th e possible explanations of this , the Gordons had “ ” o rbes e superiority while the F s had the land ; second , that the two not being on friendly terms, as is well established , l the G ordons gained possession of the ands by force , the e e F o rb s s still keeping up their claim ; and third , that each w e owned part . The available records are as follows , and w give them ithout further comment , hoping that some light m ay yet be shed on this point :

R o be r u n e r . th 1 6 1 0 . t h s e . s P n i Jan 9 , Forbes d e y , haeres mas cu lu s 0 filii atru i s o lidati J annis Forbes de Echt , p , in 40 s te rraru m e t terraru m Co rro n as ie e n icu lis villae de , cum p d , o na in li e e o tis T h m v las c o rie D a au c h . rd t c a G . 2 , , , and Nov 3 , 1 68 1 . o . Thos Forbes of Echt , nephew of Th s Forbes , by eldest half brother , succeeds to barony of Echt Forbes , com 0 s o lidatis Co rre n ss ies prehending 4 of lands of , with Hil ho mn avin o w la co rrie D alre c G s o h . lock , T , Oldt wn , Newto n , , d r calle Bank , and lands in Abe deen and Kincardine .

Retours.

6 1 6 . f 4 Roll of Freeholders of Ban fshire . The Laird G i ht his Co rro n ass ie e of g for lands of . This entry i s r e ate d w th c t 68 O . 1 p t ice every year until 5 3 , when the name is changed to the Marquis of Huntly for his lands of fforest B n c an C o d & . d o rro na e s . of y , , s i r 1 . d 6 . 2 . o Jan 3 , 79 Alex , Duke of G rdon , gets Renun c iati n 6 h 1 o . t 6 n , dated Jan , 79 , by Be j amin Gordon of Bal

r o f Co ffo rach . bithan , of the supe iority , par Rathven , Co -rr n acie M o rtlich T n e t Davoch lands of e , par . , y and Mill , e ie . B ll i Co rre n ac e . par , Mill and Mill lands of , par Mort l c A i i h , and teinds , and of his liferent , in two Disp . and s s g h 1 . 1 t 1 . th 1 . Sept 9 , 7 7 , and Sept 2 7 , 7 73

Gen . Reg . of Sasines . CH APT E R III .

T R S I G T H C B R C RAVE N E A A H .

Gree n vale o fCabrac w e re th e la ben s fl h h m t wate r o w, n n rro r h A gliste i g mi to t e go ld e n bro o m , Thi nk n o t that I fo rge t th ee whe n I go r a arr a e r O f il to c y h ppy m m o ie s h o me . ’ at th he n o w ff h Wh o t wi d bl c o ld fro m o t e easte rn s ea , It flo o s th e vale wi t sce nt o f birc a n t d h h d pe a , ’ o r th ar le ta nc e l N dims e p dis o er th e e a , i N o r stirs n s he tare d ban k the n o o nday heat .

T he Ca rac o o r an ar r a r b h m l d f m c eep s up w d to the he ath , M n e re e n c o rn and w n an n i gl g hi d russe t li g, ’ L e s murdie s burn ui c k e t i n th e s r b , q mp y g to t e am e ne ath , ’ ” d s its lo w vo i ce w ere D e vr n s ri l s si A d h e o pp e ng.

TH E E X I L E .

f n Taking our course through the Cabrach from Du ftow , we must pass through the G lacks of the Ballo ch . On the left , about the middle of the pass , is the site of a cairn c which formerly stood there . Many conj e tures have been as made as to its origin and p urpose , such that it covered i s - n the bod es of those who fell in ome long forgotte battle , or was a monument to their victory ; but the most popular “ ” is a version of the hidden treasure story , which is always i fascinating and n e ver lacks believers . The tale s of a

’ ‘ bull s hide full of gold , hidden below the cairn and watched i over by the fairies . It s always risky to meddle with any “ i thing belonging to the Good People , and either from n e o ne cr dulity or fear , no seemed inclined to open the cairn th e l o n e u and find out truth , until at ast man summoned p courage to make the attempt . H e went secretly at night and commenced to make a hole in the centre . As he a worked he s w ghostly forms flitting round him , while ghostly voices sounded in his ear ; still he k ept to his tas k e e and the hole got deeper and d per , but the forms press ed n more and more closely upon him , and prese tly the stones he flung o u t came flying back at him . Then his courage 38

a . began to wane , and he decided to wait for d ylight Pic ture his astonishment and awe when morning r e vealed the ’

. cairn intact , with no trace of his night s labour remaining Looking upon this as a sign that the treasure was no t for and i him , he made no further efforts , the ca rn remained u ndis turbed until about thirty years ago . By that time an i a superstition was nearly dead, d as in the w nter the p ss i was frequently blocked with snow , which dr fted in the shelt e r of the huge pile of stones sometimes to a dep th of f s l t . 5 0 , and as , al o , here was a fine supply of road meta r was without the trouble of quar ying it , the cairn taken down and is now spread over the surface of the roads in such small fragme nts as would puzzle any spirit to put n as together again . Nothing whatever was fou d in i t , and e the ground below was not disturbed , the s cret remains a s ecret still .

From the opening of the pass a good View is obtained , the Low er Cabrach beginning to Spread out before u s .

‘

Right ahead is the Buck , overtopping all , while nearer at hand are the hills of the Blackwater , with a few scattered t farms and crof s in the valley at our feet , from which the - fire t hospitable smell of peat s rises to greet us . On the lef i la - of the road there s to be seen in August a rge peat stack , G lenfiddich the property of Distillery , which obtains its supply of fuel from the mo ss a short distan ce up in the C s o arbet hill , the Cabrach deserves some of the credit of i the fineness of the wh sky . On the right a cart track breaks

‘ w o f all B a chier a ay , leading first to the farms of d , then to ‘ i G len fidd ch and Blackwater . The Charach burn has its

N . E . s o source in these hills , and flows for a mile or , then ' taking a right angle turn follows the road do wn to the n n D eve ro . From its source to this turn the grou d slopes towards i t on both sides , and the valley is known as Bad c i hier , a Gaelic name meaning , accord ng to some author “ ’ ”

. r no w re ities , Hind s thicket Though not many t ees o a main , no d ubt in times p st the ground was well covered with the small thick wo od which the deer fin d such excel l m M ac ent shelter for their wives and young fa ilies . Mr donald (to whose “ Place Names in Strathbogie ” we are indebted for most of the interpretations o f Gaelic names whi c h we give) says that the original form of the word was “ ” “ B adtch e ar - , which seems to point to the Gaelic Bad t 39

s as iar its derivation , that is the place of the west , and that the name is given as this is the most westerly culti y ated ground in the parish .

There are not so many houses here as there used to be , e f r ven within the las t ten years , o the story of emigration a n d depo pulation of the country districts is the same here a e s elsewh re in Scotland . Four or five houses are all that B adc ier r remain in h , pe ched on the slopes on either side of the burn . The same families have lived in them for genera t : o ions a Smart and a J p p were tenants in 1 784 , and their descendants still carry on the farms of We s terto n an d Bad chier ; while Mr Maconochie of B ro o mkno we s is descended from two families whose representatives have been in o r a c e - bout B ad hi r for 1 50 years . The best known of these was r B r o mkn o we 1 8 o s 0 . Peter Came on , who was at in 4 At that time the barony of Inve rch arrach exercised certain rights “ ” o f binna e B adchie r service , called g , over the crofters of , who were compelled to supply labour every harvest to the

t I nverch arrach . enant of Beside s the farms we have named , ' t c o dho le s here were also in luded in this service those of T , mn a win B u rntreble T o vo . , Crofthead , and Peter Cameron had on one of these occasions sent his young daughter to d “ m help at the harvest . In the frien ly ke ping match on h e f the field s was left far b ehind , and being cha fed and m o f o e ade the subj ect j kes , which wer perhaps rather free , he r father was so ann oyed when s h e told him about it that he made up his mind to beg the Duk e to remove this burden “ n th e r on the tenants . So whe tacks we e almost out he repaired to Gordon C astle and represented the case so strongly to his landlord that he readily agreed that the B adchier tenants should in future hold their land directly “

an d binn a e . from himself , thus do away with the g d Returning to the main roa , two or three small crofts a C re seen to the left , on the slope of the arbet hill , and b ehind them is a pretty wood of fir and larch , one of the very few plantations in the Cabrach . !Since this was written much of the wood has been cut down ! They belong to the i s L e smu rd e estate , which extend from the Muckle Balloch S o c co ch t to the burn of the , three miles far her on , and d embraces the land on the left side of the roa . The next e mu rdie R h n tu rk farm on L s is y , so called from a fancied r esemblance to the snout of a boar in the hill above . It 40 occupies one of the most commandi ng positions in the Cab

has . rach , and a fine view

Almost opposite , on the other side of the burn , is Tod l d th e th e ho es , a name which in icates presence of foxes in alre ad vicinity . A s y stated , this farm was included in the " verch arro ch m binnage of In , and was far ed by Peter Cam B ro o mkno we s th e eron , along with . On the same side of e n s road B urntre ble is next . H re the Charach bur receive e two tributaries , and cons quently the name is usually “ o thought to mean three burns . Thi s , th ugh plausible , is , however , incorrect , for the name is a corruption of the “ ” Gaelic trio p all and could b e equally i applied. to four or five burns . The tributary on the left s the Luie , the burn of the calves , which flows down from N f G arbe t the E . slo pes o the Hill , making a deep gully two between it and the Kelman Hill . In the gully are ' ‘ Ardlu ie Alu ie F indo u ran farms , , or , and , a name that B o iemullac h puzzled Mr Macdonald , and d (the clump on w o s the ridge), hich is m re a croft than a farm , so small i

. d . it Now we come to Bri gend , the nearest approach to a “ ” village that the Cabrach possesses . At Bridgend is The ffi ’ shop , with the Post and Telegraph O ce , the Blacksmith s five and other occupied houses . There is another small shop s o at Crofthead . Not long ago , indeed within the last thirty or forty years , there were no fewer than eight tradesmen at

Bridgend , all of whom found plenty of work : two shoe makers , a tailor , a dressmaker , a blacksmith , a merchant , a w o eaver and a j oiner , but n w that people find it s o much easier to visit a town and have acquired a taste for town products , these country workers have sadly diminished in

. numbers But there is no other blacksmith in the parish , and a great inconvenience it must be to fetch a horse with five m to a dropped shoe for miles , fro the H igh Cabrach , d be sho at Bridgend .

Bridgend is backed by the hill of Tomnavoulin , pro no u nc e d - a- o o in locally Tam , and an accommodation roa d leads round the base of it to the farms of Tomnavoulin an d

S h e n al - v . The firs t name d has a pleasant situation o n th e S W . . slope of the hill The name , according to Mr Mac

- - ’ donald , is the Gaelic Tom na mhuilinn the hill of the mills , , c the Millt- so alled from its nearness to own . From here th e ground rises again to the far m of S h enval (Gaelic Sean i bha le , old town). 4 1

o This , from its ass ciations , is one of the most interest in g places in the district . Though now only one farm , in the early part o f l ast century there were three or more e r farmers cultivating the land her , and earlier still the e wa i s , farther up the Blackwater , a coll ect on of houses almost numerous enough to be called a village . At the present time the S h enval comprises a goo d- sized dwelling a rm house , with large steading and a fa of about a hundred acres of arable land , with hill pasture also , an d occupi ed by Mr Macdonald . Though windy cold , there i an s o be ng no trees to make a shelter , d the site being x s and e x o s m e e posed on the top of the hill , the barenes p had a very decided advantage in troubled times . Malcolm

Canmore built up here one of those forts , the line of which B - - M u nt extende d fro m Burghead and udus to Cairn na o h .

No trace of the fort remains , but near by are some large hollows , surrounded by a sort of earthwork , which are said d to have been fortifications , and have even been attribute m e to the Romans . This explanation of the , how ver , is no t r d o obviously the co rect one , for not only o these h llows be ar no resemblance to the usual well - authenticated Roman

“ c s amps and fortification , but it is extremely doubtful whether the Romans ever penetrated so far north inland . To the u nimaginativ-e eye they look far more like disused e n quarries , and as there is some tradition of lead b ing fou d n in the Cabrach , they may be old workings . At prese t their use is to afford comfortabl e shelters for the sheep . The Castle at S henval claimed to have sheltered

Edward I . in his march , denying that honour to the Castle of I nverch arr c h an o , d perhaps this visit accounts for the name of “ King ’ s Haugh given to the stretch of haughland of h - 1 0 a loc s o . about acres ne r to the S , the s called fortifications Here are the remains of quite a number o f cottages arranged o like a street , p ssibly at one time occupi ed by the la bourers ’ e H r e ar mployed on the farms of King s Haugh and o s w d, e l e i which li s stil farth r up the stream . These s gns of h h e n val abitation explain the name of S (the old town), for the near neighbou rhood must have been comparatively s o d thickly populated , and one can better understan the c hoice of this place for the building of the Roman Catholic 8 0 h e n al . 1 v Chapel In 4 S was divided into three parts , a leased by four persons , and the H o rs ew rd was also leased . In 1 8 24 S h e nval was still divided in three , and so the H o rs e ward was tenanted by Janet Robert n , ’ who is said previously to have farmed the King s

Haugh . The Duke of Gordon had spent some time at the h e nval no t r S in his boyhood , and while there was t eated with that courtesy and kindness he expected by th e n mistress , whose delinquencies were , however , more tha

- e s o u . made up for by the maid , Jan t Robert When , there w l h e r fore , the good ife j ourneyed to Gordon Cast e to have e oo d ha d s lease ren wed , the Duke c lly tol her she no busines n to transact with him , and gave her farm to another te ant ,

first allowing the servant to choose a part of it for herself . ’ d She fixed on the King s Haugh , but finding it too win y , H o rs e ward s h e asked to be transferred to the , for which paid £7 annually . h e nval Leaving the S , it is a pleasant walk past the farm and of Tomnavoulin over the hill , descending at Crofthead , w two e here there are cottag s , one of which used to be the flic e post o , while in the other is a small general shop . From

‘ here a rough road leads do wn to a foot- bridge acros s the o u Charach burn , and after passing the sch ol joins the H ntly road (which we left at B ridgend) at the gate of Milltown e mu die L s r . s of Close by and j ust above the chool , a flight of steps cut in the brae makes a short way to the Church . r o From the road is anothe flight of steps to the Manse d or , and here , being quite out of breath with the climb , let us o d pause and l ok aroun , for it is a truly lovely View that

. s meets us The hill here form a wide basin , from which there seems at first sight to be no outlet : green an d purple they li e , fold on fold , with here a clump of trees an d there a burn , their grassy and heathery s lopes scattered o ver with sheep . Below the F irbriggs a de ep cleft sho ws th e course w ri ac of the Black ater , and at the foot of the hill o f Co n y , 0 11 D evero n the left , flows the , its fartherbank edged with

. the a fringe of birches Opposite to us is Richmond Hotel , and j ust beyond it the road disappears round a corn er on the way to Upper Cabrach . It all sounds simple and idylli c n r e ough , but the cha m lies mainly in the play of colour never the same for two hours together , and always beauti

, w e ful hether under the gr y sky of autumn or the brilliant . ' s u nshme , s in the early morning or at sun et of a winter day ,

when the afterglow is almost Alpine in its beauty . Some

44

0 11 th e oo e . large knoll , which castle st d , surround d by trees , s o bu t most of its stones have been used for building , that d it is no w impossible to trace its extent or esign . The n . E . o e garden was to the N of the present , and a number two of good trees grew close by , but of these only one or I nverc harro ch remain . Thus , interesting as may be to the antiquary or historian , the casual eye discerns nothing to “ ” distinguish it from any other farm toun , except its m d e unique situation , which co man s the vall ys of the D ve ro n e , the Blackwater and the Charach burn , and which

110 doubt inspired the original builders . The name means the mouth of the stony bottom (burn). Its form has e varied with the years , some of the earlier sp llings being I n terke rac hte I nve rke rae k n u erc h ero c h e In ve r uh e , , E , q rauche . The last incident of note in c onn e ction with In ve rch ar roch was the pursuit and attempted arrest of its master ,

Lieutenant Roy , of the Scottish Royals , after Culloden .

- He escaped through the help of a devoted servant maid , who was killed by a volley discharged through the do or s h e u was in the act of barring . The laird of L e sm rdie resided 1 there for some time until about 7 25 , and John Taylor , B o h e ad re grandfather of John Taylor , g , to whose historic c w e Inverc h arro ch sear hes have referred , was born at in e m di that year , leaving it for Milltown o f L s ur e some time i ’ prev ous to the 45 . Apparently Lieutenant Roy succeeded a lo rs the T y , and after his flight it became the property of the Duke of Gordon . In 1 75 0 the tenant of I nvercharro ch and B adchier was e to 1 6 5 d 1 8 John Fife , whose rent amount d £ 2 9 . In 7 4 , F e rr r . o e Wm , w re tenants , paying for i t yearly ' 1 2 r1 s . 1 8 1 F err £ From 7 4 to 8 03 Wm . o r had I nvercharro ch ’ o n 1 a 9 years lease , at a rental of £4 3 (a great advance) ' while seven different persons held the crofts of B adc hie r

2 1 5 . 1 8 0 . e at a total rental of £ 4 5 In 4 Wm and Al x . Forbes I nverch arro ch B u rn treble 6 er had and for £ 5 p annum , and 111 8 2 1 4 Alex . Forb es paid £65 for I nve rch arro ch alone ; ‘ wh le : 1 as . o M J J p p and Jas . Co mbie had crofts on it worth 1 ro s 1 6 i 1 8 5 d. respect vely £ 7 and £ 7 In 1 8 38 Jas . Merson

became the tenant , and the two crofters remained . Jas . was - Merson the grandfather of the present tenant , Mr

, e William Merson and the fath r of Dr Merson , now of Hull ,

. and of the late Rev David Merson of Stamfordham . 45

On the hill at the farther side of the basin are the two A rdwe lls - , Gaelic Ard bhaile (the high town), Upper and

. s Nether , with the inn The first stand high up on the face

o f F irbri an d . the ggs , in a cold windy spot Originally m e there were two far s here , but both are now m rged in n o e . b The road passes y the house of the Nether Ardwell , which is much more sheltered and has a small plantation t N W . ff o . o the which keeps much of the wind the garden . In the early part of last century there were no fewer than 1 3 dwellings at Nether Ardw ell ; n ew there are but two - an farm houses , one of which is also the inn , d a cottar house b ehind . The Richmond Hotel , formerly known as the Grouse Inn (locally as “ the has been an inn fo r o a fairly long peri d , at any rate since the b eginning of i the last century . It s well known among a circle of fishers who return year after year to enj oy the sport provided in t he D eve ro n - s o and Blackwater , generously granted by the Duke of Richmond and Gordo n ; and before the erection of ’ o s the shooting l dge in the Upper Cabrach , the Duke tenants or guests resided here . As very little custom can be had in the winter , the innkeeper , Mr John Watt , culti

v o . ates a farm als His father , Mr Wm . Watt , who died in 1 1 8 m 9 2 at the age of 5 , occupied the far all his life , but took over the inn only in 1 8 76 ; before that it was in the h ands of Wm , Stewart . Turning back from the Ardwell and the Upper Cabrach g oad for the present , we continue the j ourney down the r w e smu rdie b e iver , coming first to Millto n of L , which longs to Mr James Taylor . The Taylors have occupied the ’ Milltown since shortly before Culloden , when Mr Taylor s - In verch arro ch great grandfather removed from . The land o wned by Mr Taylor was originally part of the L e s mu rdie e state , and was purchased by him from the late Colonel “ ” as at Leslie . Here , most other touns of the Cabrach , m there were several houses , occupied by the far er , the n miller a d the joiner , while in a corner of the steading was a building used for some years as a school .

The earliest mention of a mill is in 1 549 , when a charter r trath au chin was granted by Ma y to Jas . S and Elizabeth ' u mm 1 6 Abircr y , his spouse . Again in 5 2 mention is “ ‘ Ale ter M ras c h t made of it , when it is recorded that s G y , being bastard , and dying without heirs , escheat of the mill 46

trathau c hin e smu rdie s was granted to Jas . S , Laird of L , o that for nearly 400 years the mill stream has run chatter ” ing and sparkling down from the intake below the Manse

to the wheel at the Milltown . The little stream has wit fo r n e s s e d many changes , and has had variety of work , and from grinding corn it passed to threshing corn , now its power is used to supply electricity for lighting the house

and steading . From Milltown we s till keep down the river on its left

bank . Within easy distance of each other are four farms , all of which were lately tenanted by members of the Taylor T o mbain T o mball family . These are (the white knoll), y

(the spotted knoll) the house of which is not now occupied ,

both farms being worked together by Mr John Horn , on s the hill above the road ; and farther down the river , Main

m i B h e a . of L e s u rd e and o g d, both below the road At Mains , e m rdie the most important farm on the L s u estate , is the d e smu rdie Lo ge of L , once no doubt a pleasant dwelling ,

overlooking one of the best pools on the river ; but now , the s o l trees having grown close y about it , it is dark and damp ,

and from long neglect quite uninhabitable . Mains com two Cau lds tri e th e prises farms , the other being p , tenants of w e a mu llach hich were transferr d to B dy , and one good farm a tw m de of the o . Mr Cran , tenant of the Mains , apparently al o finds even this not too large for his energies , for he is s - n m r tenant of Findouran , a other far fo merly tenanted by a

an . 8 Taylor , whose hill l d marches with his Until about 1 37

there was a distillery at the Mains . B o gh e ad was until lately the resid ence of Mr John

Taylor , who may claim to be the first historian of t h e

Cabrach , for though he never p ublish ed anything he busied

himself in research , and to his notes we are indebted for ’ many of the particulars herein contained . Mr Taylor s literary interest and activity are the more remarkable in c o that he attended s hool for only six weeks , all his kn w f- ledge otherwise being sel acquired . — The next three farms are grouped together Drywells ,

F o rte ith . m Easterton and The steadings of all re ain , but r n the house of D ywells o ly is inhabited . Easterton is con s tan tl e e smurdie y mention d in the L charters , and must F o r e ith have been of some importance . t (cold homes) may h ave been s o c alled b ecause of the prehistoric graves found 47

’ a t there , but Mr Macdonald s more prosaic explan tion is tha o c co ch s the land slopes to the burn of the S , and so face

- the north east . Farther back in the hill are two cottages at Crai-glu ie

f . (the rock o the calves), where there were two farms A great part of the land is now uncultivated , and the cot m r tages are empty . In one of the there lived for a numbe of years Mr David Rattray , who was born in the Cabrach , w n but had been a teacher in Glasgo for a long period . Whe e he retired from work , he thought there was no place lik so the Cabrach , here he came , and what a change it must ' have b e en fro m the city to this quiet spot among the 1 8 . e 0 heather , with his bees He di d in 9 8 at the age of 3 , and since his death no one has occupied the house .

The maj ority of these farms are on the Kelman Hill , which is one of the most interesting parts o f the Cabrach to the antiquary , for on it are nearly all the remains of a . primitive race that have been found in the parish . The e principal of these are the graves , of which a dozen or mor have been discovered at different times on the farm of For i t e th . r A very circumstantial account of them , w itten about “ 1 86 — de s cri 2 , says The stone cists are of one p o f tion , the bottoms , sides , and ends of them being formed ' a sort of green stone found in the hill beyon d the ruins o f b the ancient settlement , while the upper or covering sla must have been taken from a basaltic rock o n the opposite side of the river ; and considering their vast size , and the r distance and elevation to which they had to be car i ed , it becomes a curious problem to ascertain how in those primi tive times such heavy blocks could have been carried thither . From the fact that most of thes e cists are bedded th e upon charcoal , and that they also contain quantities of o same material , it has been c nj ectured that it points to the destruction of the wives of the Chieftains whose bones are interred in the rude stone coffins ; for acting on the axiom C that it is not good for man to be alone , when a hieftain

died , they sacrificed his widows that their spirits might his - accompany , him on j ourney to the great hunting land ”

. beyond the grave (The writer h as surely got his ideas a . “ ” - f little mixed , for the happy hunting grounds o the West and the Suttee of the East are not generally associated with “

. Th e the Picts , while even the polygamy is uncertain ) 48

s o b s keletons , far as they have een seen in the

e leven cists that have been opened here , have been of enor o C mous proportions , and would seem to p int to the hieftains

of those days being chosen , like Saul among the Israelites ,

for their extraordinary physical stature . One of the skulls t hat were found was large enough to contain within it the head and hair of one of the largest men in the Cabrach in s a (whose head measures 23 ), and from the general p e aranc e t as p of the bones , all had eviden ly been giants

c ompared with the present generation of men . The skulls

were all flattened or receding in front , like those of the c l e Ameri an Indians , and a remarkab e featur of all that were found in anything like a good state o f preservation was bad was an d wa that not a tooth seen , what s stranger still ,

all the front teeth were almost square . From the length

of the cists , which did not exceed four feet , these large be bodies had to crushed or doubled up , and such of them as have been found in the best state of preservation were ' a - c always got in half re lining position , with their legs d oubled up , so that the knees nearly approached the chest , and on the breast of each a rude clay u rn was placed on o s which rough rnamental lines were cut , which were u ually f di ferent from each other , save that round the bulge or widest part of the body of the urn a strip of carving like was herring bone found upon them . All the bodies were du e e laid ast and west , with the heads towards the east , and from the circumstance that everything found in relation to them pointed in some way o r other to the morn o f ing sun , or was a circular form , it is presumed that they o r s u n belonged to the ancient fire worshippers . We may also mention that at a ne ighbouring hill there are evidences

- of the remains of a flint manufactory , where the well known arrow heads had been prepared ; and such of these ancient weapo ns as have been found can yet be easily traced to t h e different districts where they had been made from their f e o f di ferenc colour . The extent of ground which this o e encampment c vered cannot now be well asc rtained , for t h e remorseless hand of agricultural improvers has rooted out a great deal o f what not long since remained of this

. a Caledonian city There is reason to believe , however , th t

it had been miles in extent , and had extended fro m the w ood at the top o f the Kelman Hill along the farms of 49

B h e ad F o rte ith o g , Drywells , Easterton , and , and following the Caledonian road had crossed the water and extended ” to the brow of the opposite hill. “ 1 86 the Thus the Rollicking Rambler of 2 , but in accounts given in the Proc eedings of the Scottish Society

s . of Antiquarie , some of these particulars are contradicted

(See appendix . ) a to no w The details are me gre , and though wishing k and everything possible about these cists and other remains , therefore not despising any source of information , we are “ ” no t inclined to think that the Rambler , being a professed in to scientist , has , his wish make the facts interesting ,

drawn on his imagination . We may b e sure that s uch careful observers as those who opened and examined the cists ; and subsequently reported the facts to n o o t a lear ed S ciety , would n have been mistaken about the size of the skeletons or the position of the urns and so to on , while the idea of the widow sacrifice is too grotesque

contemplate seriously .

d -o u a Alexan er Roberts , of Elgin , exc vated and examine d several cists in 1 85 1 and after a detailed de s crip an tion of the materials , size , position d conten ts of the “ e — t u sam , he says There can be li tle do bt that sepulchres i m of very var ous dates , and containing the re ains of people ff of very di erent races and creeds , are included by anti u arie s d en i q un er the g eral denominat on o f primeval cists .

Those to which this paper refers may I think , be charac te ris e d : as follows Cist without any sup e rficial mound , ai either of the nature of barrow or c rn , the chamber about i three feet or a l ttle more in length , and co ntaining a single u rn m unburnt skeleton , and an , eithe r e pty (when the cavity happens to be s o likewise) or showing by the char

’ acter of its contents that it ha-d not when first deposited held any solid matter ; with or without chips of flint and u traces . of iron in their vicinity ; with or witho t ornaments

l . of j et , or other simi ar mineral , but without weapons Cists of this peculiar class have been found in considerable r numbers in dry , gene ally somewhat elevated spots all d along the eastern coasts of Scotlan , and they have also e occurred , although apparently in few r numbers , on its

western side . They are far from rare in some parts of m G er any , and indeed the figure of one at Rossleben , in 50

’ Alterth u me r Prussian Saxony , in Prof . Kruse s Deutsche o is might , except that the fl or , like the other sides , formed if n of slabs of stone , and that the urn is d fere t , very well e serve as an illustration of some of those at L es mu rdi .

Similar cists appear to have been found in England , Ire n land , De mark , Sweden , and in various others of the northern states of Europe ; - but there is too often such a want of precision in the published accounts of th ese anti u ities t m q , that it seems premature to a te pt to found any a e e ethnological generalis tions upon th m , although th y may ,

I think , be pretty safely regarded as Teutonic . As to the abso lute or even the comparative time of the mode of ' e ra sepulture referred to , little can be sai d , but its must , a t n s o - d all eve ts , be advanced from the calle Stone Period - o e was to the s o called Ir n Period . Wh ther it practised during the earlier or the more advanced ages of the latter is e r also quite uncertain ; i t seems , how ver , ve y likely , from e the elaborate character of the work expend d on the cists , and the infinite variety of the ornamen ts sculptured on the c urns , that such a custom ould either have been invented , c r d or a ried into execution , by a very ru e or uncultivated people . My own impress ion is that the antiquity of these ” s - epulchres has been very much over estimated . The other remains co nsist of the foundations of hous e s d and of larger buil ings , thought to have b een military an d . stations , altars Heaps of burned grain near the altars l point to the sacrifice of first fruits , the a tars being made by placing a flat stone on four or five uprights , and this

r - fo m , with the burned grain , and the circular house foun u n - dations carries out the idea of s worshippers . On the hill opposite , across the river , we have ourselve s foun d se veral d h a evi ences of t ose e rly inhabitants . On a p o in t overlook b e ing the inn , where the ground is flat , about 5 0 yards lo w d the peat roa , are several circles , which are about 1 1 an d r e paces in diameter , are fo med of singl stones , more or

, less flat placed at a distance of a few inches apart , whilst at a point nearly S . E . there is a gap or do orway of 4 feet in w idth . On the face of this hill is also a line of hollows ( s 6 8 an some hundred of yards apart , to feet in diameter , d t about 4 fee deep), which are variously thought to have

i - been p tfalls for catching deer , lookout posts , and the holes u left after digging p tree trunks for firewo od . Farther

5 2

e B elch err B low y , a convenien t footbridge across th e D au h Co rin ac river takes us to the g of y , which includes all the farms on the right bank of the river in Lower Cabrach ,

o . no and als the farm of Bank , w reckoned in Upper Cab

. T o mnaven rach The first place we come to is , the little r hillock of the rive . Formerly it comprised both Upper T o mnaven and Lower , and there was a flourishing distil r s le y in the early part of la t century , and for some years a private school . Now , like s o many other of the Cabrach touns , it is inhabited by one family only . Further up th e r h as was river another fa m disappeared entirely . This

B err le s T o mnaven . y y , between and Hillock of Echt . This latter still preserves the name of the Forb es property near

Aberdeen . At the boundary between Hillock and Auld town was the site of the first Secession Church . Some l i part of the walls of the second bui d ng still remain , while the foundations of the manse are seen 011 the opposite side A u l to n a of the burn . d w and Newton re names which ex P ke e plain themselves , and between them is V , or mor P ke tillum correctly y , the origin of its name being lost in obscurity ; the house stands on a knoll and has a splendid ' o f view up and down the river , it is now occupied by one i d the gamekeepers , the farm being ncorporate with Auld town .

After passing the Newton , we come to a large semi ih circular hollow the bank , made , it would seem , by the action of the river , which has since changed its course . It - o in looks , to the ordinary non ge logical observer , as if e o form r ages the river had st pped here , making , in fact , th e a lake , and t hat in course of time the water wore down softer part of the barrier , cutting through j ust below the present intake pool , and wearing into the Craig of the

Mains . Still , most likely , the river swirled round this o n e hollow , making it ever more and more regular , till spring a big spate came and changed th e river - bed to its th e s a . pre ent place , le ving this amphitheatre dry If Cabrach folks followed the example of so me of the English r o r village s , and produced past ral plays in the open air , he e is the theatre ready , wanting only a little draining to make

- i t the equal of many of the classic open air stages .

Just where the river h as broken through the bank is . o rinac and s aw- m the Mill of C y , a meal mill , also a small ill 5 3

The road on this s ide o f the river soon after crosses an iron

i 1 1 - d br dge , built in 9 3 to replace a suspension foot bri ge and y ford , which at times in a heavy spate was ver dangerous ; the river rising so quickly that sometimes a farmer who had crosse d easily in the morning found on his return that s i e t it was impo s ble to g his horse and cart ho me . - o f- r Co rin ac A right way follows the rive on the y side ,

- a pretty walk thro ugh a birch woo d . This walk can be r o - D alriach continued by eithe of two f ot bridges , one at and i r one opposite the hotel , to j oin the road lead ng to Uppe

Cabrach . D alriac h is one of the two rem aining farms included D au ch Co rin ac r i in the of y , the othe be ng Bank , on the i o f Upper Cabrach s de of the hill above us . In a Retour 1 6 1 G la s co r D alreo ch 8 there are mentioned y and , called

‘ la co r n Bank . G s y (the grey Corri e) was the ame originally borne by Bank , and possibly when this retour was made , o e it was j ust beginning to be known as Bank , and s ther was a confusio n in the name . This seems a credible so lu tion of the difficulty about these names which puzzled Mr ‘

D al ach . Macdonald . ri is now a croft occupied by a keep er , but when it was a farm it embraced all the Ian-d on that sid e o f the river from the Burn of B u s hro o t to the boundary o f chmair and l o no w A u , inc uded s me fine haugh lands given B u hro t over to sheep . At s o itself were one or two houses , wa and the hill for se me distance up s cultivated . The ex tent of the fields may yet be discerned , though the heather is rapidly encro aching . n i Bank lies in a very comma d ng position o n the S . sid e n of the hill , a d from it a View of nearly the whole of the a m Upper Cabrach may be had . Mr Gordon , late f r er there , n and uncle of th e pre sent te ants , was a man of great intel nc e e lige and considerable l arning , and interested himself in r f . the antiquities and histo y o the Cabrach His brother , was i a at Dr Gordon , in the habit of spending his hol d ys and w 8zc Bank , he rote some account of the stone cists , several of which he had see n opened . 5 4

H APT E R I C V.

P WEATHER AND CRO S .

A misty May a nd a drappy J u ne ’ M k a f s a k ir in ilk a at t c ya d a to u n .

These two subj ects are ins ep arably c o nnect e d in the

’ “ f n armer s mi d . For all his failures he blames the weather ; s occa ionally he gives it credit for his succes ses , but who ? ever s aw a conten ted farmer The utmost he can do is to ’ o P u n c h s r e d be phil sophical , like fa m r , who , stan ing in the midst of his so dden fi elds watching his sheaves floating “ a w e way in the s oll n river , says to his neighbour , Well , ’ e ba I ve always notic d when things are as d as they can be , ’ ” they ll either mend or get worse . i l The Cabrach has the reputat on of being a co d , wet “ ’ ’ di tri . s a s ct People y , There s a place th ey ca the cauld , ’ de laverl fo r o o k s 011 cauld Cabrach , far i t dings on y , sax ’ ’ ith er u lin n s en , ne ither p p o r But this is a and a ma a w libel , wh t one y particul rly notice is this , hen b ad w it is as as it can be in the Cabrach , i t is much orse r e . somewh re else It seems ve y hard , however , to convince t f s rangers o their mistake about the climate . A friend “ ” a e ? sked , But do you ever have it r ally warm there When s h e was told that the po lish on some furniture that happened to be outside in the month of May was blistered o t b e by the sun , she began to think i t might n such a bad “ ll e i wa H o a . s s w p lace after Anoth r que t on , many really ” fine weeks do you ha ve in the year ? A great many more than in some oth e r pl ac e s thought to have a goo d climate . T h e as Lower Cabrach especially , a rule , enj oys excellent l all weather . There is p enty of sunshine the year round , n o a r i t fog , warm d ys in summe , and br ght fros y ones in w r i e an d and inte ; wh l the air is bracing exhilarating , i s o e ften compared to champagne . For thos in want of a new 5 5

p lace in which to spend the winter , we can tho roughly re n a comme d the C brach . s Thi may sound exaggerated , but it is a fact that of late e e years the winters have not been s ver , and indeed the farmers have found a new source of discontent in the lack o f o sn w , for water has been scarce in the succeeding summers .

At the same time , after studying the weather records

" o f t o e the past w centuri s , we are bound to admit that there has been good ground for the popular notion . What strikes o n e very forcibly on reading over the se old rec ords is the “ ”

i i i . d sappoint ng qual ty of the weather S o often , after " s perhaps a hard winter , the farmer hopes were raised by a d fine , genial sowing time , only to be dashe by a cold , wet m autu n , when the unripe grain stood out in the fields till i all cha nce of securing it in good cond tion was gone . Or it an and might be reaped in good time , full d ripe , then be rotted by the damp before it could be stacked . Turnips , t o o ff e an d d w a r , often su er d , even if spare by the e the , were

e . d sometimes attack d by disease If farmers are discontente , l a to s o tru y they very often have re son be , but they are r als o characterised by patience and p erseve ance , and those in the Cabrach display these qualities in a marked degree . The mo st outstanding of these b ad seasons of which “ ” - 1 6 1 00 . w e have been talking were the seven ill years , 9 3 1 The continu ance of bad harvests told so heavily on the

“ a n d Cabrach th t the meal mill fell into disuse , a it is said ’ fro -m e e the thistle grew the mill , and the fox nursed her ” o cubs in the happer . One family after another was f rced i i to l eave the d strict and seek a l ving elsewhere , until in the Upper Cabrach only one house was left inhabited . This n was the house ear the Gauch , which afterwards received e kim an e and still bears the name o f R e l . It was the only “ ” and re ekit i s ho use with a smoking chimney left , it t lane for so me days before the tenants finally decided to leave it and to follo w their neighbours to some better provided o n o district . They had j ust started their s rrowful j ourney , s i s aw when , in cros ng the burn , they a brown trout flash diffi by . This gave them an idea , and having with little d culty caught a few fi sh , they return e to the house to blow up the still smouldering peats and enj oy a last mea l . While so engaged a horseman was sighted ; he proved to 5 6

a s ack be carrying of meal to Glenbucket , and gave them a f o share o i t . H e als o brought news o f a shipl ad of grain o fr m the south having arrived in Aberdeen , and cheered by ' m re t th e the timely help and the prospect of o o come , r and o n farme his family unpacked their b el ngi gs and . e d e b settl down to wait and hop for better times . By and y r matte s improved and the farms were again occup i ed , “ a an n though in m ny cases by strangers , d the seve ill ” n th years were gradually forgotte . Not again have e - l no w farmers experienced such a run of ill uck , though and again there have been very unproductive seasons . te 1 1 r On S ep mber 3oth , 9 3 , the e appeared in the ’ ” B a n s hire o u rn al we fi j A Glass Farmer s Diary , which may give in full as far as it refers to weather conditions :

v e d m 1 769 . One of the worst har es ts on r cor sto r

prevented corn being got in till M artinmas Day . rd 1 7 70 . No sowing till April 3 ; whole month of March o r o f st my , eight weeks storm , but peats all well home

r . before Glass market ( 3 d Tu e s of July). r 1 1 . 1 t 7 7 First bere cut s S ept . No d y weather from n f . r an th o 2 d d 2 . . beginning July 3 4 Sept storm (s ow), all n ! n a d . corn not cut , none take in

1 . 1 th . o 7 7 2 Jan . 3 Ann Gord n or Leslie , Ardwell ,

lo i an d . died . Funeral delayed by great b w ng drifting ' 1 a h a w . n t 7 73 J . 9 . Gre t ind , Huntly Tolbooth dam

aged an d houses and stacks broken . - 1 l l w 1 8 8 . r e o 7 3 7 4 Winter ve y s vere , catt e going to

country to eat straw . No meal to be had . Duke of Gordon

and others brought pease fro m England . 8 e 1 7 4 . Storm last d eight weeks without a break . ; 1 o n o . 793 . Br ke harvest , but go d winter , only eight

‘ ’ days storm .

1 . 794 . A brave spring in r . r 1 . d 799 June 23 Snowsto m , three feet of snow

some places in Glass .

n n d . d . a d 1 80 1 . July 2 Great cold earth of meal in 1 th . o a o s 805 . Jan . 5 Adam Sl r ch l t on Gormach th e in D e vero n storm and drifting . May 29 . Spat , twelve ankers of whisky lost b etween In verc harrach and Church

s . and of Glas . Glass market that year a day of thunder m ra . 57

1 8 1 1 . A comet appeared , the like not seen since Cul ' — ll ” loden a warning to a .

to ea 1 8 The diarist omits mention the y r 7 2 , commonly “ ” c au h t - w i c . as alled the bla k g y twa There , accord ng to “ i The Old Statist cal Account , a great fall of snow on

. 1 d and Sept 5 th of that year , which ruine the oats , it was ri m all Ch st as before the crop was cut , then it was mostly i n l e g ve unthresh e d to the catt e . Th re was great scarcity and o r e of meal , the pe ple we e so far d p endent on charity

. o o . o d for food J hn Gord n , Esq of Craig , pr ve a good r d th e o f ien to Cabrach at this time , imp rting meal to be is o d tributed to the poor , and the Duke of Gord n gave his n tena ts a rebate of their rents , or time to pay them . Next e d year in som measure ma e compensation , for the calves an d r were earlier more numerous than usual , and the e was

“ e very little sickness among the peopl . i l B o h ea d In the d ary kep t by John Tay or of g , which contains records of the weather at intervals from 1 8 1 6 to 1 88 bad and e m 7 , only the seasons s vere stor s have been

o Or r . n ted , excep t in one two ent ies Presumably when n i d o oth ng is sai to the contrary , the weather was go d and " c s t the rop plen iful . 1 8 1 6 n o C In the summer was cold , s w lying on arbet u t w as d ring h e whole season . On Oct . 2 oth ther e a great an hurricane d snowstorm . The stoc ks of corn were yet out in the fields , and the snow had to be cast to get at them ; w l hen dug out they were a froz en lump , and cou d not be thawed for the cattle . 1 8 1 7 was a very bad year . The corn was all frosted e o arly and of no use for seed . Seed had to be imp rted at a c ost of £ 2 25 per boll on board ship . 1 8 6 - l In 3 the crops , especially those on low ying ground , were blighted by mildew . Snow in October delayed the i harvest , the cutting of oats not be ng finished until Nov . th 1 2 . In April of 1 837 the snow was s o deep on the hills that “ r d o o s o the deer we e ying for want of f d , and the frost was s evere that many lambs died immedi ately they w e re bo rn .

The year 1 838 had a particularly bad r e cord . In January the river was frozen sufficiently to allow of horses a n d carts crossing o n the ice ; snow commenced to fall 0 11 5 8

8 1 6 - r t the th , and on the th James Ramsay , a drove , was los 0 11 a the hills , and though diligent search w s made for him by a party o f two hundred men his body was not recovered t th t un il May 7 . During February the drifting was so grea that the mails from Aberdeen c ould be brought through only with the greatest difficulty . A party of three carried l them four or five mi es , b eing then reli eved by a similar . e o an d s o party , who carri ed them the n xt f ur or five miles , c e th on to their destination . Sowing ommenc d on April 7 , o e but it was a sl w business , for snow fell nearly ev ry day . r From Jan . 8 th till May 3 d hardly a day passed without at n w d least a shower of s o , and it still fell on some ays of l 11 June . On the ongest day there was a spot of snow 0 C o Tomnaven m t romack , ab ve , the re ains of a wreath tha nd h ad at Whitsu ay been a mile in length , while at this time - a e peat c sting was stopp d by the frost . The crops , already

" r e d an d ve y lat , were amaged by frost in August , frosty ’

e d o . . a weath r continue thr ugh Sept and Oct C pt . Stewart s tenants received b ack 20 % of their rents in consequence o f

o . the short , poor cr p , much of which was lost 1 8 e s In March 39 ther e was a sev re nowstorm , with r o f H addo ch o n much d ifting , and Charles S tewart perished l b th e dd o f M a was the hil s . A out mi le y there a heavy fall an d a of snow , a funeral p rty from Rhynie going to Walla kirk acros s the hills h ad the greatest difficulty in performing and l co fli n the j ourney , being compelled to lift pul the r r r re thro ugh enormous d ifts . In Septembe the e was a markable spate ; the river rose to within six inches of th e ’ and brid e s at o r flood mark of 29 , g Milltown of Cabrach , T nic h elt e mu rdie an d W allakirk e r , L s , besid s three othe s in D e vero n a . Glass , w ere carried way by the 1 8 was n o t s o d The year 40 col , but there was a great i t e was deal of rain . A month after be ng cut , h corn still t i o o wet to be brought in , and large quantit es wer e spoiled Duri n g five weeks of the autumn ther e we re not forty - eight cons ecutive hours o f dry weather . an d 1 84 1 began with severe weather deep snow , but th e e n r crops were well forward in Jun e . Ther is o furthe w e e o n was entry for this year , but hop the pr mise of Ju e fulfilled . T he 1 8 an d l o f harvest of 55 was good , there was p enty an d r s straw , but owing to the late spring wet summe turnip n a d peats were scarce .

60

r 1 88 2 d and w January and Februa y were mil dry , ith “ ” r w w hu ricanes of birsling ind , hich dried the corn sta c ks ' and prevented the straw from rotting . Windy w eather ‘d‘ continue up till the beginning of June , but the summer w as w wet , consequently the turnips ere poor , though there w as m l r a re arkab e g owth of grass . The harv e st was pretty t w fair , but pro racted o ing to rain . The first sever e snowstorm of 1 88 3 was in the first week t d of March ; bad weather con inue until the middl e of April , w - fe n and the sheep ere hand d till that time . After o e of d e n the best see times on reco rd , there succe ded i tense “ ' drought in May and half of June , then rain and cold till

. an d the end of October The turnips were a poor crop , l e 11 n fai ed altogeth r 0 damp land . There was o peat and " h ad w coals to be used ; hile the crop of cereals was thin , t a in t N d l o v. hough h rvested good condi ion by the mi d e of , it i s 8 . average weight be ng 3 lbs to the bushel , and the

meal very goo d . T he 1 88 m w a w m year 4 co m enced ell , but great sno stor o n January a6th did a great deal of damage ; the cattle could e an d w scarcely be attend d to in the byres , many sheep ere r r smothe ed in the d ifts . The rest of the winter was very x e ar windy , and the failure of the turnips the previous c e w wh e n w as mu h felt . The oats ere d ficient in eight

they came to be reap ed .

1 88 . e y w as d 5 The whol of this ear col , chilly , dry and w i n t 1 th an indy . Harvest d d o t commence ill October 0 d e d m rd: d e d finish on Nove ber 23 Th e corn , amag by frost , ‘ w fo r wa s d . as of no use seed , though the meal very goo ' - bs . th e T he average weight was 3 7 l to bushel . ’ 8 As a consequence of the frost in 5 , all seed had to be ’

86 c 2 er . imported in , at an average pri e of 4 / p quarter w “ u i Sowing began in the last eek of March , the season p t ll e n d the end of July being dry an d cold . About the of A u hmair w August mildew blighted the crops on c , Millto n ,

- r n . o Kirkton , and other low lying g ou d M re elevated

farms escaped , and their crops were excep tionally good . w The latter half of August , September and October ere th w m w as 1 2 . very ar , and harvest finished about November e - fed D ecember w as a sno wy month an d th sheep were hand , a an d but there w s abundance of cattle food of all kinds , grain and beef w ere very cheap . 6 1

1 w The year 88 7 was also good . The sno had all dis : a ro th r appeared by Janu ry , and fine d y weather continued u e p till the end of February , ploughing b ing uninterrupted for seven weeks , and sowing finished by the end of March . c ho t dr In onsequence of the , y summer , water was scarce , was and y but the grass abundant and good th e grain heav , though short in straw . Harvest was finished th e first week a 1 o f e . Octob r Oats sold this ye r at 0 / to 1 2 / per quarter ,

’ a n d meal at 1 1 / per boll . PT E CH A R V.

T E M S I S HI G S R A AND F N .

’ ve me ne an Gi mi gl e , we ll to the river.

Fishing is one of the grea t attractions which th e a Cabrach holds out to visitors , and few pl ces in Sco tland can boas t of being able to provide such excellen t sport at o D e so little c st to the angler . The vero n is o n e o f the best m known salmon rivers in the north , and its course fro n o a i s birth to adolesce ce being thr ugh our p rish , t bring knowledge of it home to many wh o would otherwise never a c r hear the magic name of C bra h . The e may not be , for s a many rea ons , so many fish in the river as th ere were s y t fifty years ago , but , after all , what i s the siz e of the bas ke d w da compare ith the j oy of a summer y by. the river , the s u n a bi o glint of the on the streams , the spl sh of a g fell w the -s e in pool , the glorious brown wat r flas hing over the

stones , gurgling and whispering its secrets to the under

standing ear , the mi dday lunch and the afternoon siesta

among the honey scented clover ; and then the evening , when the westering s u n streams golden through the trees

above our favourite pool , and the trout are on the feed ,

” to and the midges busy , the midges that drive us home a supper and fishing tales ; or a rainy day , when there is an d big spate and the yellow flood foams down, we return an soaking wet d happy , with full baskets , to a peat fire and “ ” a tous y tea . Sixty years ago poaching for s almon and trout was

common among the country people . Very little is done ds now , and if we give a description of the metho used , it must be on the distinct understanding that no reader will f l take advantage of the information . The chie imp ements

- - r were the bag net for salmon , the silk net for t out , the

- afi . spear and cruisie , the g and the creeper The bag net (53

was : to used in the following way first a pool was stoned , i dr ve the salmon upstream out of it , then the net was two stretched at the neck of the pool , between uprights ,

- each held by a man , with a long tail floating down stream and the fishers , with sticks and stones , drove the fish back again into the net . The trout net was three fold ; it

o 0 . 1 d 8 . measured ab ut 3 ft in length by ins in epth , th e d two outer layers were of cord mesh , and the mi dle one , . which was about twice the size of the outer ones and of smaller mesh , was made of silk . This net was held between

d - two men who walked own stream with it . When a trout e came in contact with it , he pass d through the outer l ayer , be c ame entangled in the silk and pass ed o u t again through the third layer taking with him a portion of the silk , and ' a e - there he hung as in pock t . Sweeping nets were also

- used for the big pools , and the ordinary bag net could be manipulated in this way . d Spearing salmon was quite another thing , and require e . a o n considerabl skill Towards the end of the se s n , whe “ ” d r the salmon w ere on the re s , was the best time fo

S . c and pearing It was done at night , like most poa hing , “ ” wa ' light s given by a cruisie , an iron bask e t in which “ ” kn abs du e , resinous fir roots g out of the moss , wer i . d burned The l ght not only showe where the salmon lay , d d e but i t also attracte them towar s itself , so that they cam a wa within reach of the spearman . The spe r s five or six s ix ix to pronged , about inches in width , with prongs of s eight inches long ; the wooden handle was s ix to ten feet long . A skilful spearman could soon s ec ure most of th e fi s h in fre u e n tlv in the pool , but the novice not q fell in head his d first , if spear han le was too short or his aim bad . The creeper was in use as a means of poaching much‘

-o u t th e later than the spear , and is still used with a rod by f e water baili fs for removing dead fish from th river . There o n e n was more than kind of creeper , but the most commo was an arrangement of three hooks bound together with the -c barbs outwards ; a short length of gut or o rd hung below ,

! . to on which was a lead sinker , and the whole was attached i ro to an ord nary fishing line and d . The way to use thi s is fi h n u ll stalk your s , then cast out well beyond him and in the creeper towards you ; when it is quite near him give r it a sharp pull , and if you have been careful one or othe 6 4

- f o f l the hooks wi l hold him fast . A salmon h oo ked in this w a w e y ill give far more play than one hook d by the mouth . Another different form of creeper is a large St e wart worm tackle , with a piece of lead wrapped round an d a worm

. wa o entwined It i s used in the same y as the ther , but has ’ this advantage from the poacher s point of view : on ins p e c tion by a keeper , it looks much more like the real thing . This form of fishi ng has not altogether disappeared and is ” , k “ nown as sniggling . is w There also fishing ith the minnow . Now , the minnow i tself is not an illegal lure , but the es sential point is that i t must spin in the water ; by this means the hooks a re an concealed from the fish , the lure is taken d the fish ' . re caught by the mouth By flattening the lugs , it is p v d d i ente from spinning , and with the a d tion of a li ttle lead in the shell , the lure is at once rendered impossible as a and n means of catching by the mouth , tra sformed into a ‘ ‘ ” firs t- s i s ni li11 class in trument fo gg g that is , catching by the body . The mere fact , however , of catching a fish by

- no t fis liin . the body is a proof of illegal g, and it is estimated t hat three - fo u rths of the number of fish c aught with the s pinner are foul - hooked ; but the form of the minnow is the point to be considered . The right to net salmon a t the mouth of the D evero n w as 1 0 purchased from the Duke of Fife in 9 7 , by the t h as riparian proprie ors , and since then there been some th e increase in the number of fish in river , but the last two seasons have b ee-n s o dry that fewer than usual have made th e h their w ay to Cabrac . D evero n The fishing streams in the Cabrach are the , D e vero n ac . the Bl kwater , and some of the burns The rises a a in the hills between Glenbucket and Cabr ch , at height of 1 688 feet above sea level , it is sixty miles in length , and drains an area of 4 74 square miles . Within a short distance of its sourc e i t is j oined by several burns , the West Lewie ,

an h e al . the Burn of Al s , and the Kindy Burn It next meets th e me d re d the Rouster , or rusty burn , so named from the c liffs near the Milltown , a stream nearly equal in size to the D e ve ro n at this point, and after this meeting assumes o l the dignity of a river . Salm n are not so p entiful in these d upper reach e s until the end of the se ason , but goo baskets s of trout may b e obtained at all times . Several burn now 65

" j oin the river on both sides , till , on the right th e Burn of A lltdau c h Bank , and on the left the Burn of , mark the a l e an d bound ry ine between Upp r Lower Cabrach . The youthful D evero n now flows through the beautiful pass of D e ldo rac h , and skirting under a high wooded cliff rushes o r over a small fall to P ol Hu ry , j ust below the Richmond l e Hote , the first of a s ries of s plendid pools . Lower down “ ” S au ch e n d D a ri ch are the Pot , belove of fishers , and l a pool The course of the Blackwater is almost parallel to that

D e ve ro n an d th . of the , it is about e same length as the latter is at this point . It is forme d by the j unction of four Cre s e t an G ea h burns rising between the p Hill d ll C arn , and thence flows in an easterly direction till i t j oins the D e e r n v o . All except the last three miles of th e stream is in the deer forest . About five miles from its source is the l d n B ackwater shooting lo ge , and between th e lodge a d the c r h e end of the forest are several ex ellent pools , whe e in t s — latter part of the s ea on fair sized s almon may be taken .

It is as a trout stream that the Blackwater is chiefly notable , w i ho ever , and trout weigh ng as much as 1 2 lbs . have been ' l caught in it . Such big fel ows are scarcely common , ' an d r though , the ave age basket usually contains tro ut o f lb fi - n 7 lb . s . ve 1 to 3 , and occasionally a few pou ders . A white- painted footbridge crosses the stream about t t a mile within the forest , and from here o D e vero n its meeting with the , the Blackwater n is , as a rule , open by permissio to anglers . Two go od “ ” an b e pitches are the Muckle Rush d the Littl e Rush , w ’ l t een this bridge and the postman s bridge at S h e nva . There are als o several pools wo rth trying before the S h e nval d an two burn is reache , d or three tributary burns may h e n va o m n avo win yield a trout or so . Below S l are the T ’ o Vi chan and Tor pools , and the largest pool of all is Po l 0 a , cutting in under the cliff below Upper Ardwell . A good bi t of troutin'g water lies betw e en this pool and the D ev D alriach o . er n , which we rej oin at pool From here to the Glass boundary is a series of pools r a l i and ushes , l of wh ch will yield salmon of fair size , and

o d to e . g o trout , the exp rienced or lucky angler The heaviest salmon we know to have been taken from the D w i evero n d . in Cabrach weighe 35 lbs , but the usual e ght 66

i l - b . s s . . from 7 to 23 lbs , or thereabouts The best known p oo ls in the portion of the river t o which we have n o w d come are , first , the Beach pool , name from a larg e patch of w i shingle , hich the river , ever wear ng into the opposite

h a r . bank , s left d y Here the Oyster Catchers lay their eggs , and the innocent fisherman is sometimes driven away from the pool by their violent shrieks of “ Go back ! go back !” w hile they swoop towards him with formidable beaks . Next d B ann o c hie B u h ro t in or er is , after the Burn of s o then come the rush below the new bridge , the intake for the e s mu rdie mill , and L or Lodge pool , a favourite place under ’ - 0 f . the Craig the Mains , a high cli f , tree crowned At the “ ’ e smu rdie tail of the pool , L s burn , quick emptying to the ’ d its lo w D e ve ro n s stream beneath , a ds voice where ripples ” e mu rd e sing , and the old house of L s i keeps ghostly watch and ward . ' e s mu rdie o r t o Below L is the Bridge Parape p ol , named from the old bridge , built for the convenience of the - w A u ldt wn w a u s e church goers , hen the church at o s in , and part of which remains on one bank . Here more salmon are caught than in almost any other pool in the Cabrach , o T ro de r with the exception of Pool Hurry . Br ken ( the w wh o name al ays puzzles strangers , variously call it Broken o th— i Tooter , and Broken T o t probably means the stream “ an d: d broken by rocks , over roun which i t purls the h ai ie o mn ave n B o g e ad poo l and the Cr g s of T follow . This i d f last s an excellent pool un er a rocky cli f , near the farm i of the same name . The Crooked Pot s the last pool in the

Cabrach . The D evero n re ceives a number of tributaries on both banks , mostly , with the exception of the Charach (the burn 11 0 of the stony bottom), quite small , which one troubles ”

o t . to fish , though trout are g in them by guddling The 0

“ Ch arrach s w , on the left bank , form the boundary bet een “ ” mu i r I nverch arrach an d L e s rd e . Two or three st ipes l w i A u ldt o wn fol o , then two good burns on the r ght , the and o c co ch Co u n tli the Hillock burns , next the S and p burns R ai ie innb u rn on the left , the g burn on the right , and the L , an the boundary b e tween the parishes of Cabrach d Glass , d and bet ween the counties of Aberdeen and Ban , on the left .

68

w F i dich B rid e h au h . time ere across the d at g g , across th e B allo chfo r Balloch burn at d, one near Bridgend across th e A lltdau ch th e L ewie burn , one at the Burn of , one across an d A u chmair h Burn of Bank , one across the Burn of . Wit funds left o ver a drinking trough w as erected at the Burn Alltdau ch w an of , j ust at the boundary bet een Upper d m Lower Cabrach . So e of these bridges are the single arch stone erections of the ,usual type , others are of iron , fl o ored

w . ith wood The contrast between these substantial bridges , w over hich even traction engines safely pass , and the o ld w u s e rough fords , hich mad e the of vehicles with springs

is . e i nadvisable (to say the least of it), very great At th w as fords there usually a bridge for foot passengers , but this in the eighteenth century w as of the most primitive as description . It w merely a couple of logs thrown from w one bank to the other , with a few boards nailed bet een ,

- and quite innocent of a hand rail . The logs wer e as a rule “ ” - . s aw moss trees , dug out of the peat The Kirk Session w to i t that these bridges ere kept in repair , and very often the penalty inflicted on a delinquent would be th e providing w of a bridge tree . The crimes which ere thus expiated , besides that frequent one technically referred to as “ dis “ ” c i lin p e , might b e gathering grossets on the Sabbath ,

fighting , or bringing home a millstone , on the same day .

Or i t might be that a party of roysterers came home late , disturbing decent folk , and then the punishment seems y ff entirel fitted to the o ence , for those same merrymakers would be very dependent on the state of the bridges they had to cross , and a gap in the floor meant a fall into the 11 w ater and a sudden sobering . Later 0 moss trees gave

- w w - place to w ell built ooden bridges , ith hand rails , and w l these in turn to those of hich we have spoken . Severa

- o f ac foot bridges still remain , but all them are bridges of

- commodation only . The whol e of the road s in the Cabrach o r are to be traversed easily by motor car , traction engine , ’ an y vehicle the traveller s fancy dictates . On 1 6th May 1 7 2 2 the Commissioners of Supp ly of Banff '

e e smu rdie R e cle tich an . shire app oint d L , with d Tullich , to P ittriffn ie n d superintend the highways in a Mortlach . This e must have included Lower Cabrach , b cause at a meeting o f J u stices of Peace held at Banff on 26th October 1 7 25 Les m u rdie reported an estimate for building a timber bridge on 69 the Blackwater ; and an advance of one hundred pounds o Scots for buying materials was authorised . At a meeting f ' 1 th N o vember 1 8 Commissioners of Supply held on 5 7 2 , another hundred pounds Scots were voted to L esmu rdie to

’ o complete the bridge at Blackwater . He was ordered als B alvenie n i to repair the causey from to Gle l vet , which is the first recorded improvement of any road south of Keith and Boharm undertaken by the County Commissioners of

Supply . T E Vl CH AP R .

C TI O EDU A N .

At the present time there are two schools in the Cab rach , one in the Upper end of the parish , near to the Inverch arrach Church , the other in the Lower , at thus each is in the centre of its district , and no child is more l than two mi es away from it . There are about 40 scholars o 6 at the Upper Scho l , and 0 at the Lower , their ages 1 ranging from 5 to 4 years . Any who are ambitious , and wish to learn more than can be taught at an elementary ff school , must go to Du town or elsewhere to a Higher Grade

School . Much is being said against this method o f sending ” to children to centres continue their education , thus losing the benefit of home- life j ust at the time when it is o ld most needed , and many sigh for the days , when the country do mini e sent his boys straight to the college ; but o s mething is to be said on the other side too , for often these bright boys were trained at the expense of the average an r pupil , d for the sake of sco ing a few outstanding suc cesses , the dunces were neglected . As Professor E d _ ar n g , who occupies the Chair of Educatio at “ St Andrews , says , The parish school in many cases did good work , but I honestly believe that if the ghosts of even o - the best parish sch ols could visit your schools to day , they d l ffi would blush when they saw your won erfu e ciency , and s ee all wonder to the children , even the poorest and the least clever , receiving a good and serviceable education . r l And they would hur y back to the Elysian fie ds , where d ‘ the ghosts of old schools well , muttering as they went , we l n an taught a litt e Lati , d our pupils sometimes lived to w a g their heads in pulpits , but we did nothing like this fo r a ll f the children . We let the du fie rs remain du fers s tiil

Each of the Cabrach schools employs a headmaster, 7 1

n d who resides in an adj oi ing schoolhouse , and a la y assist a nt . The Upper school is by far the older of the two , having been founded about the beginning of the 1 8th cen tury , while that in the Lower Cabrach di d not exist till

1 863 . Both were originally parochial schools , though now , o f . course , under the Education Authority

Before the Reformation , no one thought much about to education as a necessity , except for priests and clerks ; a l an d all others it was uxury , like most luxuries , ener vating in its effe cts an d calculated to unfit a man for his h a i duty who d to live by strength of arm , e ther in fighting o r in labour . We remember the famous saying of the Earl f s o n o Douglas , who thanked God that of mine , save ’ ' Gawain , ne er could pen a line . Another reason against teaching all to read and write was that it facilitated intrigue , n especially on the part of women ; therefore , for lo g after b ‘ oys were allowe d to learn a little , girls had to be content with sewing an d spinning and with listening to what was told or read t o them . Certainly no one ever dreamed of a time when every child in the parish woul d receive at least the b egin n in s g of an education , far less that country boys and girls to l u would go college and themse ves become teachers . E d c ation was almost altogether in the hands of the Catholic and p riests , and boys destined for the Church , a few others , eldest sons of noblemen and any perhaps too delicate to l become soldiers , or who had a decided taste for earning, w ere received by them into the monastic seminaries . Th “ ” o i rd nary country boy , such as the Cabrach loon , learned o and nly to rear stock , to till the ground , to drive a bargain , all of which arts his father was well qualified to teach . After the Reformation the Church commenced to J e very active in spreading education , especially in remote p laces , for , she argued , this was the best means of driving o u t the superstition and pagan beliefs that had such a i hold on the people in Cathol c times . Parochial sch ools b e - e 1 6 began to found d , and in 96 the Act was passed d e which provi ed for a school in very parish . The herit o rs were required to erect a school , and to pay the school ’ o master s salary , half of which , h wever , they were entitled

to raise by levying a rate on the tenants . The amount was r decided eve y 25 years , according to the market price of meal . th e B y the Act of 1 8 2 the School Board , acting under ' 7 h as B o ard o f Education , took over the existing schools , and henceforth been the managing body . The first public school in the Upper Cabrach was most u 1 1 w likely established abo t the year 7 4 , in accordance ith the A c t alread y referred to . In the Session Minutes at our ff disp osal , there are occasional references to school a airs ,

7 w a re a 1 1 w a “ m . s the first being in 73 . hen Mr Chisholm in commended by the heritors as master , it being apparently n the power of the Session to c o firm the appointment . Later c w as on a regular paro hial board formed , but at first it appears that the Sess ion performed the duties of such a u t is 1 0 w board . No f rther en ry made till 74 , hen Mr Rhon h ald , the master of that time , represented to the Session the —J ‘T h need of a schoolhouse e schoolmaster of this place , Mr R h n n ald o , did represent to the Session , That whereas the ' 011 110 “ inter was coming Apace . and Schoolhouse in the d c parish , he desire their Advi e and Assistance towards the wa w furthering such a Pious Resolution , since he s earied in giving no less than three Petitions to the Presbytery of the bounds anent the same , and if they did not contribute their way w as Endeavour this , I t more than lay within the small n e Compass of his power to please the parish , Since the O w h ave ' h im y 011 Do ve rans ide o n part ould to sta , the other the Cabrach , and that this was the proper time to Concert ’ a gainst the Term . The minister w s to speak to the Pres b ter . R h o n n ald hi wa y y thereanent Apparently Mr got s y , “ ” for some later minutes are dated from The Schoolhouse .

A new school and schoolhouse were built in 1 836 . During the next 40 years w e have the name of only one \Vm 7m . s o n “ l I n ve c h a r ch . r r a teacher , Taylor , of Tay or of , w e mu r ie l a L s d . n and later of Millto n of H e was an e d er , d held the post of session - clerk indeed the schoolmaster was w - as nearly al ays session clerk , being the man most fitted for th e w . 1 8 ork Mr Taylor died in 7 2 at the age of 4 2 , and , w W allakirk ith one of his sons , is buried at . The next 5 011 teacher mentioned is James Gordon , of the minister of the parish . In 1 79 3 the Old Statistical Account of Scotland was compiled , and according to it , the parochial school l I I S L d salary was £5 j sterling per annum . So far w e have heard nothing as to ho w the Lower Cabrach children were l n provided for , but the Statistical Account mention is made 73

o f the charity school having been taken away from Do ve rn s ide 1 in 7 79 , a want which the p eople there felt very m i uch . To remedy th s in some degree , they hire a c ountry man to tea ch their children to read and write in i winter , the only t me they can dispense with them from ” f h erding their cattle . (What a di ference to the life of the c ountry child the introduction of fenc es has made !) Noth n o ing more is k own of the charity sch ol here spoken of , but it was probably an auxiliary school , supported by the

S ession , for those children who were unable to travel the D evero n side distance from to the Upper Cabrach . we have t h e t 1 5 d note of a collection , amoun ing to £3 5 4 Scots , made

fo r . charity schools , and doubtle ss this was one of them After this date the Session minutes on the school relate ’ r 1 chiefly to the schoolm aster s sala y . In 8 28 appears the “ h following , dated from The Schoo lhouse the 9t April “ The Heritors and Minister of the Cabrach having met here this day in consequence of having been Edictally cited ’ from the Pulpit in order to modify the Schoolmaster s m : salary , in ter s of the Act of Parlament Present , George

s . u Gordon E q , Factor for the Trustees of the late D ke of , ' and W B el o rn e G ordon , Proxy for Sir illiam Grant of d y , and the Rev . James Gordon , Minister of the Parish of Cabrach , a nd having taken into consideration the average price of t value of oa meal , as struck by the Barons of Exchequer for a ll S - fiv cotland , for the twenty e years preceding the e - leventh day of June Eighteen hundred and twenty eight . Resolved in terms of the Act of Parliament passed the 1 1 th 1 8 0 o l as June 3 , That the salary of the Parochial Scho m ter y of Cabrach shall be in time coming , early , one and three f c t y ourths halders of oa meal , pay able in mone according to t h e above rate of seventeen p o unds two shillings and two p ence one farthing for each chalder , being in the whole T wenty - nine pounds eighteen shillings and ninepence ten w um y t elfths of a penny sterling , and this s the order and ordain the whole Heritors of the Parish of Cabrach pay ' a nnually at the terms of Whitsunday and Martinmas by m W . equal portions , to Mr Ronald and his success o rs in o ffi valu a ce , proportionally according to their respective t u n a tions , beginning the first Moiety at XVh i s d y ensuing for t h e a a half ye r immediately preceeding , and so on there fter , a n d they pray the Lords of Council and Sess ion to interpone 74

u their a thority thereto , if need be , that all necessary dili ’ genc e may pass at the Incumbent s 1n s tanc e as accords of L aw The meeting having further taken into consideration that no garden has hitherto been s e t apart for the school h inc o n ve n master , and that such coul d not be done wit out o u ienc , do hereby in terms of the Act of Parliament in lie his thereof , grant as an addition to salary , Two Bolls of Oat meal yearly payable at the terms as before mentioned an d , ”

i 1 1 d . V z . at the same rate per chalder , , £ 7 25 2 3 / 2 h 1 8 6 A new school and sc oolhouse were built in 3 . In 1 845 the New Statistical Account of Scotland ap

e are d w c . . p , to hi h the Rev Wm Ronald , schoolmaster con trib u ted the portion relating to the Cabrach ; he says : Last winter there were four schools in the Cabrach , one parochial o ld and three private , one taught by an . woman was for ” r reading only . That is the Uppe Cabrach parochial and

3 private in Lower Cabrach . This old woman must have mnave n o re been Ann Broun at To , s me of whose scholars t mained in the Cabrach until a few years ago . She taugh n until the year 1 85 9 . Another private school was at Milltow m i e s u rd e . of L , and we can trace several of the teachers was ll c . B a o hfo rd One Wm Anderson , who lived at , and carried on the trades of a thatcher and dealer in manure in the summer season , for still the school days were almost w as al together confined to the winter months . Another Crai lu ie David Rattray of g , on the Kelman hill . H e after n wards became a teacher in Glasgow , and ultimately retur ed to his native place , where he continued to live a simple life hi among the heather with his bees , until s death at the 8 1 0 . s was r age of 4 , in 9 9 Robbie Robson , of Glas , anothe

w . of these orthies He had a club foot , and the reputation “ ” of being a bit of a character . People were fond of an playing pranks on him , d once someone sent him by post as an elaborate Valentine , addressed in rhyme , follows

Cabrach is the parish , and Milltown is the toun ,

And Robbie Robson is the man , a handsome , clever loon . ’ ’ s e e 0 Noo Charlie , , tak care me , and ye shall never want , ’ 0 Hae me up to the Haugh Glass , gie me to Peter Grant ers el D u mme th Oh , Peter mon , ye ken y , that ye gae by , ’ w rteith Syne never lo se a grip 0 me till ye gae past F o ,

76

Boards with suspicion , if not absolute distrust . To such in democratic , or as it might be , autocratic , interest edu

c atio nal affairs , he never took kindly . A year ago Mr o n Robertson had a severe illness , and for s me mo ths was granted leave of absence He resumed duties after the

autumn holidays , but at Christmas his health again gave so way . With the grim determination characteristic of him , h e hi enfeebled though he was , stuck to s work in school r h a until the end of Februa y , when he d to cease from sheer

exhaustion . As he had often expressed the wish , he died m practically in harness , his latter days showing that indo it able and unyielding spirit by which his whole life was ac tu ated c , and whi h bore him firmly , even triumphantly , through the stormy passages inciden tal to the life of an old ” ’

as . parochial such he was After Mr Robertson s d eath , the was a Board able to assert itself , and the te chers appointed i r since have been essent ally mode n . f- r

H A T E R VII C P .

CC S I S TIC I S T Y E L E A AL H OR .

’ ’ il t s h lave an ki n s l o s Wh e h u t e o m d t , ’ 0 S c o tlan d still G o d make H is b o as t .

In this chapter we propose to give an account , as far as t h e o f available data allow , of the Churches the Cabrach , past and present . There are now two churches , that in ' the Lower Cabrach belonging to the United Free Church , a n d that in the Upper Cabrach to the Establish-e d Church : It is more than likely that in the c o urse of a few years we e e t o e s hall s these w bodies , betwe n which there is s o little ff d real di erence , unite , and another stage in church history 7 will be reached ; th e Cabrach people will then be all of one c e reed , a state in which they have not b en since the earliest C hristian times .

The first religion of the Cabrach is lost in obscurity . It is quite certain that the Cabrach was inhabited long b d efore the introduction of Christianity into Scotlan , for ' are man an d there y indications of a primitive people , among these relics are some which seem to be c onnected with r eligious observances . In the face of the very different o pini o ns held by scientists with respect to the meaning of c - n d ircles , cup marked stones , a other monuments of the ff Picti sh people , it is di icult to arrive at any definite under s o f tanding their religion , but we take it that whatever i t wa th e s , religion of the Cabrach was the same as that of the _ r est of Pictland . Apparently these people worshipped a god o r gods who were incorporate in or represented by the r f o . powe s nature , and , notably , by the heavenly bodies T hrough the erro neous derivation of Beltane and kindred o words , from the Baal of the Ph enicians , represented by the s u n i , a bel ef has sprung up that the ancient Picts also w orshipped Baal , and an elaborate fiction has been built 7 8

’

. o n this foundation . (Skene s Celtic Scotland) Probably , w e s u n was ho ver , the only regarded as one of the mani a i n s c fe s t t o , perhaps the hief , of their god , and very many pres e nt - day superstitions are traceable to the primitive

- nature worship , and especially to the adoration of the sun , or of fire .

In the Cabrach there have been found several altars , an d t and near by them , heaps of charred grain s raw , which indi c ate the sacrifice of the first fruits of the field by fire . These altars were not at time of their discovery examined had s o o by experts , but if they been examined , no d ubt s omething significant would have been n oticed in their position . There are still to be found numbers of stone c w c s cir les , hi h appear to have been the foundations of house s and of larger building , and in almost every case the S i y entrance is placed at the E , suggest ng that the famil , 011 s u n p r rising , might have greeted the and erformed thei e morning devotions facing him . In the graves which hav been found the bodies usually li e with the head towards

u n - w s e the s rising , but there is oefully little be ides to giv u a cl e to the religious belief of the departed . ' Pagan the Cabrach p eople certainly w e re u n til Christi an it was attri y brought to them , and this work i s generally u b ted to St Wallach . He is said to have laboured either in ' ' h ai to the fifth or the eighth century , but as e is also s d a have come from Ion as a missionary , we must choose the 6 latter date , for Columba settled in Iona only in 5 3 .

. He i s also called the first bishop of the diocese , before its formal erection at Mortlach , but as he can hardly have had w c to a diocese over hi h to be bishop , he is more likely l have he d this degree , which was superior to the ordinary ’ w priests and carried ith it certain privileges and abilities , a before he left Iona . He followed the practice of Columb c m as in prea hing by exa ple , as well by precep t , and lived , c c in a hermit cell , a most as eti life . He travelled up and down the country teaching the Christian doctrine and w f orking miracles of healing , and had the satisfaction o m aking many converts . His name is still held in reverence \Vallakirk at , and his blessing , which he conferred on the c u w mira lous ell and baths , continued to be invoked occa y as 1 6 8 sionall late as 4 , when the Strathbogie Presbytery , b ein “ g met at Glass , censured all superstition at Walla l l 7 9

So far the written records are very meagre , and for some hundreds of years they do not shew much increase of i s e e de ta l , but after the erection of the of Mortlach by Mal 1 colm II . in 1 0 0 we begin to find out something more definite about the Church as a whole . The bishopric of Mortlach included five churches with the dependent “ Clo ve th monastery of Clo ve th . (This has caused us a great deal of trouble in deciding exactly the place meant by it , and we have not yet cleared up the point ; i f l any reader , better informed , can do so , we sha l b e glad to lo ve th b hear from him . ) C must have een either Cabrach trathdevero n or S , and there are arguments in favour of a r both . The only reference to the mon ste y is the mention made of it in counting the sources of revenue of the Bishops of Aberdeen . Possibly it was not a monastery in the usual ac sense , but may have been a presbytery house for the commodation of two or three pri ests whose duty it w as to 6 a act as missionaries in the surrounding country . In 1 26 grant was made of the revenues of D u mme th (W allakirk) Clo veth and , 3 marks each , for maintaining the lights of the great altar , and the ornaments in the Cathedral Church u lo ve th of Aberdeen . This is an arg ment for C being the trathdevero n as D u mm e th little church in S , it is close to , and the j oining of the revenues would seem natural ; but “ 1 6 again in 3 3 , Alexander , Bishop of Aberdeen , because of ” the smallness of the r e venues (the stipend of the vicar I OOS s being sterling , with the kirk land), united the parishe Clo ve th y of Kildrummy and , and here surel Upper Cabrach is r meant , for it is the next parish to Kild ummy . In d t Cl ve th another recor , men ion is made of o , otherwise ” C vet Cabrach ; still another speaks of lo h in Banffshire , was this long before Cabrach included in that county , and some of the old people remember the little church on Les mu rdie in ac c l o r C o ve th . , near the Mill of C y , being alled

We are certain , though , that there was a church in

Upper Cabrach . It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin

Mary , and apparently occupied a site on the Royster near to that of the present parish church ; here again there is ma some doubt as to the exact place , for one n shews the r r church on the right bank of the ive , nearly opposite to r - A u chmair l the fa m house of , whi e another shews it near

. t to the present site The land belonging to i t , in exten 80

- c u y about a half dava h , was us all leased by the Bishop to one or more tenants , who had to undertake to defend the rights and liberties of the church , and to resist heretics and

1 1 0 . enemies of the orthodox faith . In 5 20 the rent was £ ’ In 1 5 49 Robert L u mis dan e w as tenant on a 1 9 years lease 65 8d 1 1 2 and he paid annually £9 , mart , kids , 4 geese ,

w v . and ; 4 for bondages , ith the accustomed ser ice

c . There were besides the hurch , at least three chapels n w y u s e i the district , though hether the were all in at the ame time is un c ertain . The oldest was situated on the vero n left bank of the D e , j ust opposite to the present Mill y c its fo u n da of Co rinac . It has long sin e disappeared , but

0 . tions are still easily seen . It was quite a small place , 4 ft

y 1 7 ft . This is the chapel which may have been the ve th s o w as 00 Clo mentioned above , and if , built 9 years “ a o Clo ve th w g , for the lands of ere given to the church Clo ve th 1 0 1 0 . by Malcolm II . in If this is not , then more

" w as than likely it used as a mission chapel , with occasional ' s k r y ervi c es by the priest at Walla i k and others . A bur ing as place adj oined it , and within living memory was used a r n place of inte me t for infants , but now only a few irregular

‘

u o t an d . mo nds mark the sp , the cattle wander over it at will B adchier w as At there another chapel , small and ram s ah hackle , probably used also as occasional place of wor ship . The only fact about it we have been able to discover is a 5 1013 1 of the penance inflicted on a certain man by the priest , the delinquent being compelled to take the place of a d w oor mat hen the congregation were assembling , until h e was o ff by w begged the femal e orshippers , who found the m penance more to their embarrass ent than to his . The most important of the three chapels was that at S h e n val . There is some un c ertainty about the date of the foundation of this station ; according to one wri ter i t must 1 6 have been in existence in the th century , for he gives an account of its demolition by the Protestants shortly after the Reformation . In the absence of direct evidence we

y y can onl conj ecture , and it seems to us more likel that the chapel owed its erection rather than its destruction to that u Wh pheaval in Scottish religion . en the Cabrach Church e ro bab wh o re b came a Protestant Establishment , p y those mained Catholics then erected the chapel at S h e n val for wn o . w s o w their use If this ere , it o uld explain the choice ) 7 ( H

h e nval of the site . The S certainly seem s a strange situatio n Catho n c for a chapel , and especially for a one , as commonly the builders of such shew ed their good sense b y selecting r t u the most shelte ed and pic resque spot available , and as ’ was s w w a there a priest s hou e attached to the chapel , hich s a e ar th re intended to be occupied during a gre t part of the y , e must have been some good reason for choosing such a bleak , i cold place . The reason w as that ts inaccessibility made fo r n y safety , at a time of great unrest throughout the cou tr , and it o fi e re d little temptation to those zealous Reformers whose chief idea w as the destruction of the outward s igns of the Catholic religion rather than the improvement of their own virtue . The coldness and bleakness of the situation were weli w kno n , and the thought of living and working there did not commend itself to some of the Missioners , who looked as in m upon it a severe discipl e , and dee ed an appointment “ ” S h e nval - to the as equal to exile , nick naming i t Siberia . i Young missionar es often began their course there , and were t promoted to better sta ions as they approved themselves , and as fresh candidates arrived from the colleges abroad . “ ‘ ’ \ n as Vhen Mr Reid , later k own the Patriarch , arrived H ay re from studying at Douay , he waited on Bishop to c eive w as w a an appointment , and told the Cabrach s vacant ‘ ’ ‘ ' y h ave i Ver well , said Mr Reid , I can no obj ections , it s very proper that every one should take his turn in that ’ ‘ ’ ‘

. a y place Stop , s id the Bishop gravel , that is not a : y o u proper way of speaking of it should be willing , if ’ s y neces ary , to go and labour there for the rest of our life . ‘ ’ ‘ Of course , of course , answered the young Priest , but i f ’ m ay y that should happen , the Lo rd have merc on me .

(Life of Bishop Hay . ) Little is known of this chapel previous to the y 1 1 an w ear 73 , d for what follo s we are indebted to Dom Odo ’ “ B lu n dell s interesting book , The Catholic Highlands of ” 1 1 y Scotland . In that y ear ( 73 ) as man as 700 Catholics i S h en s val . were ministered to by the pr e t at , Mr Burnet i by Several other distr cts were served the same priest , so ' 00 ffi probably the 7 were spread over these , for i t is di cult i to imag ne 7o o Catholics in the Cabrach alone . The next h e nva priest , Mr Brockie , leased a croft at the S l and lived a w h . there , and his example s followed by is successors until ’ 1 746 when the Duke of Cumberland s soldiers , perhaps on

their visit to the Cabrach in pursuit of Lieutenant Roy , ’ w e burned the chapel and priest s house . During this time

l . know the name of on y one missioner , Alex Menzies , who A u chin do u n ministered to 25 0 Catholics in Cabrach , and was G le n rinn e s , For 34 years thereafter Mass said in a 1 80 é barn , until in 7 Abb Macpherson persuaded the people n e w an d to build a chapel , roused such enthusiasm that

even the Protestants an d their minister lent a hand . Mr h e n val Ma c pherson had under his charge , as well as S , Brae

’ “ u llo ch allu m an d 1 2 lach , T , and Aberlour , there were 7

Catholics in or near to the Cabrach . At this time Mass u ll ch allum was said at T o i n a granary , and for these occa sions the altar stone and other requisites were carried from

h e n val w a . 1 8 h e nval . S s S visited by Bishop Hay in May 7 7 , was while o n one of his walking tours of visitation . He evidently favourably impressed by the ability of the mis s io n er w w , Mr Andre Da son , and in August of that year c calan alled him to take charge of the seminary at S , sending ' h enval a u h ar o n S . r to in his place Mr Alex F q s , the former calan wh o “ master of S , had been found incompetent to direct

i ts affairs . S h enval i One of the priests of , Father Brockie , s buried ' in the W ardh o u s e family enclosure at Wallakirk his grave

‘ a flat w as i s covered by stone , which entirely hidden under u r a covering of earth , thought to have been put there p o s e l a P n u p y , to preserve the stone from f natic rotesta ts , ntil

quite lately . The inscription is as follows

Dom . ac e t Hic j R V Thomas Brockie , Presb . Tem . Scot ratis e t P aro chiis B A L in Murth . Drost . Glass e t Cab a rach miss . p an Vix it LVIII F E R E e t XX c u m m summa laude missionem . obiit . snorum o nium e t verbis Doctor e t mo ribu s exemplar merito que dic tu s p au p eru m pater vitam p iis lab o ribu s im re ti o s a . E lau s it pensam p morte maii 1 1 1 0 A D .

MDCCLIX . Sit in pace . Locus e ju s e t h abitatis e u s e t habitatis e u s i j . M men to i j in Sion Mori . ( s c )

Not much is known of the later history of the S h enval 1 h c apei , but we can Imagine the gradual dwindling of th e

8 4

o u rs : first , their remoteness , and second , the opposition o f

the great landlords . In Reformation days the people were

acc ustomed to obey their lord without question , and if h e

happened to change his religion , more than likely they

wo u ld have to do s o too . It is told of a certain laird that ,

having erected a building opposite to the Catholic Church , an e he took his stand between at service time , d shepherd d i to the people with the aid of h s cane into the new place ,

worship after the Protestant fashion . On the other hand i f the laird c hose to resist the innovation and remain a Cath i w olic , h s tenants ould have little choice but to follow , and w e know what dire consequences came upon those wh o in certain parts of the country resisted the power of the papists

and adhered to the Reformed religion and the Covenant . we w Happily , in our part of the country ere free from these horrors of oppress ion . In these remote glens and straths Protestantism made w little head ay for many years , in spite of th e devotion and hard work of the missionaries of the cause , who had to w battle against not only rough roads and inclement eather , but also the attachment of the people to the Catholic faith , cas e s ff and in many , too , their personal a ection for the e priest . Indeed in many plac s , especially throughout the

Highlands , the establishment of the Reformed Church was not an unmixed blessing, for it meant often the closing of the Catholic church without any other being provided in an d its place , the taki ng away of even the meagre educa tio n al t s w facili ie hich existed . In some of the more inac cessible glens , the Catholics held out against the new order , and they have remained Catholic to this day . The Earl of Huntly was one of the most powerful o c nobles of the north , and a strong Catholic , but events

him - e curred to bring over to the Reform d Church . In 1 G 5 9 7 , at a meeting of the eneral Assembly held in Dundee , h e e x co m with others of the Catholic nobl e s , wh o had been mu nicate d was , formally reconciled to the Church of Scot land , and publicly declared his acceptance of its doctrines .

This action , though no do ubt dictated more by policy than conviction (one of the chief inducements to landowners to become Protestants was the appropriation of the Church lands to them), would have great influence with the Earl ’ H u ntlvs of tenants throughout his extensive possessions , and this influence may be traced in the Cabrach in the l settlement of a regular minister short y thereafter . a The Church of Scotland was at firs t Presbyteri n , though still retaining s ome of the forms of Catholic Church n government , as , for i stance , the Bishops who worked along with the Synod , and it also had a book of Common Prayer . r With the Restoration , Episcopacy gained g ound , and for many years the church wavered between the two , till in 1 688 the Pres byterian finally b ecame the Established

Church of Scotlan d. i a At first , after the Catholic relig on w s driven from the l Cabrach , the spiritual wants of the peop e were cared for “ ” i i u 1 - Chr s t es o n 6 1 80 as . by Readers , Thos . ( 5 7 5 ) and J “ ” Warrok ( 1 588 - 1 599 ) The office of Reader was a common and very ne cessary one in the early Church ; the duties

ere , primarily , to read the Scriptures , the Book of

Common Prayer , the Creed and the Commandments to the w e people , few of hom were able to r ad with fluency , to keep a register of the baptisms , marriages , and burials , and , in l r tric the absence of a minister , to ho d services . Certain es i e t ons were , howev r , placed upon these men , for they were n not to consider themselves equal to duly lice sed ministers ,

s o . though many of them became afterwards For instance , e th e they were not allow d to , pronounc e blessing , except on - r as a week day , nor to ma ry nor baptise ; their po sition w very much like that of the unordained assistants of the pre “ ” a sent day . Sometimes a parish would have a Re der only , or again one minister might have the care of several par ” as ishes , and have one or more Readers to sist him . As i w as educat on advanced , the need for these men not so so great , and ministers increased in numb ers , that the 1 ffi General Ass embly of 5 8 1 abolished the o ce . This edict d e was not , however , strictly enforce , and was c rtainly not “ ” obeyed in the Cabrach , and Readers again became 66 - 688 a y common during the Episcopal period of 1 2 1 , gradu ll after that becoming fewer until they at last finally dis appeared . The rc rds of the Cabrach Church are very meagr e 1 n for some 50 years , only now and again some eve ts of out o standing interest having found a historian . The names f Calmero u n w the first three ministers were Peter , Andre - am Ker , and James Ross . The last n ed at first conducted 8 6

verch arrach service for S trathde ve ro n at In , but on the union e ve ro n is of S trathd , or Lower Cabrach as it afterwards called with Cabrach in 1 66 by the Commi s sioner of , 5 ,

Teinds , he obtained the Church of Cabrach and the annex u S trath de vero n re ation to it of the Ch rch lands of , and 1 6 moved to the Upper district . He left Cabrach in 88 for ea Tarland and Migvie . In that y r John Irving b ecame r by minister of Cabrach , being presented to the pa ish the r m y Earl of Mar . Du ing the nine years of his incu benc he r y was perpetually in trouble with the Presbyte y , chiefl on

account of hi s absence from their meetings . At this time

attendance was compulsory for all members of Presbytery , r and they were not pe mitted only to record their attendance ,

but had to sit throughout the meeting , however protracted v o r uninteresting they found it . But later on Mr Ir ing got into much more serious trouble , certain charges being made r against him by members of his cong egation , and the Pres bytery sent a deputation to Cabrach to investigate and re n w as c port o these . He ac used of setting fire to the corn “ o f a widow named Jannet Roy , and also of some endea ” y ours to kill some p ers o n es . When the Presbyterial de putation met , there were still other charges brought against i w as the min ster . It said that while two women were tend e ing their lint , he came pulling at it , evid ntly trying to take w his teind of i t , and hen they asked him to desist and to i take his teind at the proper t me and place , he still con did “ fly tinned pulling at it , whereupon they both in his ” o rd c e hair , and the witnes s Alexander F y , endeavouring his to separate them , they did fl ee in hair also and trailed him the length of ten oxen by the hair , whilk Mr John i m Irv ng seeing , struck the foresaid Janet Tho so u n e to the e l- a ground wi th ane vand , and brak it on her he d . We are inclined to think that in this case the men had the worst o f it , though the charge of assa ult is against the minister . He retaliated with complaints of certain of his parishioners “ ” “ ” l ar i having called him dwarf bodie , y , and other l bel lous names , and having struck himself and threatened to hi ff beat s servant . A airs were thus in a l amentable state as w o bet een pastor and pe ple , and after consideration , extend ing over several months , Mr Irving was suspended from the t y in minis r , hav g refused to attend the meeti ngs of Presby t e r s y and ubmit himself to that court . He appealed to the 8 7

Synod and Bishop , without avail ; five months after , the “ ” s uspension was reponed and the minister again settled in his parish . However , his was apparently not the nature to settle anywhere quietly , nor to submit itself to authority , a n d quarrels between him and his people were frequent , while at nearly every meeting of Pr e sbytery mention is

- 1 6 l mad e of his absence . In 76 he committed the grave fau t of going to Edinburgh without letting the Pr e sbytery know n of his intended absence , or arra ging to have his place supplied . The next April inquiry was made into several s was candals at Cabrach , of which he accused , and as the result he was dep osed . His brother ministers did not , we a re a o ff 1 68 glad to find , c st him altogether , for in 7 it was recommen ded to them by the Lo rd Bishop an d Synod that they should make him an allowance “ in consideration of ” his mean and necessitous condition . The matter is again “ mentioned in 1 688 when the allowance was fixed at a , ” fo u rte en en c e i p from each min ster at each Synod , and this is the last we hear of him . The next minister of Cabrach was also a protégé of the

Earl of Mar , by name James Irving . His chief claim to n o tice is in his departure . The king in 1 68 1 passed the

Test Act , designed to bring the Church completely within h is power ; it required that every person who held any “ o ffice , whether civil or ecclesiastical , should swear that he a cknowledged the king to be supreme in all causes , and o o l a ver all pers ns , both civil and ecc esi stical ; that he would never consult about any matter of State without His ’ ns Maj esty s express lice e or command , and never endeavour ” a n y alteration in the government of the country . About 8 0 of the clergy of Scotland refused to take this oath and were accordingly deprived of their livings and among them is believed to have been the minister of Cabrach , who left t h e district in that year . R e v . Mr Irving was followed by the . Alex Brown , who w as r the last minister in the Episcopal pe iod . H e com plained that he had to live in a furnished ro om at some distance from the church , owing to there being no manse ; apparently the manse was built not long afterwards , for a ’ 1 1 reference is made to it in 7 5 . Mr Brown s successor was W'm . n . Mr Anderson , who came i 1 7 0 7 He stayed only two e y ars , then , having had to be rebuked by the Pres bytery a n 00

n a P rem y . for neglect of duty , he was removed to After a

1 1 1 . vacancy of two years , Rev . Robert Gray came in 7 He 1 1 was translated to Edzell in 7 4 , and the church was again

y . vacant , this time for three ears At this time there were t a great many vacancies throughout th e church in the nor h , whi c h the Assembly endeavoured gradually to fill up . In

1 7 1 5 a Mr Garioch had been sent to Cabrach , but the con e ati n h is gr g o refused to attend service , and he preached in y the manse to only three hearers . Apparentl the good people of the Cabrach enj oyed being without a minister as they seemed opposed to having one placed over them ; quit e y possibl too , many of them had left home to follow the ’ 1 fortun es of the Old Pretender , in the rising of 5 and the stirring times of the rebellion , and the unsettled state of the cou ntry may account for their seeming indifference to 1 1 religious matters . At any rate they had no minister in 7 7 , w r and hen Mr Strong a rived , sent by the A ssembly , they w did their best to keep him out . The follo ing account of his arrival is taken from the papers of the late Mr John

B o h e a . h a Taylor , g d The same story s been told of other w o r parishes and ministers , but hether true of the Cabrach not it illustrates the times too well to be passed over . I stated that the Assembly sent down about a dozen ministers to fill up the vacancies in the north ; among that was w a number the Cabrach , to hich Mr Strong was p o Mr p inted . Strong arrived on a Sabbath morning , and found the people collected in the churchyard , exercising t themselves at athle ic games , throwing the putting stone , with a strong gu ard upon the door that no stran ge perso n should enter . (It should be mentioned that the Synod had o sanctioned Sunday games , to induce pe ple to attend ser M . ) r vice Strong , wearing the habit of an ordinary t traveller , mingled among the crowd . They invited him o w take a thro at the stone . Being Strong by name he was also strong by nature , and pitched over them . Mr Strong then asked them did they no t expect a new pr eacher to - day ; they said they did , but they hoped he would not come . He

, t n asked being a s ra ger , for a sight of their kirk , and they

. r im granted him the request On Mr Strong ente ing , he i : med ately mounted the pulpit , appealing to the audience ‘ I h ave taken part in your exercises without I trust you . , w 1ll ’ take part with mine within ; I am your minister . The 8 9

greater part sat down quiet and composed , and Mr Strong r laboured among them a conside able time , being a very oo a t acceptable pastor , and did much g d , but last Mr Strong

was . committed a fault and deposed I have been told , tw however , by local tradi tion that the attachment be een Mr ‘ Strong and his parishioners w as such that when the Pres h bytery met for his deposition , the in abitants shut the church doors , the ordinance having to be performed in the c hurchyard . Mr Strong ’ s subsequent career was S omewhat discredit

a . ble He was excommunicated , and finally imprisoned for n so c elebrati g irregular marriages , and continued doing

‘ e 1 0 . ven in gaol , where he died in 744 , at the age of 7 ’

t a . Mr S rong s successor w s the Rev Theodore G ordon , 8 o n w h o was minister from 1 73 1 to 1 73 . He was the s of the ’ i l e Professor of Or ental anguag s in King s College , Aber d t i t een , and had been schoolmaster and i inerant preacher “ e C airnie . H e was a scholarly man , and wrote A G en alogy ” di of the name of Gordon . Although Mr Gordon d not get l s into serious trouble ike some of his predecess or , yet he s too came into conflict with the Pre bytery , for he had to “ confes s to t hem his sorrow at having gone to witnes s a ” - rope dancing at Old Aberdeen . The Church thus exerci sed a paternal care over the m a an y orals and beh viour of her ministers , d not onl of them b u t o als of their wives and famili es , for the General Assembly went so far as to pres cribe the kind of dress the “ latter ought to wear , forbidding them to appear in all kinds of light and variant hues in clothing , as red , blue , ” “ yellow and such like , also silk hats , and hats of divers bright colours , also rings , bracelets , buttons of silver , gold , ” n t a d other me al . G After the R ev . Theodore ordon left to go to Kenneth m s u c ont , three others of the name of Gordon followed in ’ w a c ession . Thomas Gordon s minister during the 45 . w hen a great many of the Cabrach people declared for P rince Charli e , and the minister left his parish for two y ears on account of the unsettled conditions . He was not very happy in Cabrach ; the people accused him of Arian ism l , and he found the climate not too genia , therefore , t shortly after his re urn , he applied to b e removed to Auld earn , on the Moray Firth . H e had a lively settlement there 90

' fo r and must have almost wished himself back in Cabrach , an d the inhabitants had built up the church door , assaulted the members of Presbytery as they arrived for the induc m tion . In the end the cere ony had to be performed in the F o rt- manse , and the military called from George to open ac the c hurch . On this occasion a Cabrach man who had companied Mr Gordon as servant distinguished himself in the melee . the It was during the incumbency of the next minister , o 1 - 1 th e Rev . James Gord n who was here from 749 795 , that —, Sec e ssion Church o f which we shall have more to say — n later was formed in the Lower Cabrach . During this lo g ff r period , religious a airs seem to have moved a long ve y u1e tl e d q y , and the congr gation became more settle than it had been for many years past . ’ o s o n o Rev . James Gord n s , John , stepped int his ’ i father s place and occupied it for 2 1 years , be ng succeeded 1 8 1 by the Rev . William Cowie in 7 . Mr Cowi e had been sc hoolmaster at Mo rtlach before coming to the Cabrach , and left it in 1 8 26 to beco me minister of Cairnie . Yet another Ja mes Gordo n came next ; he died in 1 849 an d w as followed by Mr Smart . was Mr Smart a native of Cabrach , his family belong B adchier d th e ing to . He received his early e ucation at a parish schools of Cabrach and Mortl ch , for there was then no school in Lower Cabrach he then attended King ’ s Col e lege , Aberd en , to prepare himself for the ministry . It i s said to be the ambition of every Scotch mother to have one “ ” o f l t her sons Wag his head in a pu pit , and the fulfilmen of this ambition often meant not only study du ring th e w 111 inter , but manual or other labour du ring the summer 0 e o n the part of the stud nt , and the most unselfish economy fo r the part of his family , to provide the neces sary funds an d e college fees city lodgings . Mr Smart was one of thes r r poor but dete mined students , and chee fully broke stones

i . n the summer time As he deserved , he triumphed over ffi i wa all the di cult es in his y , and was finally licensed to r o f preach by the Presbyte y Alford . His first appointment was r lairdaff h e that of schoolmaster and preache at B , then c I n be ame assistant to the Rev . James Leith at Rothiemay . 1 849 he was presented to the parish of Cabrach by the Duke of Richmond and Gor

9 ?

filled but the kirk- session records that are still preserved , c ast many interesting sidelights on the manners of the

e . tim , and we may notice a few of these It is a matter for regret that the minutes dealing with what to us would be 1 1 a most interesting period , namely , the rebellions of 7 5 and

1 745 , are missing , very possibly none were kep t then , for , was t a t any rate during the later rising , the minister absen ’ from the Cabrach for two years , and it would be no one s n business to keep the record of eve ts . Thos e we have had 8 1 a ccess to date from 1 73 1 to 1 79 7 and from 1 8 24 to 1 3 . During these early times the kirk - session was a body of far c n o w w greater importan e than , hen its attention is wholly c onfined to matt e rs of eccl esi astical significance . Then the session charged itself with the care of the poor , the preser l vation of roads and the bui ding of bridges , besides the morals of the inhabitants and a quite extensive lending of o was money ; in short , the sessi n parish council , road and n - board and school board , banker co science keeper to r f the whole community . The membe s O i t were selected for their general uprightness of character and busines s ability , and at first , lest they should feel unduly puffed up by the o n o n e h our , they were elected for e y ar only . Sometimes there was diffi culty in getting men willing to serve as e s o lders , the Assembly had power to compel them to take office if appointed . Here follows the declaration which all elders had to —“ I S sign on their appointment , undersigned , do incerely o wn and declare the Confession of Faith ap p ro ve n by m former General Asse blies of this Church , and ratified by r 1 6 0 law in the yea 9 , to be the Confess ion of my Faith , a n d that I own the doctrine therein contained to be the

o - I true d ctrine , which will constantly adhere to . As like wise , that I own and acknowledge the Presbyterian Church d Government of this Church now settle by law , by Kirk sessions , Presbyteries , Provincial Synods and General n o f Assemblies , to be the Governme t this Church , and that

I will submit thereto , concur therewith , and never endea d ' vour , directly or in irectly , the prej udice or subversion o ni thereof , and that I shall bserve u formity of worship , and of the ministration of Public Ordinance within this Church , as ” the same are at present performed and allowed . Here are a few of the cases wh ch came before the 93

y : session of Cabrach , shewing the direction of their activit

In 1 73 2 John Wright of I n verc h arrac h an d John Gordon o f Newton were rebuked for fighting on the Sabbath day . It n is noteworthy that the offence was not the mere fighti g , “ ” s o but the fighting on the Sabbath day , we may conclude

- that such an affair happening on a week day , if serious o enough to come before a court at all , w uld be attended to r by the civil cou t . Many of the cases before the session a re those of persons committing Offences on the Sabbath a an d Of n d y , we know that the fenders had ofte to satisfy both T h e of y c ivil and ecclesiastical j udges . session those da s s was pretty severe in its punishment , and relied a great deal on the shame attending a pubic rebu ke and profession of penitence to deter others from following a bad example . In ordinary cases the usual plan was to inflict a more or r l e ss heavy fine , and in this way funds we e collected for the behoof of the poor , but in what are technically called , “ ” ff n disc ipline cases , the o enders had to make public repe t

- .a n c e o on a special seat in the church , ften barefoot and in t ri sackcloth , and if hey belonged to another pa sh than that in Off w a which the ence s committed , they might have to a e t e ppear in both church s . In aggravated cases , where entan ce was five p slow in shewing itself , as many as to ten s uch appearances would be exacted ; the culprits were in 0 11 a ddition fined , and if they chose might be allowed , pay m o f e o wn ent a heavier fine , to make r pentance in their pew in the church instead of on the special seat . After t h e s was p p y se sion convinced of their penitence , the unha transgresso rs were absolved and too k their place again as m respectable me bers of society . Another offen ce which was punished was that of bring in g home a millstone on the Sabbath day . At first sight s in this does not appear such a grievous , but when we think of what the bringing home of a mills tone meant , it seems m ff uch more serious . Most of the millstones in Ban shire sand Aberdeenshire came from a quarry at Pennan in Aber d a our , and when one had to be brought home , all the ten nts “ r who shared the se vices of the mill turned out to help . No

( cart was strong enough to carry the heavy stone , so it had r it pe force to be trundled on s edge all the way . A wooden f rame was fixed over it , to which five or six horses were 94

0 11 fo r attached , and which was a sort of tiller steering was thro u gh the hole in the stone a long spar thrust , pro j e c ting two or three feet on one Side and fifte en on the o fo r other , the sh rt end being used guiding it , while the men long one w as held by a number of , who by its aid kept the stone 0 11 its edge while others braked the whole l was thing with ropes when going downhil . Altogether it a rather dangerous operation , as sometimes , in spite of all and r the efforts , the stone got out of control either ove ran n horses or toppled on its side , whe the men at the lever o r would be hoi s ted in the air , still hanging grimly on , knocked down . The undertaking of this j ob on a Sabbath probably meant an almost empty kirk , and the session reaped a harvest of fines for the good of their poor protégés .

1 6 On February 2oth , 7 3 , there was a funeral at Mort

m . a lach , and the occasion see s to have been the excuse for carouse 011 the part of those from the Cabrach wh o attended e it , for twenty of them , nine marri d men and el even bach e l r o to o s , were summoned before the sessi n , and subj ected “ 1 5 e 8 5 fines varying from st rling to £ 2 Scots , for going to h H ardh au h M a a nd i the public ouse at g , ortl ch , dr nking , ' then calling at the B rackrie and drinking to the extent o f o f it 5 pints , and then several them quarrelling , whereby became late and suppertime before several of them go t ” home .

Once or twice we have compensation given to sufferers n by fire , and imbeciles or others unable to mai tain them o u the s selves were usually boarded t by session , who thu a filled the part of Board of Guardians . There are frequent ' references to bridge building , and sometimes the provision of a bridge tree was allowed to count instead of a fine . Of c ourse thes e bridges were for the use of foot passen gers s only , all others having to cross by the ford , and very d o r' angerous these were sometimes , after a heavy snowfall in an autumn spate . The present goo d stone bridges did not come till later .

I n the famine years of 1 78 2- 3 the session was very . ac t1ve in trying to buy meal to sell at a reasonable rate to those unable to pay the high prices demanded . When they ff could not obtain i t otherwise , the minister o ered to sell to them a qu antity he h ad purchased for the use of his 95

the o family , at a low price , rather than poor should g ” rd 1 8 without . For Nov . 23 , 7 3 , there is a quaint entry “ The Sheriff- substitute of Banff acquainted the session that 1 8 5 be there were 1 bolls of unused meal at 6d per boll , to o De vero n s ide B an fis hire sold out among the po r in in . The

Session , finding they could not please the poor when the y gave i t them for nothing , agreed that the minister should the B anfis hire intimate it to the people of parish in , to pur ” o chase it with their own m ney if they thought it a bargain . The sessio n h ad the arranging of most of the affairs o f c f the parish in its hands , largely be ause o the lack of swift means of communication , s o that business had to be done at fi - far home to send for the of cial , or to send to him , took up too much time .

Among the benevolent acts of this paternal body was. “ i - 6th m d . p the provision of a wife for the parish Se tember ,

1 8 . n i h e 7 8 The Session , taking u der the r consideration t situation of the parish for want of mi dwives properly o uali fie d ffi did for the o ce , unanimously agree to recommend o do T o mbain a b e Margaret G rdon , wi w in , as a wom n fit to ffi an r e D r taught that o ce , d to send her to Abe d en to s h e Gordon , to . be instructed in the busines , as soon as l i a u wou d adm t her , and ll necess ary expenses to be paid o t ”

1 8 . of the poor funds . The fees paid amounted to £ 2 7 5 s to Repairs to the church and man e had b e looked after , th though the heritors were res ponsible for these, and in e minutes we find a long account of the distribution of seat s n among the tena ts of the various heritors , after the rebuild 1 8 h c ing of the church in 7 6 , besides a notice of the c ur h ' bell having been sent to Aberdeen to be recast .

Two of the chief concerns of the session were their o money affairs and the reli ef of the p or . Again and again there were meetings devoted to the counting of funds , the ll co ecting of bills and receiving of fines . When accounts were to be made up , they naively say , The box being n i ope ed , there was found there n as if the amount were always a surprise . When they found it , whatever i t s was , it was often distributed among the poor parishioner e and casual strang rs in need of help , and sometimes lent at a good rate of interest . The amounts of the weekly collee

w . n tions are al ays entered , and they often included a umber 96

w , of bad coins , which ere sold to merchants for half value or exchanged by the Synod of Aberdeen . After the return of the minister wh o was absent for two years during the , ” ‘ - was d u . Jacobite rising , there a great re ding p of accounts \Ve conclude these notes with an extract from the min u tes of the meeting held by representatives of the Pres er 2 th m 1 6 byt y at Cabrach , on 9 Dece ber 74 , for this pur p ose

Then Mr Gordon (the minister) rep orted that the heritors of this parish having signified their inclination to ’ him that Alex . Donald , student in the King s College , Aber d l r een , should be settled as schoo maste at this place at the d 1 foresaid term of Whitsun ay 745 , he rep orted the same to t h e h ad Presbytery , who agreed to it , and appointed him to undergo an examination at the foresaid visitation , which they appointed to have been at this place in the month of 1 m r e n June 745 , but that none of the me be s having att ded , this had been neglected . Meantime the said Alex . Donald having offi ciated as session clerk from the foresaid term of 1 Whitsunday 745 , he had kept all the collections in his own hands ; the minut e s and session box not having been de u o e i and livered p by Wm . Roberts n , late s ss on clerk , that the said Donald h aving left this parish about the beginning f o . 1 6 Jan 74 , without acquainting the minister or any of r d o ff the elders of his intentions , had ca rie an account of the collections and likeways all the mon e y that had been c o l ’ le c te d twixt the foresaid term of Whitsunday 1 745 and the 1 6 beginning of January 74 . So that during that time there had no collections come in to the session for the behoof of A n d the poor . it having been likeways repres ented that the s aid D onald immediately on his leaving this place had th e ’ ’ entered into King s service , in Lord Loudon s regiment , the-re was no method thought of so proper for recovering the said sum of money as to appoint some proper person d’ to deal with the said Donal s Father , who lives in the parish of Mortlach , to prevail wi th him to make restitution o f p the said money belonging to the o o r of the parish , and ac c ordingly John Grant o f R o thmais was appointed for this ’ u p rpose .

The Committee in conj unction with the elders pro 97 c e e de d to consider what collections had now been given in : to them , which were as follows

Given in by Wm . Robertson , late session clerk n o Give in by Mr Gord n , being the collections ’ twixt the beginning of

. 1 1 0 Jan . and the beginning of Mar last 4

Given in by Alex . Horn , present session clerk 0 “ £34 1 8 2

Out of which the y proceeded to make the following dis tribu tio ns :

s To Alex . Horn , present se sion clerk , as full and complete payment of a his Sal ry till the first of March , 1 74 7 £8 0 0 i Oflic er To Alex . Horn , K rk , as full and complete payment of what remained to be paid to him of his fee till the term of Martin a 1 6 1 1 6 0 mas l st , 74

Item , given to him as the price of a

pair of shoes for last year , and which they appointed should be given to him yearly as part of his salary o 1 5 0 £ 1 0 1 1 0

After which they proceeded to make the following dis ” t i n r bu tio s to the poor of the parish . (Here follows a list r of seventeen names of poor persons , one of whom eceived 2 1 s £ and the rest £ each , the disbursements on this occa ion amounting in all to £28 1 1 5 0d.

H R UNITED FREE C U CH .

The United Free Church and manse occupy a com manding position on the slope of the Kelman Hill in f Lower Cabrach , the road between Huntly and Du ftown 98

passing in front . The hill gives shelter from the north s u n wind and the garden slopes towards the , while there

is a splendid view over hill and stream from the terrace .

‘ It would be hard to find a pleasanter spot in the Cabrach .

The buildings are very plain and most substantial . The i Churc h is of the pattern usual in country d stricts , with windows down one side only and a belfry above the porch ; w a the inside , ho ever , is more comfortable in appe rance than e in many similar churches , the walls b ing coloured a warm r cri mson instead of the usual white plaste . The manse is

- a two storey house of the type seen in the neighbourhood , the two standing gable to gable, the space between being a filled by a building of later construction , half of which is l & c hall used for the Sunday Schoo , . , while the other half is an addition to the manse . It is about 1 5 0 years since the foundation of this con

U . F e ati n a did . gr g o , and natur lly it not b elong to the body e then , for , as everyone knows , that is of very r cent date . l The original Church be onged to the Secession , and the m e e anner of its foundation makes int r sting reading , shewing as it does how great things may come from a small b e ginning . c n f This was the first Secession ongregatio in Ban fshire , and it is somewhat remarkable that the first appearance of dissent in the county should have been in a place s o remote , l and at that time s o inaccessible . It fel out in this way , as o h a related by the late John Taylor , B g e d, who had the par ticu la rs his — from uncle , John Taylor of the Mains Among o the parishioners of the Rev . Jas . Gord n , who was minister in the Cabrach for the long period of 48 years (from 1 74 7 w as B u sh ro o t to Thomas Christie , a weaver at , a place where now only a few scattered sto nes remain to mark hi n s . o wa dwelli g Th mas s inclined to serious thought , and his like many of neighbours , was a great reader of the

Bible , but like many others too , before these days of Higher c Criti ism , he was liable to interpret the Scriptures almost too literally . He had aspirations , but thought rather to attain t f heir fulfilment by physical than by spiritual e forts , and felt a longing such as that of David when he said , Oh , h adewin s that I g as a dove , that I might fly away and be at

. rest Possessed with this idea of flying , he one morning p rovided himself with two s h emacks from his loom to serve

100

d to the Cabrach . The text from which Mr Troup preache “ 1 a l so was Isaiah xxxviii . , 4 , Like a crane or swa low , did e I c hatter , and he seems to have d livered a very able i mo n fi1 s t i s e , the preached in Banffshire by a d ssenting

- minister . Open air meetings , addressed by Mr Troup , were held 011 his frequent visits to the Cabrach , attended by t - large numbers of people , and ul imately a preaching station was established . In 1 768 Mr Cowie was ordained over the congregation s A u chin do ir of Cabrach , Grange , , and Huntly , and preached 1 to them in turn for four years . In 7 7 2 the first church was f d built 011 a si te between the farms O Hillock and Ol town , ’ — near the pla c e of Mr Troup s famous open air sermon . I t 2 1 05 w as a thatched building and cost only £ 2 , but it served - 1 1 8 was well for twenty five years . From 7 7 2 till 7 0 there

110 settled minister , but only occasional preachers , among h whom was Mr Brown of Craigdam . In 1 780 the Cabrac

as . Secession Church got its first minister , when the Rev . J

Wylie was ordained , but his ministry was of very short duration , for he was deposed , we know not for what fault , r 1 8 1 afte only a year in the Cabrach . The same year ( 7 ) the manse was burned down , so that when the congregation c d alle Mr Robert Laing , a probationer , he felt himself j usti fi e d in refusing on the score of there being no suitable u ho se for him .

- 1 86 The second minister , Mr Waddell , who came in 7 , was shared by the congregations of Mortlach and A u chin i do r . , and remained for nearly fifteen years During his time sev e ral matters of importance happened in the history of the church ; one of these was that as the attendance at the services was rapidly increasing , it was decided to build 1 a new church , which was done in 79 7 at a cost of about

60 . 011 £ In View of this fact , it is an amusing commentary “ the feeling towards the Secession by those o f the Auld ”

Kirk to read what Mr Gordon , the parish minister , had “ to s ay about it in the paper he contributed to the N e w ” 1 Statistical Account of Scotland , published in 79 3 . Mr —“ G ordo n writes Besides the Established Church there are two chapels , one for Papists , who are not half the number an d e that they were thirty years ago , one for Seced rs , who are much on the decline . One great reason for the decline of both sects is the moderation with which they are treated ” all over this country . 101

In the course of our researches , we have found a note of the amounts paid to the different tradesmen employed in building the church , and learn from it that the new : church had a slated roof , and that its dimensions were

f . . n ft . 0 t Le gth within walls , 4 2 ; breadth , 2 ; height , 0 ft

‘ Ka 1 James M y and John Craib , Masons £ 0 1 0 A . Lawrence , Slater Lime for building 6 6 A le x r. & c Milne , for wright work , For ro ofing wood at B alvenie 3 6 Peter Green , for carting deals /6 per day) 5

& c . 2 Additional sarking , deals , 1 Nails and carriage , for sclates and roof c 1 Extra expense at the settling workmen , & . ' £01 A u chindo ir 1 Free stone rigging , from Ale x r t u l it & c 1 . Laing , Wrigh , for setting up p p , .

£6 1 5 0

l About this time the brothers Ha dane , known as the pioneers of the Independent or Congregational Church in

Scotland , appeared in the north , and arranged to hold a service at S o cco th of Glass . Natural curiosity led a " r numbe of Mr Waddell s people to hear them , including

- several o ffi c e bearers . Sectarian controversy ran pretty high at the time , and Mr Waddell , along with some of the mem to e bers , wished compel those who w re so tainted with a la wandering spirit as to countenance y preaching , to confess their fault before the congregation ; this th ey refused to do , and a great deal of squabbling took place , which so marred the harmony of the congregation th at Mr Waddell deter mined to leave . Next year he laid his cause before the

. in Synod , and on the second Sabbath of May was able to timate to his hearers that he had been released from his charge . On the first Sabbath of September the church was preached vacant , and on the next Mr Waddell bade farewell was to the Cabrach . This the last minister of that congre a i n g t o , as after his departure it was split in two , the one e part adhering to the Secession principl s , the other to the

Congregational . 102

One of those who had gone to Glass to hear the Hal

e s mu rdie . at ( lanes was John Taylor , Mains of L He was r r tracted by what he heard there , and afte furthe inquiry

o o . into their principles and d ctrine , ad pted these for his own u At his death he left a s m of money in trust , the income from which was to be devote d to providing two sermons o ld yearly , in the Lower Cabrach , one to the and one to the young , to be preached by an Independent minister ; the minister chosen was also to h o l d as many more services as the funds wo uld permit , and to distribute a quantity of religious li terature . One of the most frequent Visitors to the R e v Cabrach in this capacity was the . John Murker , well e n d known in the no rth as the Congr gational mi ister of Ban . 1 8 0 d He first came in 5 , and continue his visits nearly every

1 880 . year until He was very popular in the Cabrach , and a n w s very fond of staying there , usually spe ding a month , and amusing himself with fishing . H e is still remembered f a with a fection by the older generation in the Cabr ch , and stori es are told of his prowess in the gentle art and of his

- encounters with herd laddies and auld wives . On one o l fo r ccasion he , whi e fishing trout , caught that bane of anglers , an eel . After trying in vain to disentangle the e wriggling body from his tackl , he said , sadly looking at “ ’ the mess , Well , I ve often heard Satan likened to a s er pent , but if anyone wants to know j ust how wily and agile ” ’ he can be , let him catch an eel . Now that Mr Mu rk er s c d dife visits to the Cabra h have cease , f rent Congregational ministers continue to be invited to o ffi ciate under the terms

U . F of the trust , and are given the use of the . Church . lo During the ng period of sixty years , the Cabrach was o its with ut a minister of own , and receive d only occasional visits from Secession and Independent ministers in turn , two 1 8 2 - 1 8 n and for years , 7 29 , eve the Original Seceders

occasionally sent a preacher . One Sunday three ministers

turned up , one from each body , all prepared to cond u ct s er in c d vice the hurch at Ol town . One of them managed to s gain pos ession of the building , and the others h ad to hold

their services , one at Milltown o f L es mu rdie and the other i e s mu r e at Ma ns of L di . In thi s unsa tisfactory way the 1 8 6 th e Church dragged on till , in 3 , visit of Mr James Mori s o n d an revive interest among the people . H e preached to n at large congregatio s , and one of his services £4 was co !

104

a r Simmers , Portsoy , had all along t ken a deep inte est in was the congregation , and he present and addressed the who i 1 11 meeting . Mr Macfarlane , was ordained at Ke th mn 1 8 S es s , Oct . 74 , had been appointed Moderator of the P to as being the nearest U . . minister , and from that time the present day has performed numberless acts of kindness and helpfulness both to the congregation and their min é is te rs . Among the speakers at the soir e were also Mr “ uff i Nicol of the Free Church , D town , and Mr R ach , Cab

rach , and Dr Scott . Mr Simmers gave a brief account of the history of the congregation from the time of Thoma s

Christie , and Dr Scott described the events which had led

up to their presenc e in the church that day . e The next thing was to choose a minister . The peopl

60 o . undertook to contribute £ t wards his stipend , which was

1 0 . 1 8 augmented from the Church funds to £ 5 In Dec . 75 ' r Rev . Alex . Withers , fo merly of Westray , was called , and 1 remained for 7 years . During the first years of his min UP i tr . s y the congregation increased in prosperity , and the

Church , after all the vicissitudes through which it had s m pa sed since the days of Thomas Christie , became fir ly a r est blished as a pa t of the life of the Cabrach . The mem b ers hi t h e 1 8 6 was 0 n 1 0 p at end of 7 4 , and the stipe d £ 9 ' ’ 1 8 as W In 93 , Mr ithers health was on the decline , he signed his charge and became chaplain to the Fever Hos

pital of Edinburgh . His success or was the Rev . George u llo ch Mo n es s 1 th T , from y , who was ordained at Cabrach r

8 . 1 . 1 0 UP Dec 94 In 9 0 the . Church j oined with the Free an d o Church , the Cabrach congregati n then agreed to sty l e “ F ” U . l . l c themselves the Church of Cabrach . Mr Tu o h 1 0 resigned in 9 7 , and the church was vacant for a year . During this time the General Interests Committee of ! h e Church had under consideration the proj ect of making the congregation a preaching station with an “ ordained ” ,

preacher in charge , for a term of years , as the Cabrach

U . congregation came under the rule of the F . Church that congregations contributing less than £80 to the Central Fund should not have the status of an independent congre atio n g , nor the ministers of such churches a seat in the

Presbytery , but should be under moderatorship of a neigh b o u rin . s o g minister But the Cabrach people , having had ! many ups and downs , were not at all pleased at the prospect 105

o f r being deg aded to such a position , and protested against this idea . They agreed to raise their contributions from £40 0 and f to £5 , after strenuous e forts on their behalf on the p art of members of Presbytery and others interested in the

’ c ase , the G . I . Committee made an exception to their rule ,

. e and the Rev T . Anderson , Edinburgh , was induct d in 1 8 March 90 . Before Mr Anderson settled in the Cabrach he had been working for it , and had already collected from friends in the south a suffi cient s u m to erect the new build

and . ing between church manse , already referred to The members of the congregation gave their services in l carting material , and the chi dren collected money to a p y for chairs in the Hall . The building was opened in 1 08 November 9 , and has proved very useful as a comfort a - s ble , well lighted place for evening services and cla ses , and meeting s of all kinds . o We have now come d wn to the present day , which finds the Cabrach well provided in the matter o f religious facili as l o b ties ; but it is the same here e sewhere , things easily t ain e d o manv are not s much appreciated , and more might w ' take advantage of these facilities . We should like to kno d what young man in Cabrach woul walk , or even cycle ,

- twenty eight miles to hear a sermon . 106

CH APT E R Vlll.

TH B R R Y E LI A .

The Cabrach boasts one of the oldest circulating libraries north of the Tweed , it having attained its hun 1 1 dre dth birthday on March 22n d of the year 9 6 . Long before

the days of Carnegie , of Coats , and of School Boards , intel ligent country people in Scotland wer e trying to add to - n o their scanty store of boo k learning and ge eral kn wledge , a and to cultivate their minds as well s their fields . In many parishes there were Mutual Improvement or Debating

Societies , and such a S ociety flourished in the Cabrach in

the early part and middle of last century . The usual plan at the meetings was for one member to read a paper o n s some prescribed subj ect , which was followed by critici m t and argument from the rest of those present . From wha n a s we k ow of the le ders , whose names are household word be in the Cabrach , we may be sure that the papers would

i . interesting , and the cr ticisms free , and there is no doubt “ ” as o an the Mutual , they called it , was both p pular d use n ful . But such a Society requires of its members a certai an d r an 1 8 1 amount of study , books we e scarce d dear in 5 . How then was progress to b e maintained ? To form a cir culatin to s o l diffi and n g library was ve thi s culty , the pla was once thought of , rapidly matured . e e There were other r asons , besides , which nad a r th libra y a desirable thing . On many a night throughout e winter it would be impossible to traverse the dark and s snowy road to a meeting , and further , meetings like those of which we have been speaking called for initiative and

- self reliance , not found among the maj ority in a scattered population who have little opportunity of sharpening their n t . o wits by co tact with others On the other hand , books n v m s be read over the fire in the lo g evenings , and olu e

108

h wh o divided among the subscribers or their eirs , are the ” e alive . The remainder of the rules chiefly conc rn the

choosing , exchanging and replacing of books , the payment

of subscriptions and the guidance of the Committee . w w as The entry money , hich has now been abolished ,

four shillings s tg . for members who j oined at the begin

ning , and six shillings for those who became subscribers 1 1 i w as after November 8 5 . The annual subscr ption , and wa was i o n . n still s , e shilling All mo ey received in this y “ u to be spent in b ying new books , binding old ones , and d any efraying incidental expenses , which may be incurred ”

on account of the library . On looking over the accounts , “ ” c there appears at intervals the item , one andle , and it may interest you to know that the origi nal candlestick is

still in u s e . Rule 4th is as follows A Central Meeting of the Subscribers shall be held annually at the dwelling - house of i y the Librar an for the time , upon the last Frida of Novem

ber , at which the oldest member of the Committee shall e i pr side , for the purpose of examin ng the state of the Library and the Cash Accounts of the Committee ; for elect

ing a Librarian , who shall also be Clerk , and a Treasurer , i wh o and lastly , for choos ng a Committee of five members , , w i a ith the Librar an and Tre surer , shall have the sole man ageme nt of everything relating to the Library for the e n

. a suing year Should member of the Committee die , or a remove in the course of the ye r , the remaining members shall have power to choose one of the subsc ribers to fill his ” place till the first General Meeting . \ Vith regard to the choosing of new books , the next “ Wh rule states , en the books are to be bought , every member of the Committee shall make out and give in to

the Committee a list of such b o oks as he would recommend , and the books which have the most recommendations shall ”

s . t be first purcha ed The Commi tee h ad full power , but

at the same time were restricted in regard to the accounts . r The Cle k had to minute all proceedings , particularly the

Cash Accounts , which were to be laid before the General

Meeting ; further , no Committee had power to contract debt um re beyond the s of ten shillings s tg . on pain of being e sponsible for the payment of such d bt . “ Books were to be exchanged on the last Friday of 109

November , December , January , February , March , May , ’ two m July and September , at o clock p . for the five winter ’ o fo r months , and at six o cl ck the other three months , and n n o no other day . Subscribers neglecti g to return the b o o ks on the above- mentioned days shall be liable to the f : following p enalties for every such o fence , viz . for a folio

‘ S one shilling , for a quarto ixpence , for an octavo three pence , and for all books below octavo twopence , to go into n A are n t the Library fu ds . Pretty heavy fines . p p y a book was its valued solely by size , and not by its interest or rarity . However , a loophole is left to escape the fines , “ That no inconvenience may arise to Subscribers from the r atis fac observance of this ule , any person , if he has not s t o ril y perused a book , may , if the Committee think proper ,

have the same book again . But no Committee shall have power to give the same book o ftener than twice to the same ” person in succession . No Subscriber was allowed to have more than one c volume of folio , quarto , or o tavo , but two volumes under w o ctavo were allowed at the same time . All books ere scrutinised on their out - going and in - coming by two mem b ers of the Committee who attended in rotation for that purpose . No transferring of books from one subscriber to a nother was allowed . The first General Meeting took place at Mains of L es m u rdie 011 nd 1 8 1 March 2 2 , 5 , and after the above rules h ad been drawn up the first Committee was chosen , to manage the concerns of the Library until the next meet in — d g . Their name s were James Gor on , Bank , Preses ; ll B h e ad Wi iam Taylor , o g ; James Horn , Newton ; Alex

ve rch arrach . a nder Forbes , I n ; and the Rev John Murray , a t Schoolm ster . John Gordon , Old own , was chosen Trea s e smu rdie urer , and John Taylor , Mains of L , Librarian and

w . Clerk , both of whom ere members of the Committee

Later on these offices were combined , and one man did all the necessary work , his only reward being the remi ssion of h is subscription . In order that no one might feel his duties ffi irksome , the Committee and o cials were elected every

" year and “ no one could be forced to serve on the Co m , ” mitte e for more than one year .

Apparently , at the beginning , the privileges of the

Library were to be confined to male members , women no 1 10 doubt being thought to be more profitably employed in 8 1 was d household duties . In November 1 5 this rule a ded An unmarried woman shall be admitted upon conditio n of paying half the entry money , besides the annual contri bu tio n d u , but when she is married her husban must pay p r the other half , and cannot transfer her ight to any but a woman . When her husband pays up the one half , her

d . right shall go to h er husban So , you see , these students “ ’ of a century ago had very decided ideas about Women s ” “ Rights , and when one of them married , he expected his s wife to devote all her time to his need , in return for which l he would pay her dues , and possib y , if she asked him

humbly at home , he would consent to give her information ,

in the true Pauline style . From these regulations an d minutes we gain a fair idea

of the kind of people who founded this Library , and of the e d is character of the Library itself . A furth r un erstanding given by a study of the lists of books purchased fro m time l . r o to time They include a arge number of se mons , b oks

on Church government and theological problems , memoirs “ ” and remains , a sprinkling of history and biography , and o a few b oks on farming , household medicine and domestic

matters , while now and again an attempt was made to pro “ ” vide something in a lighter vein by Religious Anecdo te s , “ o and The Aberdeen Black List . Nowadays b oks of more general interest are found on the Library shelves as The best of the sermons , by such favourite preachers M h e alm e ac C e n a & c . Spurgeon , y , T g , , remain , but the n others have been replaced by works on elemen tary scie ce ,

- bee lore , husbandry , flower and wild life , and modern his

tory . But still no novels , romances , or plays are admitted ,

- with the few exceptions before mentioned . “ 1 - In the winter of 8 26 7 a Disj unction to ok place . r w There we e then sixty subscribers , of hom only seventeen n belonged to the Upper Cabrach . Havi g in mi nd the ir o f c an m n regularity their attendan e d pay ents , on accou t of i i the d stance between the districts , it was agreed to d vide the books and to let each part of the parish have its o wn

Library . That in the Upper Cabrach has gradually w u d indled , and has not been sed for more than twenty

years , though the books still remain . In the Lower Cabrach the Library con

1 12

APPENDIX I .

INSCRIPTIONS ON TOMBSTONES IN THE WA A IR K GRAVEYARD OF LL K .

B o h ea 1 . d In memory of John Taylor , farmer in g of Les mu rdie rs t 1 808 8 , who died 3 March , aged 3 , and t 1 8 1 0 h . Janet Donald , his spouse , who died 2 Oct 7 ,

aged 48 .

W 2 . illiam Taylor , late schoolmaster at Cabrach , who died 1 8 2 m Nov . 7 , aged 4 2 years , and Willia Taylor , h n i s o . j unr . , s

B o h e ad who In memory of James Taylor , g , Cabrach , 1 th . 0 8 . died 8 Nov 9 3 , aged 5 Also his parents , th 1 8 1 William Taylor , who di ed 2s D ec . 54 , aged 9 , wh 1 th 1 86 8 0 o . and Helen Moir , died 3 Jan 3 , aged ; 1 1 th 1 8 0 0 his sister Jean , who died June 5 , aged 4 , his 2 th 8 and brothers William , who di ed 4 Jan . 1 76 , 6 t 1 888 1 5 0 . aged 3 , John , who di ed 2 Aug . , aged 8

4 . Erected by George Petrie in memory of John Stuart , B adchie r th 18 crofter , , who died 9 Oct . 39 , aged 7 2 1 1 8 years , and Anne , his wife , who died 4th Feb . 4 7 , ho . w aged 79 years Also of their daughters , Jane , 1 8 2 6th y died in July 5 , in the 2 year of her age , Mar , 1 8 2 th who died in 35 in the 4 year of her age , and wh 1 8 o 26th . Christina , died Nov . 7 7 , aged 7 3 years

o Dalriach Hear lyes John Gordon , s me time farmer in ,

who was spouse of Margaret Grant , and departed 1 6 . 6 8 . this life on the . Oct 7 , aged Also his 5 3 r o son Frede ick Gord n , who departed this life on the 1 6 November 7 4 , aged two of his grand n John Gordo . 1 13

6 . n Here lies Elizabeth Wilson , spouse to Fra cis Horn , es murde sometime farmer in Mains of L y , who died 1 1 8 6 March 2th 7 3 , aged 0 years .

7 . Under there lyes William Taylor

(Same as No .

l th 1 8 . 2 8 . d . Robert Perie , Hil ock , di e 7 Feb 79

‘ Alde allo c h . w 9 William Dawson , , died 2oth Jan . 1 830 , a 8 ged 4 , with his spouse , Ann Gordon , who died 1 1 8 8 8 4th May 3 , aged 5 .

This stone is erected by G eorge Taylor , farmer in Tom ballie a h , in memory of his d ughter Mary Taylor , w o n 1 8 b l 2 d . . died Nov 45 , aged 23 years Also Iso e wh th 1 o . 8 2 Taylor , died 7 Feb 3 , aged 3 years , and wh o 8 8 of Margaret Taylor , died 2oth March 1 4 , aged

35 years , and of his wife Margaret Taylor , who died 6 i 2 th 1 8 . 1 4 July 5 !George Taylor d ed Dec . ,

Erected by Janet Henry in loving memory of her husa l T o mballie band , George Tay or , who died at , Cab 1 8 e s o n rd . 8 . rach , 3 Nov 93 , ag d 4 years Their 1 8 2 th . 0 1 1 George , who di ed s Oct 5 , aged weeks , e also the above Janet H nry , who died at Waterside ,

1 1 0 1 . 3th June 9 , aged 78 years

Till the day breaks .

e 1 2 . In memory of John Taylor , farmer , Backsid , Glass , 22nd 1 8 a aged 4 3 years , who died July 55 , lso his 1 1 88 2 wife , Isabella Strachan , who died 3th Aug . ,

aged 73 years , and their daughter Isabella , who died 1 6th March 854 , aged 1 5 months . 1 1 4

t In memory of James Horn , some ime farmer in Newton 8 of Cabrach , who departed this life the th of June 1 8 6 6 4 , aged 8 years ; also his spouse Margaret Brem wh o 8 th 1 8 . 6 ner , departed this life the Feb 3 , aged 66 m years ; also their son John , far er , Newton of th 1 8 6 Cabrach , who died 4 June 7 , aged 7 1 years ; s w i t al o his ife Alexina Taylor , who d ed 7 h July 1 886 6 2 so n , aged years ; and their Alexander Horn , 1 6th 1 886 who died August , aged 30 years .

1 . o 4 Erected by William H rn in memory of his mother , B adchier 1 Margaret Smith , who di ed at , May 844 ,

aged 75 years .

James Watt , late farmer in Ardwell , Cabrach , who died 1 0th 1 8 and May 37 , aged 54 , his wife Margaret rd r 1 8 and Kellas , who died 3 Septembe 4 2 , aged 4 7 , 8 1 8 0 1 8 1 . their sons , Peter 39 , Alex 4 , John 47 ,

1 8 1 1 8 . daughters , Isabell 7 , and Jane 47

re enlo ne Erected in memory of John Riach , farmer , G , wh o I s t 1 8 2 d died April 7 , age 7 7 ; his wife , Janet 1 8 2 i s o n Riach , who died 9 , aged 7 7 ; the r , James G re e nlo n e th 1 86 2 Riach , farmer , , who died 5 Jan . ,

a . aged 7 7 ye rs ; and his wife , Margaret Shearer , who d 1 1 8 e 8 die 4th July 7 7 , ag d 7 ; also Margaret Riach , 1 1 8 who died 9th Dec . 5 3 , aged 54 years .

1 7 . Erected by Mary Taylor in memory of her husband , B ad mu llach James Watt , late farmer in y , who died

th 1 8 - 4 May 44 , aged 36 years ; also their daughter

the above Mary Taylor , who died at

o mn aven 1 5 t 1 8 0 6 . T on the 3 March 9 , aged 7 years

*

1 8 . dau Here lies the body of Katharine Gordon , second gh B eldo rn e ter to James Gordon , late of y , who died in Banff the third of March 1 795 in the 94th

year of her age .

1 1 6

APPENDIX II .

THE STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND ,

Drawn up from the Communications of the Ministers o f

the different parishes .

t 1 . By Sir John Sinclair , Bar , 79 3

Parish of Cabrach . County of Band— Presbytery of Alford—Synod of Aberdeen

By the Rev . James G ordon .

— Nam e T he name is derived from the Gaelic language , e : i and signifies th Timber Moss accordingly , the parish s d full of moss and fir . Every place within the boun s , ex i cept such as are new , has a name of Gael c extract . — t & c . 0 Boundaries , Extent , Cabrach is 3 miles distan i vz . e from the county town , , Aberd en , and surrounded by c a range of hills , not very high , overed with heath . The

length of this parish , at a medium , from South to North ,

is 5 miles ; the breadth , from east to west , 3 miles (all com p u te d) —I & c . n Climate , Soil , Produce , summer the climate is ’ re pleasant enough ; and , for the benefit of goats milk , is sorted to from the low country by many of weak co ns titu

tions , or labouring under consumption , for whose aecom mo datio n r the e are 4 goat whey quarters . In winter the

- frosts are more intens e , and snow lies deeper and longer i here , than in some of the ne ghbouring parishes ; but from ' in this the natives feel no inconven ience . They have an

exhaustible moss at their doors , and depend not more for u l subsistence on the prod ce of their fie ds , than on the pro ffi fits of a tra c they carry on in sheep and black cattle .

The soil is wet , and full of swamps , productive enough in

provender for cattle ; but owing to the frosts , mists , and

hoar frost in autumn , the annual produce of grain do es

not exceed the consumpt of the inhabitants . 1 17

The farmers s o w bear and birley oats only ; and these in the upper part of the parish are always more or less affected t n by the fros s , in so much that if the season has not bee

extremely favourable , they never depend on their own . bear , and but seldom on their birley oats for seed . Some is times one half of a field frosted , and the other safe ; is and what still more extraordinary , the upper half of the afle cte ear has been found to be d, while the lower was safe . Daily experience evinces that the corns on the heights and eminence s run less risk than those on flat low grounds s o en For the most part they begin to w in the d of March , and reap in September and October . Potatoes are the most u rn i f uncertain of the ir crops . T p s thrive ; but for want o inclosures through the whole parish , experiments are not

- tried on a large scale . Clover and rye grass have been sown in yards with success ; cabbag e s are common . — Agriculture and Employments . The mo de of culture is perhaps the S ame at this day which it was a century ago . 6 8 1 The plough in use is the old Scotch , drawn by , , or 0

an d e . oxen , or cows oxen , or hors s and oxen together The ‘ dung is , in a great measure , carried out in creels , on the ’ d h r horses si es , a met od by which there is a g eat waste of e e time that might be gained , 3 of these loads b ing only qual to one of a cart . m Men an d women are e ployed , and as soon as the seed time is done , plough and harrow are laid aside ; the far th e n mers mind little else but their cattle ; wome , b esides ff ar their ordinary domes tic a airs , e employed in providing a th e coarse cloths for the family , and spinning linen y rn to manufactories . e e and Neverthel ss , with all these p culiarities of climate tene n customs , the ts , especially within the four hills of

Cabrach , are in good circumstances enough for their rank , and are thriving . Nature seems to have intended the country more for pasture than for agriculture ; aware of this , the inhabitants pay their attention chiefly to sheep and

black cattle . Early in the spring , they stock their little t farms with the former , and about Whi sunday with the u latter . D ring the course of the summer , they are ever buying an d selling at home and in the markets . About the

i , end of August , they clear their towns , if the sale is br sk ' of all except as many as they have p ro vender to support 1 18

e in the winter . If the mark t has been bad they keep more e than their usual number , and buy corn and straw for th m o in the neighbouring parishes . By these means they seld m r meet with much loss , nor indeed can it eve b e great ; their o f fl oc ks are small , and the circle their trade but narrow ; o f course the little speculation that is here dep ending merely upon the appearance of a good grass crop , or a de en c o ns e mand from the south , is seldom att ded with bad o A u e nces . c q , even if the crop sh uld happen to be short r in l e co d g y , one year with another , th y replace the capitals employed in this trade , with a small profit , deducting ll a charges .

c Estimate of Black Cattle , &

00 Black cattle bought and sold , about 5 Kept in winter on each farm 30 2000 Kept in winter I OOO all Horses in the parish , small 3 35 e to s Black cattle , tak n hill pasture annually , at 2 each 35 0 d 5 20 Black cattle , taken to infiel grass , at 5 Sterling each 0

— r Quarries . Those who reside in the northe n parts , c 000 ontiguous to Mortlach , burn and sell annually about 4

’ b 6d firlo t olls of lime , at per boll ; two s Aberdeen measure as make a boll . Lime is little us e d here a manure , on the suppo sition that it turns the crop late . It is presumed , o ad however , that in s me parts it would b e attended with vantage . r o f - Besides g eat numbers lime stone quarri es , there is r a slate quar y of a light grey colour , on the Hill of the

“

Bank ; there being little demand for the slates , the quarry i le s . s . not in ase They are not old , but given gratis s — D o vern Forest The banks of the river , about half a t e e cen ury ago , were cov r d with birch , although , since e no t f the sale of it , th re is a plant o wood to b e seen there , o r idd h in any part of the parish , except in Glen F ic , where o ld t there are some rees , and on the Burn of Bank , where ' r are F d ic s . e k the e some young bushe The d , which runs an d into the Spey between Aberlour Boharm , rises between C and abrach Glenlivet , and runs into Mortlach . On its banks the Duke of Gordon has a house for a hunting seat

1 20

. in the cattle markets , they are not addicted to drinking n However unaccountable , in such a place , the want of i ns a and aleho uses may be , there is not one in the parish , circumstance perhaps not unfri e ndly to health and morals ; ' in c nve nien c e s nor are th e o attending it felt by travell ers , because of the hospitality of the people . With all the necessaries and some of the conveniencies of life , they live happy and cont e nt at home . They are not in general

- litigious nor are law suits frequent , which is a consequence of their honesty in dealings . That the natives of a place

full of mosses , and interspersed with swampy ground , should be healthy and subj ect to no local distemper , may . appear a little problematical ; yet excep ting a few fevers , which are by no means frequent or fatal , the whooping u - co gh , measles , and small pox in the natural way , are the m a only diseases known here . The most com on dise se o f

ie f - which they d is old age . O late , consumption has appeared in 4 instances ; in each of them fatal , excepting at one case . Those who died of it were attacked when

n . service in oth er countries . It is not prete ded to account for the healthines s of the people . Perhaps the great fires constantly burnin—g in their houses have conside rable in flu e nc e in counter acting the effects of the exhalations which c o ntinu ll are y rising from the earth . Strangers not accus -d tome to them catch cold . ’ — d & c . T Value Rent , Servants Wages , he valued rent 1 2 5 1 in this parish is £ 90 2 od Scotch .

Men servants gain yearly

Women do . Geese are sold at Hens are sold at Butter p er lib Cheese per quarter

The services which used to be paid to the principal tacks man were happily done away when the present leases were i o im e i g ven by the Duke of Gord n , by getting tacks m d ately from himself ; the best thing he co uld have done to

this country . 1 21

— & c . 1 wa 6 Population , The number in 755 s 9 0 .

' Within th e r 8 0 pa ish are , above years of age , catechisable , 5 5 Children below 8 years of age 1 50

Each marriage , at an average produces 4 children . — , Rem arks The number of inhabitants h as decreased 0 1 8 1 8 about 2 0 since 7 2 and 7 3 , at which period the house hold ers o r crofters were driven in quest of subsistence to w other countries and to ns , where manufactures are carried d on . The upper part of the parish in Aber eenshire seldom ff produces su iciency of grain for itself . The lower part of the parish in Banffshire produces sufficiency of grain for i 2 l itself , and d sposes of about 00 bolls , which wou d make fi the up the de ciency in upper part , was it not disposed of e to the neighbouring distill ries . The defect is made up

from other places . The state of the inhabitants then (in when few places hereabout had enough for them a selves , may be le rned from the circumstance that the mill multures of Cabrach amounted to a ninth part only of what du they are in ordinary years ; yet , by means of the in lgence f o o the Duke of Gord n , who allowed them to detain their and l rents for buying meal , supporting their fami ies till

they were able to pay without hurting them , and the r a spirited exe tions of individuals , particul rly John Gordon , fe n Esq . of Craig , who imported grain of di f re t kinds for a i subsistence to the ind gent poor , which he gave to this and ff some of the neighbouring parishes , nobody su ered for want ; but their circumstances were much impaired : there I S 6d 2s was no demand for cattle . Meal was sold at and ff d e re . v per peck , 9 lib Ser ants su ere most , for verybody du ce d their numbers , and day labourers got little if any m o e pl yment . 1 th 1 8 2 r t So early as the s September 7 , there was a g ea b u fall of snow , which laid all the corns , then hardly eg n and s . to fill , in most place The frosts were often intense ,

vegetation was stopt h ere . The corns which had milky j uices in the ear were t otally ruined ; those which had only watery j uices wanted

seaso n : there were none of them perfectly full or ripe .

They were therefore mostly given unthr eshed to the cattle . 1 22

It was after Christmas before they were all cut . The meal a made of what was threshed was bad . To some it may p in pear trivial , to others worthy to b e remarked , that , S 1 8 r e r pring 7 3 , cows had calves much earlie , and in great u d n mbers , than was ever remembere ; a fortunate circum in stance , a year when the victual of home produce was an d e n exc essively bad , in a place wh re milk is a constitue t was part of ordinary fare . It observed , too , very truly , as was to this parish , that there less sickness that year than l usual , a fact which the curious wil , no doubt , trace up to several causes .

APPENDIX III .

John Gordo n married Eliz . Gordon , relict of Alex .

Ogilvy . She was daughter of Adam Gordon , D ean of o n H u ntlie o f Caithness , third s of first Earl of , and sister e o rric hie George of B eldo rn y . After the battle of C and l ’ 8 th John Ogi vy s execution and forfeiture , the Queen on 1 e Feb . 563 virtually r voked the above charter in favour of an John Gordon d his heirs of the Ogilvy estates , on the hi o wn ground that Alex . Ogilvy had unj ustly disinherited s s o n i o h ad , James Og lvy of Cardale , and that John Gord n i h e failed to infeft James and his dues . Accord ngly s e s s grant d charters of the baronie of D e kford , Finletter , i A u ch ndo u n & c . , . , in favour of James Ogilvy of Cardale Notwithstanding this the Gordo ns still claimed part of th e : r Ogilvy estates and the matter was submitted to arbit ation . " ' w n James Earl of Both ell and Sir John Belle den , Justice r l an lerk , were arbite s for the Earl of H u nt ie an d James d A e thin to n dam his brothers , while Wm . Maitland of L g and ’ m John Spence , the Queen s Advocate , acted for Ja es Ogilvy Over wo man arbital and her Maj esty as s . By their decree the baronies of D e skfu rd and Finletter with other estates were affi rmed to James Ogilvy and the lands of A u chindo u n ’ Ke ithmo re s and to Adam Gordon . (Douglas Wood e P erage . )

1 24

L o s mo rdie and Margaret Gordon his spouse , three eastern parts of his lands of B alc h e ry in the barony of I n ve rqu h er f ff d rauch , Sheri fdom of Ban , to be held by the sai George i 1 n e C . a d Margaret and the long st l ver , 8 Signed at Carne

6th . 1 . burrow , Dec 5 39 One of the witnesses , Mr James

- C o e 1 . 1 0 . ord nne , confirm d at Edinburgh , 4th Feb 5 39 4

88 . Inverch arro ch 1 . , 4 The King (James IV ) con firm e d a charter of John Craigmyll o -f Craigmyll and Lord nver u h erach u m Portioner of I q , in which for a certain s paid in ready money , he sold and alienated to Sir James I n ver u h e rach Ogilvie of Deskford , Knight , the lands of q , B alch er A u chins tank ff f y and , Sheri dom of Ban f , to be held f o . the king in fee The first witness out of ten , Thomas A vl u chlo s s ni Crai m l . Ross of , uncle of the said John g ro c 1 88 G ar h 2 nd . Dated Chapel of St Mary of , 2 June 4 r th 1 2 . Confirmed at Pe th , 5 June 488 — In e r h a r ch T . v c r o 1 . , 535 he King (James V ) confirmed li . O v to Alex Ogilvy of g y and Elizabeth Gordon , his d eithm re spouse , the lan s and barony of K o with the Castle A u chin o wn e milltanan rie t e and fortalice of d , d s of h same , e and the free forest of G l nfiddich and privileges of the same , t u in s tank l u h er the third part of h e lands of A ch and B a q y ,

“ a n d In ver u hirau ch tnach a half part of q forest of E , other

wise Blackwater , lying on the north side of the water of D o vern f o o f f re , Sheri fd m Banf , which the said Alexander h e s . l igned To be d by the sai d Alex . and Eliz . and the r c c 1 1 2 5 & . & . 5 t . longest live , , Signed at Stirling , 3 D ec 5 .

1 Cabrach , 374 . The King (Robert II . ) granted to

William , Earl of Douglas , all and whole the lands of the e A u c m i for st of Cabrach , and half davach of h a r, which is i f f called Clova , w th parts in Sheri fdom of Ban f , which was d G lan dris to n the property of Davi Brown of , but the said t . h . David had resigned it Dated at Edinburgh , 9 Jan in rd the 3 year of o ur reign .

8 r 1 . n s e Cabrach , 5 0 The Ki g (James IV . ) for good H untlie vice , granted Alex . , Earl of , Lord Gordon and 125

B raide n ach as s ns , his heirs and y , the lands and forest of Cabrau ch f o l , Sheri fd m of Aberdeen , to be he d in free barony a nd . H n lie free forestry Reddendo ward the barony of u t . th 1 8 Dated at Edinburgh , 2s April 5 0 . (Th e Earl sold these l a o A u hm ll ands the s me year to James Gord n of c u y . )

1 8 . 0 . Cabrach , 5 The King (James IV ) confirmed a c r H u ntlie harter by Alex . Ea l of , in which he sold and a o A u c hmu l lienated to his cousin , James Gord n of l y and hi Cab au c s heirs , the lands and forest of r h in the Earldom a nd H u ntlie barony of and Sheriffdom of Aberdeen , divided o from his own property of the said bar ny by these marches , viz : . Beginning on the south at the spring (burn rising w l a rau la kmi n H u ntlie bet een E rig in C b ch and B c ddy s in , which was otherwise called Strathbogie) and thence by the summit of L u n ddis hill to the H u n dehillo ck between G arb e t a n d R eidfo rd n , a d by the summit of the hill between Cairn ' alo u h ullo chdo w w s q y and T y , bet een the head of the three G las c o r Cabrau ch burns in Strathbogie and y in , by the summit o f Co rn abro ic ht to the north and east angle of _ B all ch re e l o begg, which is called G nwe h eid which is div Cabrau ch and Co rr n u is w ided between y y , with po er of i br nging of said lands into cultivation . Reddendo to the c r H u ntlie Earl three suits at three head ou ts of , also ward , & c i . , when cont ngency should arise . Dated at burgh of

‘

8 e th . th . 1 0 J edburgh , 4 Dec 5 , confirm d at Jedburgh , 4 Dec 1 5 08 .

li ac 1 . H u nt e Cabrach , 5 39 The Earl of must have 1 quired back the lands of Cabrach , for in 5 39 , George , Earl H u ntl e n o i . of , granted to his u cle , Alex Gord n , formerly o f S tratho u n e (Strathavon) a charter of the lands of Cluny

and others in exchange for the lands of said Alex . elder of trath u n e i t th o u n e I nve rr uri F o tterletter S o vz . ra o e , , S , , , fort a D u mm n fis hin s lice of r y , and Mills , g , advowsons of bene fic e d n s & c . f a d , , Sheri fdom of Ban , the lands of Cabrach , ff m a Sheri dom of Aberdeen , in confor ity with a contract d ted a t t 1 rs . . Dundee , 3 Aug 5 39

Cabrach was leased by th e Earl of Maryr at the end o f e sm the 1 6th cent . , for James Gordon of L o re rented par t o f it (Huntly ren tal 126

A u c h indo u n 1 . a , 545 The Queen (Mary) confirmed y h charter by Alex . Ogilv of Ogilvy and Finletter , in whic s o n he granted John Gordon , third of George , Earl of u n tie hi H , on condition of the said John and s heirs in all m r his time co ing , bearing the name and a ms of Ogilvy , viz r Keithm re baronies of Ogilvy , . , Finlette , Deskford , o , A u chin do u n Dru mnak e ith B lan skinn ach t Cas te rfrith , , , , Ca s te l ard w y , ith the castles of Finletter , D eskford and A u chin u n w M 1llto wn s es c do ith Mills , for ts & . and a , , , — , long seri es of substitut es in case of male i s sue the free tenements reserved to the said Alexander and Elizabeth and the longer liver . h 1 i t . a inl th Signed at Finletter , 4 Sep 54 5 , confirmed t L th 8 . 1 . gow , 2 Sep 545

APPENDIX IV

From the Gordon Richmond Rent Roll .

The Cabrach .

1 6 - 1 8 7 5 7 4 .

Tenant . Rent .

Kirto wn T o rnich elt Cra incate— , , g G eorge Gordon £25 0 0

1 6- 1 76 784 . — Davoch Lands 8: Milne of Co irre n as s ie G eorge Gordon 1 750 . — Inverch arach 8; B adchier John Fife 1 6 2 9

1 6 - 1 8 7 5 7 4 . — H addo ch James Gordon 1 6 1 0 — 4 A u chmair John George Gordon — 1 1 7m . Redford Jas . Yates — Elrick Jas . Gordon H o wbo — VVm gg . Robertson

Wm . P ittas

Jas . 8: John Harrison John Robertso n

1 28

1 —1 80 784 3 . Hens — B adchier Peter Cameron 1 ‘ M D o n ald 1 Alex . o 2 Thos . 8 Rob . J p p Lachlan Milne 1 Christian Deason 1 A lex r 1 . Smart 1 Robt . Deason — 8 I nverch arac h Wm . Ferror — S han we ll James Kelman 8 — m 8 Upper Ardwell W . Forbes 8 Wm . Laird ‘ — C mbie 8 o 8 c . Nether Ardwell Robt . M , — ’ Davoch of Co re nas sie George Gordon s Heirs l 1 n ie e — e x r b To r ch lt Hugh 8 Al . Kellas - \ A le x r k 1 . Robertson l - \ m r— O n A ch ai Wm . O Gordon t — D \ H addo ch John Gordon U O O — m O Redford W . Yeats —Mr o o Kirktown Gord n , minister

‘ f P wn e e — le x m ! o d A r. Bain -

Thos . Robertson s

— o 1 H o wbo F erro r c H Upper James . No Lease g — 0 H b- e o w o 8 . Neth r g John Sutor , John Wm o Robertson o H o — o Elrick John 8 Alex . Gordon o — as c Buck J . Fettas . No lease — ‘ Mickle B racklach John 8 Peter M William He N B racklach— Ale x r m Little . Bain B o d bae s— Ale x r Little y . Bain s B o d bae — Upper y s Thos . Ingram . No lease e ‘ Cra n — 0 ige c att John M H ardy o 0 John Riach

Robt . Mackie . No lease

Theodore Gordo n . No lease

Wm . Stephen . No lease — ‘ Mill 8 Milltown John M H ardy Auldewnie—A ex l r. Scott , 8 c . A uldevallo ch— l d c Pau Gor on , 8 . — 8 Largue John Wm . R eid G auch—John 8 Adam Gordon P Wm . errot Co rre nas s ie Davoch of .

. ( 1 Possessions . Tenants Hens . s . .

8 - 1 1 7 5 803 . — Pyke Jas . Gordon l —Wm O dtown . 8 Chas . Gordon B err le s 8 h allo ch—Alex r y y Glack S . 8 Arthur B ro ws ter 4 1 1 o — 3 Ox gales of Upper To mnave n John Mac intosh 3 I O 0

‘ Ox - mnaven— Al 5 gales of Upper To and Wm . Robertso n 5 ewto wn 8 — as N Milne J . Horn 4 8 D alriach— a Hillock J s . Gordon 6 — d Bank Jas . A am 8 John Gordon 6

1 7 8 7

—Wm F er 1 o Grazing of Blackwater . ro r o 8 o

— Pyke~ Adam Gordon — Oldtown John Gordon , (Bank) B err le c — B ro ws ter y ys , 8 . Arthur m en— Upper To nav Alex . Macintosh mn a e n— m 8 . o Nether To v W . Alex Roberts n — Newtown 8 Mill Jas . Horn — Hillock Alex . Scott .

lr a h - m D a i c W . D eason — a 8 Bank J s . John Gordon

—‘ T o rn ch elt Hugh 8 Alex . Kellas y — A chmair Wm . Gordon h— H addo c Alex . Henderson —Wm Redford . Yates — Kirktown Rev . John G ordon — Elrick Geo rge 8 John Gordon — m 8 . Craigen catt W . Riach Alex Bain 130

Hens . 5 . d .

B adchier — To dho les Peter Camero n — B ro o mkno wes Peter Cameron ‘ ’ — M Co n ach s I . y part Peter Cameron s Alex . Robert on ’ — m a . S Own 8 E . De son s part Alex art Isobel Horn Robina Japp — m e W 8 . B u rntrebl . Inverch arach c . , in l Alex o Forbes — T o mnavo u in of Inverch arac h John 8 Alex . Mitchell — S h anw ell John Bremner ‘ ar t Co n ach 81 r M g . M y John Bremne Jo hn Co ttan ‘ ell — M D 0nald H o rs eward of S h anw Chas . — Wm . Upper Ardwell . 8 Al Forb es (Inver Charach) — m Upper Ardwell W . Watt — Nether Ardwell Jas . Gow John D ea s on

rre na ie Davoch of Co ss .

Pyke—Adam Gordon — Oldtown Jo hn Gordon (Bank) err le c — r e B y ys , 8 . Arthur B o ws t r ‘ To mnave n— M Into h Upper Alex . s To mnaven—Wm Nether . 8 Alex . Robertson n 8 — Newtow Mill Jas . Horn — e Hillock Al x . Scott Dalriach— m W . Deason — 8 Bank Jas . John Gordo n

‘ To rn ch elt— 8 y Hugh Alex . Kellas A chmair—Wm . Gordon H addo ch— Alex . Henderson R edfo ord—Wm . Yates

132

— B adchier Jas . Sector John Stewart Jan e Hay M‘ Wm Horn 8 Jas . Hardy

Alex . Smart — m S han well W . Bremner ‘ ‘ M au c hlan Wm . L Widow Lesli e — H o rs eward Janet Robertson — T o mn avo u m Alex Mitchell — e Upper A rdwell John S he e d 8 Al x . Kella s ‘ ; —Wm Co mb Nether Ardwell . 8 Adam M ie

Jas . Watt ’ o Alex . Gow s wid w Christian Deason — To rniechelt a . Hugh Kell s , j un , 8 Wm Horn A l u nie— h e e d Jas . S d

Alex . Scott — ’ Aldivallo ch Paul Gordon s widow John Gordon h e e Wm . S d ’ D e as o n Wm . s widow John Kellas ‘ M William Largue Wm . ‘ M D nnal Chas . o d John Cockburn ‘ M e a Alec . L n

Robt . Grant Elspet Dawson Gauch —Peter Gordon John Gordon A—lex . Gordon B racklach John Gordon John Robertson Ale x r . Beattie ‘ Isobel M William B o diebae— Thos . 8 William Roberts on — m Buck W . Souter H o wbo — Nether g Alex . Robertson — Upper H o wbo g John Souter James Fettas t Marg . F erro r 1 33 — P o wn e e d Wm . Bain

Alex . Bain

Alex . Kellas John Kellas Milltown—David“ Scott ‘ White H illo ckfi S am M H ardy David Sc ott Wido w Sharp James Forbes c hmair— A Alex . Gordon h— H addo c Chas . Stewart Kirktown—John Cottam —R n e v. o Part of K—irktow James G rdon R e ddfo rd William - Yate s — Elrick Wido w 8 G eorge Gordon Blackwater Forest—The Duke

£ 1 744 o 0

e — B erryl ys Alex . Scott a h— Inverch arr c Jas . Merson

Jas . Jo pp ‘ M Co mbie Jas . e a — Vm H o rs w rd V . Bremner a h— B rackl c Alex . Beattie — Whitehillo ck John Sharp Kirktown—John Cockburn

Rev . J . Gordon Blackwater—Duke 8 0 o 0

— 1 6d Total rental 1 58 fowls and £ 704 7 s .

1 790 .

— ‘ B adchier George M L achlan £7 0 0 r (Remove d and l et to Peter Came on , for crop

1 794 at 20 / additional rental . ) Isobel Horn 1 34

— S han we ll Jas . Kelman F ar u h ars-o n Wm . q o Chas . Macd nald ‘ Mar t M Co nach g . y ‘ — M Co mbie Nether Ardwell Robt . John Deason

Wm . Watt

Jas . Gow — Hillock Let to Wm . Taylor for 3 years from 1 8 o D alriac Whit . 00 at additi nal rent 81 h — a H addo ch J s . Henderson 1 rnie ch elt— a T o Hugh 8 Alex . Kell s , j un . i h e l —A e x T o rn ec t l r. i Kellas , Elder —1 — To rm ec h elt Jas Kellas e H o wbo — as e Upp r g J . 8 Wm . F ttas —Alex r Buck . Gordon B o d bae — Little y s Thos . Ingram l u nie— h e A e r d . e l x S d . t A Jas , Chas Scott , . Sco t ,

John Steward , Jas . Scott — Ald evallo ch Paul Gordon d Jas . Reid , El er d Jas . Reid , El er e — 8 A le x r Largu John Reid . Gordon Blackwater Grazing—The Duke ‘ M William for 1 794 2 I Old Town—Wm Sutor

— Aldunie James S h e e d

Alex . Scott John Stewart ‘ — A ldivallo ch Paul Gordon

Upper Cabrach .

Tenants . 1 6 - 1 8 a 7 5 7 4 Wm . 8 J s . Yates 1 8 - 1 8 0 7 4 3 Wm . Yates 1 8 0 4 Wm . Yates ' 1 8 2 Wm 4 . Yates

136

Milne 8 Miln-e Town 1 7 65 - 1 7 84 John Grant (of R o thmais e ) ‘ 1 784 - 1 8 03 John M H ardy (With B ro ckhillo ck 8 part of Craigen catt) ‘ 1 804 John M H ardy 1 8 24 David Scott 1 838 David Scott B ro ckhillo ck 1 765 (no tack) John Milne ‘ 1 8 04 John M H ardy (of Milne) Now called White Hillock ‘ M a . H rd 1 8 24 Sam y , David Scott

Widow Sharp , Jas . Forbes 1 8 38 John Sharp

- 8 . 1 6 1 . H o wbo g 7 5 7 4 Wm Robertson , Wm Fettas

Jas . 8 John Harrison

John Robertson , Mary William

r F Ikr II er 1 8 1 80 as . erro r , pp 7 4 3 J a 1 790 J s . 8 Wm . Fettas

80 . a a s 1 4 Wm 8 J s . Fettas 8 J s Yate

1 as . t r 8 24 J Fettas 8 Marg . Fe ror 1 8 - 1 8 0 Do . , Nether 7 4 3 John Sutor

1 804 John Sutor 8 Jas . Robertson 1 8 24 John Sutor 8 Alex . Robertson 1 8 8 o 3 John Sutor 8 Alex . Roberts n - 8 1 6 1 as . d . r B o dybae s 7 5 7 4 J Gor on , Thos Stewa t ,

Wm . Robertson 1 8 - 1 80 B racklach Little do . 7 4 3 Alex . Bain (8 Little ) 1 0 Upper do . 79 Thos . Ingram . No lease . ‘ Little 8 Upper 1 8 04 John M H ardy

1 8 2 . 8 4 Thos Wm . Robertson h 1 8 . 83 T os 8 Wm . Robertson ch 1 6 - 1 8 o 8 x ivallo . Ald 7 5 7 4 J hn Milne , Thos Roy Ale Bain

Robt . Gordon , Alex . Robertson 8 - 1 80 1 8 c . 7 4 3 Paul Gordon , 1 0 o 79 Paul G rdon 8 Jas . Reid 1 80 c 4 Paul Gordon 8 . 1 8 24 P aul Gordon s wido w 8 John h e e d Gordon 8 Wm . S ’ Paul Gordo n s widow 8 John o h e e d Gord n 8 Wm . S 1 37

A l u nie 1 6 - 1 8 d . as 7 5 7 4 Jas Henderson , Jas . Scott , J . ,

Chas . 8 Alex . Scott

. 8 c . Alex Scott , h e d . S e a . . Jas , Ch s Scott . Alex

Scott , John Stewart , Jas Scott 1 80 a h e e d s . S . 4 J , Alex Scott , John Stewart 1 8 he e d 24 Jas . S , Al ex Scott 1 8 8 h e . e d 3 Jas S , Al ex Scott Kirktown (To rniec h e lt 8 Craigencatt 1 765 - 1 784 George Gordo n G o rdo n Rev . John 1 0 R e o 8 3 v. John Gord n 1 80 R e o 4 v. John G rdon 1 8 a 24 Rev . Jas . Gordon 8 John Cott m R n 1 as . G o rdo n o 8 38 ev. J 8 J hn Cockbur T rniec h e lt 1 8 - 1 8 o 7 4 03 Hugh 8 Alex . Kellas

Alex . Robertson l Hugh 8 A ex . Kellas , j un . enr Alex . Kellas , s .

Jas . Kellas l Hugh 8 Alex . Kel as

Hugh Kellas j unr . 8 Wm . Horn n Hugh Kellas , j unr . , 8 Wm . Hor Craigencatt 1 784

Robt . Mackie . No lease . ‘ John M H ardy

Wm . Riach 8 Alex . Bain a h e e J s . S d h e e d Jas . S 8 Alex . Bain h e a . e d J s S 8 Alex . Bain

II addo ch Jas . Gordon John G o rdon d Alex . Hen erson d r Alex . Hen e son a Ch s . Stewart o n Jas . Henders

Chas . Stewart A uchmair Jo hn 8 George Gordo n

Wm . Gordo n

Wm . Gordon

Wm . Gordo n

Wm . Gordon 1 38

APPENDIX V .

TWO EXTRACTS FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF

THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND .

- l . 1 . . 0 . 1 1 1 1 Vo 8 8 . No . . p 2 5 Session 5 54

6 - . 2 . 1 86 1 86 . No . 2 . Vol . 5 . p 3 Session 2 4

NOTES OF TH E DISCOVERY OF S To N E CISTS AT MUR DI LE S E , BANFFSHIRE ,

m a e n 8 c . Cont ining Primitiv Ur s , , along with human re ains 8 n r o t . c By Alexa de R ber son , Esq , Elgin , .

vi it 'to es During a s my fri end Captain Stewart , at L murdie 1 8 , in the autumn of 49 , I was shown a nearly per had feet urn of coarse earthenware , which then recently

been fo und in a stone cist on the property . Mr John

’ e d s e Taylor , the owner of the relic , inform me that the p u lc hre had been accidentally discovered in digging a sand to pit , and that on gaining access to the chamber it proved be full of earth and sand , in excavating which he had e e - H e o d tect d the urn and some half decayed bones . als

stated that not far from the same spot , his father had wit n e s e d n s many years before the ope ing o f another cist , the interior of which was quite free from earth . Its only contents were a skele ton in a bent condition and an urn and its floo r was d escribed , , as having been formed of small variously - Shaped x s e stones nicely fitted together . Mr Taylor further e pre s d his belief that more antiquities of the same kind might yet th e be met with in the neighbourhood , as in certain places a ploughshare occ sionally encountered large stones , which the generally fin e- grained nature both of the soil and s ub soil led him to think were foreign to them . Captain Stewart fully symp athised with my anxiety

e - to make som further explorations , but the fields where

they were supposed to be were then under crop , and this o f course prevented any effectual search being mad-e for s them on that occa ion . The same obstacle presented itself

1 40

r n inadvertently broken up before we we e aware of its ature . On searching among the sand we found portio ns of bones as in s o decayed a state , however , to be readily reduced to a sort of dryish paste on compress ing them between the r finge and thumb . From their condition it was evident that they must en tirely disappear with the lapse of time ; a nd although at first somewhat annoyed that none of them r should be fit for prese vation , I was in some measure con soled at finding a satisfactory explanation of the total ab n cre ma sence of osseous remains , as well as of all trace of i S a l tion , in everal cairns which I h d exp ored on the Brown e Muir , near Elgin . Portions of what app ared to have been

“ - teeth were met with at the south west end of the chamber , and near them a rudely but profusely ornamented urn i lying on its side , and filled with the same mater als as the u rn lower part of the cist was . The is now in the Museum

and . of the Society is figured here (See Woodcut , fig . B —n l Cist . O the fol owing day we returned to the r an g ound , d found that our active assistants h ad already exposed the roof of a second cist , some of the stones of which had been come upon in digging a pit for storing t po tatoes . The grave in this case was larger han that j ust described . Its lid was formed of two massive pieces of - was mica slate over the j unction of these another slab , and on each side of it a smaller one . Through the chink of the lid ve n we saw that the chamber was not full , and almost tu re d to hope that , on raising it , we might behold the skeleton and its accompaniments in the same state as those l n r which Mr Tay or , se ior , had told us of . But we we e dis

- appointed , as about three fourths of the cavity were found d to be occupie by a mass of earth and sand , which reached o - the r of on the south eastern side , and sloping downwards to the opposite one , left the rim of an urn exposed to View at the northern angle of the chamber . The lid of the cist was about two- and—a- half feet from the surface of the ground , and the longer axis of the chamber lay nearly N N - . e E by SSW . Four slabs of mica Slate formed its sid s , the longer pair measuring three feet eight inches horizon

‘ re tally , one of the others two feet four inches , and the maining one two feet . All the j oinings of these sto nes were daubed with loam , as in the previous example . The depth was of the chamber two feet , and its floor was neatly paved 1 4 1

flattis h e - with small wat r worn stones , such as are found a D e ve ro n long the margin of the adj oining river . From the careful way in which the variously - shaped pi eces of the e pavement had been adapted to each other , and imb dded in the same kind of loam as was used for closing the erev i f ces o the cist , it became evident that considerable pains had been bestowed on the execution of this part of the ’

. v work The skull , which is now preser ed in the Society s

Museum , was found at the NNE . end of the chamber , lying on its left side (into which position it must have fallen when its ordinary attachments to the rest of the S an keleton gave way), d with the lower j aw still in its

place . It at first appeared to b e in a perfect state of pre s n ervation , but on raising it a softe e d portion of the lower w S . S ide remained behind The upper side of the kull , here the earth only came in contact with one surface of the r bone (and whe e , therefore , the moisture was less), was

but little changed from its natural condition . The teeth , w incisors as well as molars , were much worn but all ere s ound ; and altho ugh so me of them now happen to be a s c i mis ing , the whole were in their so kets when d sinterred . and r S A tibia pa t of a humerus , both of the right ide , were

the only other bones that were found in a state for removal , and l they are of ittl e interest , further than shewing , con trar y to the vulgar opinion , that the stature of these a ncient inhabitants of Scotland did not surpass that of t m Th u heir odern representatives . e urn (Fig . 3) stood p e right on the right hand side of the skel ton . Its height is e l 73 inch s , and both in shape and sty e of ornamentation

-o i t strongly resembles one from Rath , preserved in the m d Museu of the Society , although the latter containe ashes a nd human bones . n After securing the relics that have been me tioned , and

l . when about to leave the cist as fu ly explored , Mr W i i Taylor d scovered , in a l ttle mass of sand that had been l n eft ear the spot on which the urn stood , three chips of flint and some minute fragments of a dark brown oxide of : n 0 11 iron the latter , exhibiti g a peculiar fibrous structure

their surfaces , were also presented with the urns to the ’ Society s collection . The flints were cemented together by a ferruginous concretion of sand , the greater part of which was thoughtle ssly destroyed in attempting to free 1 1 2

at m n the stones from the ext raneous m ter . A s all rem ant t of the agglutinated sand is s till , however , at ach ed to th e surfac es of the flin ts but as I shall have occa sion to refer more particul arly to the se traces of iron before concluding an y this paper , I postpone further notice of them at pre sen t . YVe next proceeded to re -open the cist w hich Mr Tay lor senior had des cribed to us and as it w as very , , — , near the surface s o nea r indeed as to prevent the tillage — w a y of the soil above it the lid s speedil raised . The direction of the sep u l chre w as nearly the sa me as t hos e of t h e lay l i others , and it a most in a straight l ne between y r f them , at the distance of three ards from the fi st and o t five yards from th e second . It had been opened more han f whi once , and was ull of earth , among ch we found frag y ments of a large urn and some bon es . Of the skull , nearl the whole of the frontal and a portion of the right parietal e e i bon s , together with the ant r or part of the lower j aw n an d were met with . The cranium is of unusual thick ess , the incisors do not exhibit those flatly - worn surfaces so i n usually observable in teeth from cists . The upper port o l i e of the right femur i s of the usua s z e , but the hum rus of the same side is diminutive . D — y . Ou 1 8 th n Cist the August of the some ear , Captai Stewart observed the edge of a flat stone proj e c tin g from a bank , where it had be e n expo sed owing to the earth w hich originally covered it having been carried away during a u l w flood of the riv et belo . The chamber in this instance was found to be larger than any of the others that we had n see , very rudely constructed , and filled with earth , the w surface of which as marked by several mole runs . The direction of the cist w as about north - east by nort h by - s south west by outh , and it measured four feet four inches in n le gth . Its grea test breadth w as tw o feet four inches . - e n d w as S The north east composed of two labs , of n early

- equal size , and the north west side al s o of two , but not

- j oined in a straight line . At the south w est end four rough w stones ere laid one upon another , and five others were similarly employed to connect these with the south - east d w as as . si e , which , usual , made of a single slab At th e no rth - en d east we found an urn ornamented like the others , artific e r but disp laying less skill on the part of its , which

1 44 a nd were found to consist of nothing but the same mic a c e o us sand as occupied the lower part of the chambers . There was not the slightest discolouration of the sand at the bottom of the ves sels , and this would certainly not h ave happened had they been deposited with any so lid pro ln -m o r m visions the . Even supposing that mice other ver in o e l n d n had devoured the f od , th re would sti l have bee evi e ce o f the fact in the stains r esulting from the excrements which su c h creatures invariably leave behind them ; and as noth e ing of the kind existed , it may be conclud d either that the u n u rns had been empty when interred , which i s very e likely , or that they had contain d water or other beverage r fo the use of the departed .

In describing the second (Cist B . ) I mentioned the o ccurrence of chips of flint held together by a ferruginous o f o x idie concretion of sand , and fragments of of iron , with a fibrous surface in contact with them . Mr W . Taylor , e i u nbiass e d who found th se rel cs , was happily quite b y any k o o f d nowledge of the C penhagen theory perio s , and per sisted in his investigations after I felt perfectly satisfied that we had seen all that could be worthy of inspection . There was no appearance of iron in the sand of any other l im part of the cist , a though I scrupulously examined it mediately after the flin ts were found ; and notwithstanding that such flin ts are usually supposed to belong to the stone -m period , I have no hesitation , fro the appearances which e t came und r my notice , in expressing a convic ion that the flints were originally accompani ed by a steel (iron ?) and tinder ; the decomposition of the former having supplied the l e atter with its oxide of iron , as well as furnish d a cement t o the sand which enveloped the whole . There can be little doubt that sep ulchres of very vari o u s ’ dates , and containing the remains o f peo ple of very ff an d d di erent races creeds , are inclu ed by antiquaries under a to the general denomination of prim eval cists . Those a which this p per refers may , I think , be characterized as l z— fol ows Cist without any superficial mound , either of the n ature of burrow or cairn , the chamber about three feet “ l or a little more in ength , and containing a single unburnt S keleton , and an urn , either empty (when the cavity happens to be so likewise), or shewing by the character of its contents that it had not when first deposited held 1 45

any solid matter ; with or without chips of flint and traces n of iron in their vicinity ; with or without orname ts of j et , r “ or other similar mine al ; but without weapons . Cists of this very peculiar class have been found in con i erable r s d numbe s in dry , generally somewhat elevated n spots , all along the eastern coast of Scotla d , and they s l have al o occurred , a though apparently in fewer numbers , e on its western Sid . They are far from rare in some parts o f G erman at s , , y , and indeed the figure of one Ros leben , in ’ t Prussian Saxony , in Prof . Kruse s Deutsche Al erthiimcr

1 1 . . 1 ; . (B . Heft 2 Tab fig 5 ) might , excep t that the floor , S l like the other ides , is formed of s abs of stone , and that ' u f f the rn is di ferent , very well serve as an illustration o mu r e some of those at L e s di . Similar cists appear to have been found in England , Ireland , Denmark , Sweden , and in various others of the northern states of Europe ; but the re is too often such a want of precision in the published m ac counts of these antiquities , that it see s premature to re them , although they may , I think , be pretty safely A S garded as Teutonic . to the absolute , or even the com arative e s e u lt re r p date of the mod of p refer ed to , little can e s era d b aid ; but its must , at all events , be a vanced from ' - - the s o called Stone Period to the so called Iron Period . Whether it was practised during the earlier or the more advanced ages of the latter is also quite uncertain ; it seems , l however , very unlike y , from the elaborate character of the “ th e work expended on the cists , and the infinite variety of r ornaments sculptured on the u ns , that such a custom could ' e d into e x e cu tio n either have been invent d , or carrie , by a very rude or uncultivated peopl e . My own impression is that the antiquity of these sepulchres has been very much

- over estimated . S r - (The kull found in cist B is rathe well formed , large , full , and rounded ; broader posteriorly , rather flattened at the junction of the occipital and parietal bones ; but these l ; last are unsymmetrica , the left pari etal bone proj ecting more backwards than the right). 1 46

J 1 CCOUN T OF THE OPENING OF AN ANCIENT A CIST IN THE PARISH OF CABR CH ,

ABER DEENSHIRE .

t Kil mm R dru ie i . y v. B the e John Chris ie , , Aberdeensh re

The cist w as discovered while excavating in a field w as t r - for building sand . I t si uated on a g ass covered i w r - a w slope , declin ng ith a no th e stern exposure to ards D e ver n t the banks of the o . There was no umulus nor n any apparent mark of i ts existence above grou d . i So me years ag o another cist w as d s covered close by

- it in a line towards the south west . I t contained bones w a and an urn (a Sketch of which s exhibited). Numerous i other cists have been found in the same field , conta ning i urns and bones , generally in a go od state of preservat on .

Great care was taken in opening the cist . It w as about 3 feet below the surface of the ground to the covering stones . The excavation made in laying down the cist would appear to have been circular ; about 6 feet in diameter . two w In excavating stones ere first reached , one towards 2 8 6 the west feet inches by 2 feet inches , and the other 1 on the east foot 8 inches by 2 feet 2 inches . They were laid above the ends of the cover of the cist . That cover w as 4% feet in length by 3 feet 7 inches at the broad end , 1 o o w f t at the narro end , and 2 feet 1 1 inches about the w middle , the hole of an irregular heart shape , 7% inches

s o s . thick at the thinne t part , and 1 at the thickest w as two The cist formed in the usual manner , with s e t o stones on edge forming the sides , one at the fo t and another at the head . The bottom w as paved with one large u y flat stone irreg larly shaped , with smaller ones carefull w Wh laid to complete the cause aying . ere the head had w as w rested a stone , the hole breadth of the cist , raised like a pillow at an angle of about The dimensions of the cist w ere 2 feet 4 inches in width by 2 feet 4 inches h in dep t .

The cist contained the remains of a skeleton , lying in a line from east to west , the head being in the east end . Of the skull only one of the parietal bones remain e d in pre

1 48

e mu ie m B o h e ad s rd . Taylor , g of L Its di ensions are 65? i 6 inches high , d ameter of the mouth 1 inches of the s bottom inche , and circumference of the p art

1 9 inches .