The Rhynd and Elcho

THE RHYND AND ELCH O

A PAR I SH H I STORY

ALL AL D ME B ING B . . JA S ,

MI NISTER OF RHYND

EDINBURGH ! DAVID DOUGLAS

1 9 0 5

C O N T E N T S

CR AP.

1. INTRODUCTION

u. Tun PAmsn IN ANCIENT Tums

m ELcno . NUNNDD!

I v. An na mu! Rm u An oN

v. TH E OLD CHURCH AND rm! NW

v1 . Em no Cu m

vn . Tm! J0 0 0 STAKE

m v . LANDS AND H um m us

1x . Tm! Kmx or Ram

L I S T OF ILLU S T RAT ION S

PAGE

R HYND CHURCH

S TONE WITH COAT - OF-AB MS

S ITE OF ELCHO N UNKERY

’ MR PETRIE PORTRAIT . S

COMMUNION CUP

TH E PUL PIT

ox B S F OLD B , A ON, AND LAC ON

CHURCH TOK ENS

E LCHO CASTLE

E E LC CAS N . N HO TLE, COR ER

TH E JOUG STANE

S UNDIAL

R HYND CH URCH FROM THE NORTH

P R E F A C E

TH E author desires to acknowledge the help f he has received rom many sources , and speci ’ f a Records the ally rom Dr . John Stu rt s of P riory of the I sle of May (Society of Anti

uaries of the t q Scotland) , where ancien charters f referring to Rhynd are given in ull . He is also indebted to The P resbytery of P er th by

Rev . John Wilson to Messrs . Mac ’ Gibbon and Ross s Castellated and D omestic

Architecture o Scotla nd and Memoirs of f , to

of r Kinm ont h the Keirs Weste Rhynd and ,

t f w a a priva e publication rom hich the uthoress ,

a w Miss Campbell , kindly llo ed him to make

a some extracts . He t kes this opportunity of

. a H thanking her and also Dr R msay . Traquair of the Royal Scottish Museum of Science

’ and ff t Moncrieﬁ of r Art , Sheri Scot Lana k,

. f r J. o and Rev Irwin Brown Rotte dam , others who have given much valuable information

a s and ssi tance .

9th a e 1 905.

TH E RH YND AND ELCH O

INTRODUCTION

TH I S little book is written to give the past f o . l history Rhynd Parish A parish so smal ,

of f a mere nook country, about our miles by

and two , wedged in betwixt the rivers Tay

E a arn at their junction , and sp rsely inhabited , can hardly claim a place in history without

f Yet a suggest ion o ridicule. every local his tory has a value of its own as a portion f u of a i o . the l rger h story the co ntry Besides , in old days, much more than at present , when

f of n s the li e the nation ce tre in the large towns , each Spot of Scottish ground felt the touch of

aff . great events and was ected by them As , on mountains and rocks we see the marks of old upheavals and weathering, so , in old

of parish records , we ﬁnd the imprint the storms that traversed Scotland in Church A 2 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

t and of and S ate, we see how the inhabitants even the most secluded places were oft en to their sorrow passionately involved in these

h of s tempests . A local istory must neces ity be f a and s r gmentary interrupted , but the glimpse we are able t o get of the men and women of pas t generations as they lived on this one spot are vivid enough to give pleasure and awaken sympathy . Humble and forgotten as

' it r a e they are , is on their lives that ou s h v b and n een built up, we owe more tha we think to those men of the past who till ed

and the soil built and planted, and struggled for f God a o reedom and served long years g , H im as we strive to serve now. ’ as is The Rhynd , it commonly called, is

f of within our miles Perth . The bells of the

of old city church St. John can be heard at Rhynd coming sweetly up from the low- lying

wn and ow of is to , the t er Rhynd Church

f of r visible rom the upper part Pe th. Rhynd a s ll is a genuinely rur l pari h no vi age , no inn S f , no hops, only armhouses with cottages

as a attached to each , and centre, church and Sc manse , school and hoolhouse, smithy and ’ i e a fe w jo ner Shed, with scattered cottages , INTRODUCTION 3

and along the river the bothies of the salmon

r ﬁshe s . m is The na e variously spelt Rhynd, Rynd,

Rhind . is a , Rind The last the usual pronunci t In as al . 1 75 5 ion, the ﬁrst is the usu spelling 4 9 8 in 1 8 5 1 338 the population was , it was ,

and as 1 8 3 t at l t census , numbers that ell the common tale of depopulation in country d istricts .

r in r t In The pa ish excels natu al beau y . the

' centre the east end of Moncrieﬁe Hill Slopes

s e and Ea te ply to the Tay rn , commanding e of of Kinnoull nchanting views both rivers,

Hill of Ochils a e of , the , and over the C rs

of is Gowrie . The broad estuary the Tay s een sweeping away in a wide curve unde r t he f n s b far Fi e hills, and agai vi i le in the distance where it is Spanned by the Tay

Bridge . Points of special int erest are marked by the ru of E E ins lcho Castle and lcho Nunnery , the Old Church and Graveyard and the present

Church. THE PARISH IN ANCIENT TIMES

AS t d is n might be expec e , nothing know about

a. Rhynd in prehistoric times, though place so near to the Pictish strongholds of Clat chard

rdl Crag , Abernethy , and Forteviot can ha y fail to have been often visited by the ancient

was Caledonians . It probably they who gave the name of The Rhynds to the rich meadows which in their day must have pro je ct ed as grassy promontories into the wide

s of E mar hes at the conﬂuence the Tay and arn , for the name belongs especially to that locality , and is perpetuated in the names of the farms of Easter and Wester Rhynd . The name was extended to the whole parish owing to th e f S church having ormerly been ituated there . E That situation, where Tay and arn meet , has been found in modern times highly incon ve nie nt a n as reg rds the church , which has bee THE PARISH IN ANCIENT TIMES 5

removed to another site . Anciently , however , w the contrary as the case . Proximity to the river brought the church and its servants

i a of r of with n easy re ch Pe th , and also the

s of e great ecclesiastical establi hments Scon ,

f . o of . Lindores , Balmerino and St Andrews Dunfermline also was within easy distance by road . In local history the Slenderest clue m ay lead

k s one a long way bac , and by the mo t curious windings . Such a clue is found in a time-worn st one built into the gable of the ruined church in the grave

of n i yard Rhy d . It s not

orI mal for in its g place , what is now called the old church w as put up aft er the Reformation . The Latin inscription on this stone under a sculptured

- - — coat of arms two crossleted crosses over a — crescent records how it was placed in memory of Brother Thomas de (the name is un

' f eﬂaced as ortunately much , but may be Thom de of of Lundin , who signs one the Isle May ul charters as a witness , and whose name wo d

a - o of a ex ctly ﬁll the space) , Sub Pri r the Isl nd 6 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

‘ ’ of f St . o a . Adrian May, in p ce requiescat

F w t we ollo ing up his indication , ﬁnd that in olden times the history of the Kirk of Rhynd is o of of b und up with that the Monastery St .

i of of was e Adr an May, which it an appanag .

a f if St . Adri n himsel is an interesting Slightly hazy ﬁgure coming out of the misty west as il missionary to the st l heathen east . Some time in the end of the ninth century he arrived

f i had of in Fi e , wh ch he ﬁxed on as his ﬁeld ll f di o e . AS labour, with a sma company scipl s was of he the habit these Celtic missionaries, t o the ok up his abode on an island, choosing

of Isle May, than which no more desolate spot

w f r s could ell be ound , nor one where the p ayer of f f a holy man could be sa er rom interruption .

r . a Neve theless , St Adrian and his comp ny f t . were not long le unmolested Danger came , not from the mainland where their blessed

w f se a. ork went on prosperously, but rom the

The heathen Danes were at this period , the

of a of middle the tenth century , in the h bit On H making raids on the British coast . a oly

f of Thursday a boat ul them landed on the May , in tent on plunder, but ﬁnding none, they ruth les sly murdered the saint and his companions THE PARISH IN ANCIENT TIMES

i s l v n and destroyed the r cell , ea i g the storm

a swept isle more desolate th n ever. But the

of . r l and of memory St Ad ian ived , the scene his martyrdom was henceforth regarded as d sacre .

was A revolution, however, at hand in Church

ff b of a airs. The Celtic monks , with a undance z f of or anis eal and ervour , had yet no power g

n and a atio , and both in their monasteries mong l the peop e disorders began to multiply. But a stronger inﬂuence was speedily at work . It

of 6 through England . In the middle the eleventh century Malcolm Canmore married n the E glish Princess Margaret . When she

she s r came to Scotland, and her priestly advi e s found what they considered great irregul arities in the Scottish Church . She accordingly set

f r r about re o ming these , or ather , she swept away the ancient Celtic Church, and replaced it by the completer discipline and ritual of the

o was m R man one . This probably an i prove

for l ment , the Celtic Church was gross y

superstitious , and quite unequal to the tasks imposed by the growing civilisation of the country . In the end of the eleventh century Malcolm 8 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

n t ft Mar Ca more died, and shor ly a er !ueen

and garet also . The peaceful work which She her husband had inaugurate d of building churches and founding religious houses was a ze lously taken up by their youngest son ,

v his n I. n Da id (Sai t David) . During reig ,

1 1 24 - 53 for and , he did much both the civil u ecclesiastical organisation of his co ntry . He f had been trained at the court of Henry I. o E s ngland , during whose reign the relation between the royal families of England and Scotland were on the whole close and peace ful . David no doubt was impressed by the barbarism of his country as compared with E l ngland, and he be ieved in the Church as a great instrument of civilisation as well as of

i r Spiritual power and blessing. So l be al was C he to the hurch , that in later times his

e L is succ ssor, James , said to have remarked ’ f him was for n o that he a sair sanct the cro n.

Am on g other places, he chose to build a mon ast er - of y on the desolate, wind swept Isle May , already considered a very sacred place as being

of f the retreat St . Adrian and the scene o his martyrdom . This house was in exis tence before

of f ur and b e the middle the twel th cent y ,

10 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

b of ea i of Rindal ros the Ab ey R d ng, the vill g , as had f it been perambulated by himsel , Wil ' Giﬂard H a ai liam , erbert the Ch mberl n , and ' ’ w others , the King s men , ith this condition , that if the King or his heirs Should aft erwards make such additions to his donation as would sumoe for of t he the maintenance a convent, same Should b e erected on the said vill and enjoy it s fruits ! any surplus being for t he use of H of n b e the ouse Readi g. A vill, it may

e of of f u l explain d, is a portion the land a e da

for his d lord reserved own use , but cultivate by labourers who were bound to the land and e and could never leave it, their servic was ni obligatory . These villa were , however, allowed by the lord to cultivate portions of

t he f r a. as land o their own use . In such case

ef b e that b ore us, land and labourers would e handed over to the monks, a good exchang

for o a the men , as in th se days the Church was better and less exacting master than a feudal

rs . lord, and usually required no service in wa It appears that in the lifetime of King David some kind of religious house was established — on the vill of Rhynd it is referred t o as the ’ s place of the cella belonging to May. Thi THE PARISH IN ANCIENT TIMES 1 1

ea u m ns something very h mble , perhaps only a. a mere wattled barn arr nged as a church , or o e r m r likely a small stone church. F om

I f a Malcolm v . the monks o May received

a of of fish an gr nt tithes caught around the isl d , fi n which the shermen were comma ded to pay , and also he granted five merks yearly of the can of ships coming to Pe rth . Situated as the ancient church was at the junction of the

and Earn e l Tay , it occupi d an exce lent position for levying duty on ships as they came up the

Firth t o Perth . We can fancy the monks keeping an eye on the river at each rising n tide, and rowi g out to any ship that appeared , demanding their dues with all the arrogance of their tribe . The same Malcolm granted to the monks of Rindalgros the tithes belonging to the church of the vill as well of ﬁshings in the waters of

E as of the Tay and arn , lambs , cheese , and other things from which tithes ought to be paid. At that early period the boundaries of

e parish s were not ﬁxed with exactness , indeed t he kings could hardly say what exactly were

ar of a d the bound ies Scotl nd , so much epended 1 2 THE RHYND AND ELCHO on the allegiance or rebellion of the great

m f Inch ra barons . Fro re erences to y as being a of v t e n part Rhynd Parish, it e iden ly had th a a wider extension , and it is likely that nother

ef d Ricardest one s place r erre to , , was al o outside the present bounds . There is an agreement touching this place between the prior and c of the and onvent May on one part , Malcolm

a e the Cupbearer on the other , which illustr t s the relation between a sort of private chapel nd a the parish church .

n a r The mo ks agreed th t on eve y Sunday ,

d d a We nes ay, and Friday m ss Should be cele b rat ed in the chapel of Ricarde st one by a c a f of Rindal ros e h plain rom the house g , or som o for w as ther him , as ell on these principal

r f f val . as a te esti s , viz Ch istm and the three d ys a r

n of As it, Whitsu day , the Feast the sumption,

of Al l a s e the Nativity , and S int , and that ther ff o nly the holy bread (i e . bread o ered by the

the s ft as people , blessed by prie t a er m s , and distributed by him to the people) should be o ff of ered by the men the said vill, and that there only the women of the vill shoul d be

ri f S pu ﬁed and make con ession , but hould pay the offering for wax to the mother - church of THE PARISH IN ANCIENT TIMES 13

Rindal ros g , and should receive the communion

h E e b n l in t at church on ast r Day , it ei g optiona to the Cupbearer and his successors to rece ive the communion either in the chapel or the

- Th i ls mother church . e said Malcolm m ght a o

t his have a minis ering priest in chapel , pro vided that such chaplain should profess his

- of ind r subjection to the mother church R alg os . ’ t he ft of n Finally, gi s land given by the Ki g s f r a athe to the ch pel were conﬁrmed , and other f in u m our acres granted p re al s . For upwards of a century aft er its founda

of tion the Priory May and , consequently, Rhynd continued in peaceable possession of

f d o f the monks o Rea ing . Fr m troubles o a domestic kind they were doubtless not

s of w exempt, and in the ca e Rhynd these ere of a a char cter not unknown in later days , ﬁ hi na s n s . mely, disputes about g We read of a certain D uncan of Inchyra who carried on a dispute with the brethren on the opposite bank concerning the precise ﬁshing f ground o the two parties . It was at last agreed that bot h Should be allowed to draw

r of r thei nets to the deepest part the wate ,

of n according to the common use the cou try . 1 4 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

The Rhynd monks had a still more serious quarrel with their brethren of Scone on the

a e The of s m subject . latter kept the tithes f ﬁshin s—Sle les El ens lau our g p , p , Chingil , and — Inchirith which the Rhynd monks alleged n m ds belo ged to the , being within their boun . ’ The case was referred to the Pope s Commis sione rs s , who decided that the Scone monk w i r of b ut ere st ll to retain thei tithes ﬁsh , were to pay two merks of Silver a year to

f r Rhynd o them . The agreement thus made is s et forth in a deed dated 1 2 31 in the Chartulary of the

of r Priory St. And ews , and this is the earliest existing document referring to the parish of

1 561 . o Rhynd . Later, in , a Mr J hn Logie

u of attested the val e the vicarage , and is

s . H upposed to have been the vicar e says , ’ V is haill 20 ye icarage worth in ye lib. During the latter half of the thirteenth cent ury the fortunes of the Priory of May

s in assumed a stormier a pect , and became volved in the disputes and wars then raging n between E gland and Scotland . The Scottish King naturally disliked having a colony of English monks established at the mouth of THE PARISH IN ANCIENT TIMES 15 t he of ac in was Firth Forth , and cord gly it f n ews arranged t hat the Bishop o St. A dr s hould pay 700 merks to Reading for the

his was an l l ns n and Priory. T i lega tra actio , t he Abbey of Reading continued to claim it s 1 31 4 of Ban property until , when the battle nockb um an the E l l put end to ng ish c aim .

Th e of n he Priory May, includi g Rhynd, now c of ame the property the St. Andrews clergy, and so n ill f conti ued t the Re ormation. ELCHO NUNNERY

LIKE so many other ancient religious houses in the of hi f of neighbourhood Perth, not ng is le t E b ut l lcho Priory the site . All the avai able building stones were no doubt carried off gradually after the abandonment or dest ruc

of f a n tion the house at the Re orm tio , and time has changed the once ragged and shattered ru s a in into smooth gr ssy mounds , around

few - fa f which a old pear trees still stand , ith ul n l u senti e s thro gh the long years , but now enfeebled by age and falling one by one with e very violent storm . Only the river glides f ft as o . swi ly by , the same yore An antiquary would no doubt long to burn if up the mossy green sods , and certainly ,

of excavations were carried out, much interest might perhaps be brought to light in the way

1 8 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

ff of H of Kinnoull t he grey cli s the ill , with l w gleaming river be o . The early history of this Nunnery for it was a foundation of religious women is

e somewhat obscure. It is said to have be n attached originally to the Abbey of Dunferm

SII' 'E OF ELCHO NUNNERY

f line , and to have been ounded by David

Lindesa of Glenesk y and his mother, sister r El to Lord Abe nethy, who held lands at cho

of r r in the time King Robe t the B uce . The Nunnery was afterwards attached to the

Abbey of Scone . The nuns belonged to the ELCHO NUNNERY 1 9

of of n is Cistercian , one the strictest the mo k h

‘ the o rders . Their rule obliged them to live in

w r n e barest and poorest way , ith st ict observa c of f all asts , and what must have been the

a h rdest privation , they were not allowed to

r conve se except on religious subject s. This s trict discipline was , however , much relaxed for f some time previous to the Re ormation .

of i As in other houses the same k nd , an e stablishm ent of labourers was kept for the

u of l r p rpose til ing garden , o chard, and ﬁeld , a nd aft r looking e the Sheep and cattle . The

own nuns rented some land besides their ,

a r of H l of not bly pa t the i l Coates , behind the

Nunnery.

as d of so The Prioress , hea large an estab lishment see , must have had much to to , but one may easily wonder whether the nuns under her found the round of daily devotions enough to keep away weariness . Perhaps , as they

u - lingered at s nset under the pear trees, their black - and - white robed ﬁgures glimmering

for through the dusk , they sighed a wider

and o world more mixed s ciety. They were not , however, without some relation to the V n o . a d and uter world isitors came went , 20 THE RHYND AND ELCHO for a long time a royal lady made the Priory i of Elcho her residence . Th s was the Lady

u r of II . Margaret , the second da ghte James d She was unmarrie , and came to live there in

4 H I V . t o 1 8 9 . er nephew, James , appears

r n f of for in have been ve y mi d ul the old lady , his account - books there is frequent mention of ’ for a ne w supplies the L dy Margaret , a dress ’ for s El uo on . was the lady in q , and so She

a not a nun , but in those unsettled times religious house was the only safe place for an

ma h r unprotected lady. It y have been on e

coun of ac t, or possibly because her death , that ,

1 503 of Fals de in , the widow Thomas de y

of K imme r ham e nl (Margaret Swinton g , o y daughter of Sir John Swinton of that Ilk) bespoke the royal protection as Prioress of the h Nunnery of Elcho . This s e secured. By a deed signed by King James I V . on the 20t h

r ﬁrm June in the Fair City , he g ants his peace and protection t o the Prioress and t he w for d r religious omen with her their lan s , thei

w s men , and their hole pos essions and goods ,

a a move ble and immoveable, ecclesiastic l and ’ i secular . This service was publ shed on the l st July thereafter at the market cross of ELCHO NUNNERY 21

H E of addington in ast Lothian , the reason t his being that some of the property of the ’ wit was ed Priory , to The Standards , Situat wi thin the Constabulary of Haddington . Shortly before the Reformation there were

E v r in r at lcho usually ele en eligious women ,

ll for ar cluding the Prioress . Their ro the ye 1 532 contains names which seem to be mostly

f f Am on o amilies connected with the district. g

Eu h em e E them are p Leslie , the Prioress ! linor

rt i Moncrif K at hre n Stewa , Christ an , Smyth ,

r Ch istian Redpath , Margaret Swinton , Isabel E l Barclay, Margaret Towers , lizabeth Pol ok ,

n. Christian Wemyss , and Isobel Wedderbur

1 539 uns Seven years later, in , the n had occa

a sion to sign a certain contr ct, and what is told us thereanent gives a good idea of the extremely narrow range of literary accomplish

ments in that day . Excepting the Prioress

s and Catherine Lindores , who sub cribed with ’ a their hands , all the others are s id to have ’ merely touched the pen .

f of the fo In the puri ying storm Re rmation, E us e lcho Nunnery passed away. It had its as a place of refuge in rude times of violence a haven where undisturbed prayer and praise 22 THE RHYND AND ELCHO mi a ff u r g ht d ily be o ered p, and a nurse y f r o th e gentler arts of civilised life . The

i v n and s an t mes ha e cha ged, uch institution is n of use no lo ger , and there need be no regret that the gras s grows over it s ruined f oundations . AFTER THE REFORMATION

EVEN before the Reformation was an accom

lished f n p act in Scotland , there were many sig s of the impendin g break - up of the old system l grown corrupt. It is impossib e to trace the fate of the ancient Church settlements in

f is Rhynd in these latter days , but the act abundantly evident that they were swept f i t out o ex s ence . The connection with the

of a of . Isle May c me, course , to an end The Reformed Church had a vast task set before it in the pastoral care and enlightenment of

i nor the people, among whom the most crass g

' n Eﬂort s a ce prevailed . were early made to

as of r overtake much as possible the wo k , but naturally it was beyond the power of the Reformers to supply at once regularly ordained

for 1 5 6 ministers every parish . In 7 Rhynd 28 24 THE RHYND AND ELCHO was allott ed a sixth share of such pastoral

m s t r as . Wee oversight Mr Patrick y , minis e of Dunb arnie f his own , could spare rom

al u parochi d ties . The other places bles t with the same scanty f oversight were Poty, Moncrie , Dron, Aber

h m irdl 1 net Eccles a e . 57 4 y , g , and Arngask In a c s e reader, Mr . John Pit airn , was appoint d

of 1 to Rhynd with a salary £ 6. The duty o f the reader was to read in church the book ’ of common prayer known as John Knox s

Litur s gy, and al o Scripture lessons and Psalms .

H n ot e might or might not preach, but was e so xpected to do . In 1 59 1 there is mention for the ﬁrst tim e of min of an ordained Protestant ister Rhynd ,

a Mr. Wood , and he was ordained and prob bly

a of h 1 admitted to the ch rge R ynd in 58 7 . From that time down to the present date there have been fourteen ministers in suc cession, viz

- 1 58 7 1 631 . John Wood, , died at Rhynd

1 632 - 1 643 Alexander Petrie, , translated to

am H n . Scots Church , Rotterd , olla d

G 1 64 5- circa 1 665 se James illespie, , suppo d

26 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

as s 1 8 1 1 - 1 8 1 4 assi tant and successor, , d E 1 8 4 die at dinburgh 9 .

1 84 1 - 1 8 44 t o John Struthers , , translated

Prestonpans .

1 8 4 7 - 1 8 77 r a f Richard Ramsay, , t ansl ted rom

f r di Thornton , Fi eshi e , ed at Rhynd.

Ballin al 1 8 7 8 e f m James g , translat d ro f a . B l ron , Stirlingshire

Beyond the fact of their existence and of their having carried on well or ill the duties of a parish minister through the course of over

hr b e t t ee centuries , there is little to said abou

for f i these the most part orgotten worth es .

b e From the church books may, however, n f gleaned a curious story relating to a so o Mr .

r s . W o or t . Wood , the ﬁ s mini ter Mr o d , juni , was of t he r at t h e a licentiate Chu ch , and

of of as and desire Baron Dundas Fing k , some others of the gentlemen and parishioners of

m an was 1 62 6 Rhynd , this young in ordained ’ as his f r minist rie helper with athe in the , owing to the age and inﬁrmit ie s of the old

1 Mr. w . 630 as man In April Wood , junior,

deposed by the Provincial Assembly of St .

r for m and r And ews im orality, o dered to make AFTER THE REFORMATION 27 hi s public repent ance in the parish kirk of

as is S Perth, which he accordingly did , hown by t he following minute of Presbytery ‘ At Perth the 2d June 1 630 . Whilk day

reported by the ministers of Perth that Mr.

ohnne W J ood, younger , had compeared upon the public plas e of repentance in the Parish

of t t s Kirk Per h and here , with many teare

of his unfain e d an gave great evidence repent ce , t o fo e diﬁcat ion ud l the great com rt , and g wil of all the people ! and mourning greatly for

f l a e his au t , with m ny teares moved the peopl ’ t to weep abundantly in lyk manner, a s range picture certainly of the public discipline then

in vogue . f A ter this , an attempt was made by Lord

M r f as of Wemyss , Sir John onc ie , and Dund

a m Fingask to get a Mr. C r ichael appointed

t o . r as helper old Mr Wood, who , howeve ,

a a would not consent. Later in the s me ye r Sir John and Dundas in person petitioned the

a r Presbytery th t Mr . John Wood, younge , should be reponed and appointed assist ant t o

O s . his father. This was pposed by Lord Wemys

r ft of The old ministe , le to bear the burden

his in 1 631 . duties without help, died 28 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

The Church of Scotland at this period was

E o a f e a pisc pal , yet continued to ret in eatur s th t

ri VI . were Presbyte an . James and his son b nd s s I . a Charle had, with a high , suppres ed

G a B ener l Assemblies and revived the ishoprics , though Presbytery meetings went on much as f be ore . Hence in this cas e the Presbytery of Perth were obliged to have recours e to th e

f h ed s o . Archbi hop St. Andrews T ey petition

The that young Wood should be reponed . Archbishop was willing to ﬁll in a presentation

f of to Rhynd in avour Mr. John Wood , but

his he changed mind , ﬁnding that my Lord ’ Wemyss would not consent .

f na So the un ortu te Mr. John Wood, younger,

fr passes om our ken . Very different in every respect is the career Al P of Mr. exander etrie , the second minister , and the only one of the list whose story is of interest both in itself and as illustrating

Th e the stormy times in which he lived . f portrait o Mr . Petrie may still be seen in the f C o e r am . onsistory the Scots Church , Rott d

is f- It a hal length in oil , and the countenance e xpresses great determination or even harsh

al ra s un leas ness, but in the origin port it thi p AFTER THE REFORMATION 29 ing trait is somewhat modiﬁed by the sad f w tender expression o the ﬁne bro n eyes . ’ Mr. Petrie s youth and early manhood passed

ALEXANDER PETRIE

in the period when Episcopacy was being im pose d on Scotland by t he infatuated policy of

VI r James . and his son Cha les . When , in

1 632 was , he presented to Rhynd parish , he 30 THE RHYND AND ELCHO could ha ve had no strong objections to Episco

for di s pacy , he received or nation at the hand

f of . i o . t the Archbishop St Andrews Indeed , would seem that his sympathies were then with E piscopacy , because when he came to the Pres byt ery of Perth and was treated by them as not yet properly admitted until they Should hear him read some discourses and judge of

f a his ﬁtness , he re used on the ground th t he

a was already properly admitted to his p rish .

E r n ventually howeve , to conte t the Pres

b t er a . y y , he did re d the discourses

Mr his . Petrie having entered on duties , a f w r f w e quiet yea s at Rhynd ollo ed . But the time soon arrived when the sm ouldering indig

of ot r o nation the Sc tish people b oke int a ﬂame , and every minister was forced to cast in his lot

r f n with one or othe o the contendi g parties .

ro a s P b bly , as ociation with the Perth Presby t e r o of y , and a cl ser knowledge the people, j oined to the stirring public events of the years

- 1 632 38 fﬁ u s in Mr. , su ced to exting i h Petrie

r for E o any pa tiality he might harbour pisc pacy. We ﬁnd him at any rate in 1 638 coming forward as an eager and fervent champion of the insulted and persecuted Presbyt erians . AFTER THE REFORMATION 31

C I had ro E harles . int duced the nglish prayer ’ b o . G s ok , and had caused it to be used in St ile , Ed f inburgh , where occurred the amous inci dent of Jenny Geddes casting her stool at the ’ al t n had priest s head . The nation indigna io now risen to fever heat . A General Assembly of r t all n the Chu ch , at ended by the ra k, wealth, a nd n of n n i telligence the cou try, was conve ed

G ! nf in lasgow an i ormal Scottish parliament , in

f . act . Thither went Mr Petrie, along with the

E of W and arl emyss , we are told in particular that the former took an active part in all the proceedings . Epis copacy was swept away by this Assembly

of o i at the cost an pen rupture w th the King, a nd and Scotland was again Presbyterian, more intensely so than it had ever been . In these troublous times trade and friendship had been

w and H and growing bet een Scotland olland, a close al liance between the churches of both

n Presb t eri cou tries , equally ardent in their y

i m rml a an s . The Dutch wa y symp thised with

f of the de eats and triumphs the Scots , and in tims of need opened their doors to exiled

of Scots . Few indeed the Dutch towns but

of had a small colony Scotsmen . At Rotterdam 32 THE RHYND AND ELCHO they were so numerous that they applied to t h e — — States the Dutch Government for permis

S r hi ion to set up a chu ch . T s request was

r w g anted , and a moderate stipend was allo ed f t f r his o s . U rom the Sta es the mini ter pon t , the colony sent over to the Presbyt ery of Edinburgh as king them t o seek out a suit f s r . able mini ter. Thei choice ell on Mr

was l for his Petrie , who wel known both talents and piety .

H is At ﬁrst , he hesitated to accept the call . children were growing up and might not so

wa a f and easily make their y in oreign land , he d s was , besides , eeply attached to his pari h

ione rs . s at Rhynd Nevertheles , he was pre

ail and 1 64 3 him v ed upon to go , in we ﬁnd

hi s m preac ng his ﬁr t ser on at Rotterdam , on

o m a s r which occasi n the gi trates were p esent , and a very warm welcome was given t o the f new minister o the Scottish colony . A con

re at ion w and was f r g g ith elders deacons o med , as of and Mr. Petrie was admitted a member

r t an f n the Dutch P esby ery, on equal ooti g

s r f with the other mini te s o the city. The rest of his life was usefully Spent there in

n his preaching and watchi g over ﬂock , not

34 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

in of w ra g the time and his point vie , a mode te

and judicious history. Cert ainly he is a man worthy to be reme m

e for his ber d, both strenuous devotion to public

' t for di and priva e duty, and his close stu ousness

w n din f e n in days he conten g actions raged, l avi g little Space for quiet study !and though he had inﬁrmit ies of temper that made his path more t his horny than it might have been, was at leas t not the sin of the unlit lamp and th e n ungirt loi s .

as The church in which he served, St. Seb ’ t was r of ian s , originally e ected by the Society

r for C ossbowmen , and some time was in joint o ccupation by the Scottish and French Protes t f ‘ ants, and latterly by the ormer alone, the

r F ench having built a new church. This old c a hurch, now used as poorhouse chapel, is almost entirely paved with large slate - coloured

a - a g r ve stones , the n mes upon which are almost l al Scottish . ’ was After Mr. Petrie s death a church built for a hi the congreg tion on the Scotch Dyke , w ch

is r e of is still in use , and se ved by a minist r the Church of Scotland. It is a charact erist i ca edi ft f and lly Dutch ﬁce , with a lo y, open roo AFTER THE REFORMATION 35 quaint gall eries for different grades of the

' co n as a es and ngregatio , such capt ins , mat ,

m ail r r s and SO on. co mon s o s , elde s , deacon ,

In August 1 8 9 3 the ﬁfth jubilee . of this

C was re resen hurch celebrated , when two p t at ives of o f n t the Church Scotland , the mi is er o f and Rhynd being one, were present , took part in de votional and festive services both in ’

a . St. Seb stian s and in the newer church

l E o a In Scotland, the strugg e between pisc p cy ,

i t he backed by the K ng, and Presbytery, with e w u people b hind it , ent on thro gh the seven t e ent h t 1 68 9 century , ill in began the new era of a the Revolution Settlement , and the gr dual

n of r co solidation the Chu ch on its present basis .

' a eﬂect ed Natur lly, so great a change was not without dissatisfaction and even resistance on

he of E t part the ousted piscopalians . At

of hi Rhynd we ﬁnd a striking evidence t s . P l f E s . o a The ormer piscopal mini ter, Mr p y , chose to defy the law and continue his ni d ministry , remai ng on preaching in the ﬁel s

and in private houses, and even continuing d w 1 6 2 9 . illegally to ra the stipend , till The Presbytery had of course forbidden him the

r s r n m n s was church, to which a P e byte ia i i ter 36 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

n in 1 6 9 9 . of Au ht r v c e a en . appoi ted , Mr Fisher g

1 7 00 . Po la of In Mr p y , by order the Privy il rd i Counc , was o ained to leave the d s trict .

E for f ven this order he deﬁed , in the end o the next year we ﬁnd the Kirk Session of Rhynd having deal ings with him in order t o ’ recover a considerable sum of the poor s

the l s money, communion p ate, and other thing in his possession . It may be conjectured that the secret of this bold deﬁance of authority

was . PO la was enco r , that Mr p y screened and u a of n ged by the Countess Wemyss , who the

E . f t lived at lcho This power ul lady, Margare n in . Sh e by name, was Cou tess her own right apparently gave the Kirk Session indirectly

I r much trouble. t is ha d to live at Rome and

ﬁght with the Pope . With great difﬁculty a settlement was arrived at . What became of

n is n n the old communio cups not k ow , but the f u e ollowing min tes , not very clear on som f of . points , re er to the acquisition new ones

is not for see It easy, example , to why the new ’ f e cups should be called the patron s gi ts , sinc

PO la t o she or Mr. p y seem have appropriated the old ones , and the new seem to have been paid for out of stipend due by the patron to AFTER THE REFORMATION 37 f . Po la a r e in an s o Mr p y , but r est d the h d as E e t er an Fing k and ast r Rhynd, two Presby i or E n if f ess o herit s . ve they were a gi t, the S i n could hardly feel grateful for what was given in so un r a way g acious .

7th 1 1 — s n ecreed September 70 . The Ses io d

‘ n for 1 69 8 and 1 69 9 that the vaca t tithes , ’ n n E s an lyi g in Fi gask and aster Rhynd h ds , whert o Po la b in Mr. p y, the late incum ent this ’ Parish , hath gotten the Patron s right, with the burden of 20 merks due during the said

S u and s r years , and ilver c ps other neces a ies ’ for the decent administration of the Lord s

in r aid Supper this place, be a rested in the s ’ g ent leman s hands till the said gift be made ’ ff as a o e ectual to the Session , lso the Po r s

la d for . PO money be pai , which the said Mr p y is ’ indebted to the Session .

of n 24t h 1 70 1 . At Mains Fi gask , November E t d The minister, as er and Wester Rhyn , k C Laurence Mac intosh , hamberlain to the

s of for Countes Wemyss, and Thomas Scot

o Po la n u c mmuning with Mr . p y ane t the c ps ’ and the poor s money resting owing by him t o

Af hinc inde .them . ter long communing , the 38 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

of members the Session there present , with the consent of the Lairds of Fingask and Wester £1 2 n Rhynd, condescended to take sterli g in ’ of AS for the lieu two cups . poor s money

his v t he a r of lying in hands , he ga e L i d

E of aster Rhynd to be the paymaster it, being

- f nn for w seventy three pounds our pe ies, hich

TH E COMMUNION CUP

Easter Rhynd gave bond and the members

Po la r here present accepted . Mr. p y desi ing ’ that the Patron s gift of the cups to the Session (being now made effectual) should be insert in the records, to which they consent at ’ their ﬁrst meeting Should be done . 3oth November 1 70 1 —The session by agree v as ment on all hands resol ed to take above, AFTER THE REFORMATION 39

et c. . etc Further, appoint two cups to be t i £1 2 ua!m rimum £6 bough with the sa d q p , st erling of which Eas ter Rhynd is become

o for his of 24th nst debt r as per bond , date i ,

n for £6 as a and Fi gask the other per bond , s me

and Po la is s date , hereupon Mr. p y di charged ’ ’ of the Poor s money and the cups .

From this time onward the history of the n f for b f parish continues u event ul, except a rie ’ panic at the time of Mar s rebellion . THE OLD CHURCH AND THE NEW

TH E old church built for Protestant worship stood in the middl e of the graveyard at Eas te r

d of n Rhyn . Nothing it now remai s except

- w t he some ivy covered alls open to sky, and ,

t al at ached to them , two large enclosed buri

of - places . The stone the sub prior already d is n allu ed to in the east gable and , built i to

of the thickness the old wall, one or two other

r f an ca ved stones have been ound, suggesting older structure on the same site . The ruined church was a very plain rectangular building

- f with crow stepped gables and a bel ry. On one of the crow - steps it is remembered that d f o i di out . the ate the bu l ng was That date ,

f t he of was to judge rom style the building, probably some time late in the sevente enth

. t n r w century It must have been a ra her ar o , 40

THE RHYND AND ELCHO

' An t one of r o her, the oldest in the graveya d , is , t he to judge by the ploughshare carved on it,

of f ! rt tomb a armer John Lenox , who depa ed

l fe 2 7t h 1 69 8 of 61 this y June , , and his age

l Barb rew H w tt an his a so Lyel and Bethia y , ’ t wo wifes and 5 children . A large stone on the south side of the church is that of David

' Moncrieﬂ and h is f r wi e , Anne Dundas, and thei

of children , and close by the gate the church u a yard sed to stand two gateway pillars, be ring

1 r e D . M A D . . 0 8 . 7 the initials and , at the ent anc

. to the now vanished mansion- house of Eas ter

r t h e Rhynd . One insc iption , however, relieves gloom by the lively jingle of its rhymes

’ Dea S a n nev a e th thi g i it bl , It are no ran or a e sp s k g , The old th e oun th e r the oor , y g, ich , p , ’ It d u off th a oth p ll e st ge .

On e another large stone , with an open Bibl

of at the head it , the inscription runs thus Here lieth the bones and ashes of the i f e . n e o R verend Mr Alexander Chapman, mi st r

G Mone di e the the ospel at y , who served in ministry there most faithfully for the space of

1 3 mi s the years, and co ng here to a sist at sacrament of the supper preached on the THE OLD CHURCH AND THE NEW 43

I sa 56 4 5 6 preparation day on . , , and in view of e f his grav , and departed this li e on Friday ft n 3t d of u 1 7 1 6 of therea er, bei g the Aug st , and ’ his age 40 years and two months . A similar

ﬂat R v l large stone commemorates the e . Wil iam

a 1 8 1 4 8 8 a of T ylor, who died in in the th ye r his age and 53rd of his ministry at Rhynd .

old n - The ma se, a plain two storied house,

a s r f st nds be ide the graveya d . It was ound to be inconveniently situated as well as in other ’ for is n ways unsuitable the min ter s reside ce ,

s was 1 8 8 0 and a new man e built in , on a ﬁne Site commanding a magniﬁcent view and in close proximity to the present church . The old glebe beside the Earn was at the same tims exchanged for land around the new manse . It is a natural transition from the old church t o the new one built high up on the hill in a lovely situation in the centre of the parish . It is a handsome church , and its tower is a strik ing feature in the scenery . The large Gothic

a f windows are particul rly beauti ul , and the

u a is e interior , tho gh pl in and simple , quit

suited for its purpose . When this church was built in 1 8 4 2 no provision had been made for heating ! that was indeed in old times never 44 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

of for thought a church, but more modern i f ideas were beg nning to prevail . A t er a ’ year s experience in the new church the

TH E P ULPIT

e . r r minist r, Mr St uthers , eported to the heri t r a of the w n o s on the p rt Session , that, o i g to the situation in which the church stood and t h e z of si e the windows, the parishioners com THE OLD CHURCH AND THE NEW 45 plained of the cold and were anxious to have a If f t he stove . the heritors would pay hal ,

r a f Session was prepared to aise the other h l .

of The records Rhynd Kirk Session , like all Similar records of the end of the sevente enth

n of u and beginni g the eighteenth cent ries , con

ai r for es the t n many curious ent ies , th e were days when obedience to the Ten Commandments was f of s en orced with the help the joug , the

of branks , the pillory , the stool repentance, public rebukes and money ﬁnes ! and if we judge from these records the means used were f not very success ul . The Session had the aid of the secular arm in the person of a Session

i 1 69 9 hlan . Lauc ba lie For example, in Mac kint osh s of , Chamberlain to the Counte s

s an is Wemy s , and elder , named by the Session , and the minister obtains for him a commission

' ’ fr Ea of Tullib ardine for eﬂect om the rl that , and his appointment is intimated to the con

r i g egat on.

a of m The earliest record is Register Baptis s ,

‘ ’ f of 1 69 8 in the ace the congregation, dated , a register which has been kept with more o r less accuracy down to the present day.

e n it s f n B sides exercisi g judicial unctio s , the Session had the entire responsibility for poor f relief in the days be ore the Poor Law Act .

for The collections were mainly this purpose , and th e Session seem to have dealt with the

as ul l and u poor, a r e , in a kind y genero s spirit . One or two quotations will Show the nature of m their disburse ents .

1 ni e 767 . The mi ster represent d to the

‘ MClare n Session that one William , in that

of Wal t ree a part which belongs to Fing sk , his family were much straitened for want of a cow which th e tenants of Fingask maintain ’ in rasin f g g as part o their shepherd s wages . And that he had got in charity from the

of Fossachie is b e Session , the par h where

rece ided f last , and rom others, One pound , f eight shillings and our pence sterling , and was very desirous that this Session would also contribute something. The Session agreed to all ow him One pound sterling to enable him to ’ rovoid f p himsel in a cow. Next year the minister gave William

‘ MClaren three shillings and Sixpence to pro

f in of void himsel a boll coals , which the

Session approved of. THE OLD CHURCH AND THE NEW 47

1 707 The Treasurer is appointed to buy as as l and ose much grey wi l be cott , breeks h , ’ of es i i with a pair sho , to Dav d Imbr e . 1 1 G 70 . iven to a poor man who was ’ c s S aptive among the Turk , one hilling.

On several occas ions the Session has to look out for a nurse for some orphan children and

‘ there is a regular list of people getting so much a week. Sabbath observance was of course enjoined

fisher with extreme severity, but the Rhynd men seem to have required constant rebukes on i 1 00 th s head. In 7 they are to be fined and l u if public y reb ked besides , they are dete cted profaning the Sabbath by frequenting a s n lehou es , or by fishi g on Saturday nights ’ aft er ten o clock or on Monday till four of

for f of ac the morning, ear encro hing on the n in 1 22 ‘ i f . 7 t Sabbath Agai , , is ound that

r fa - many ﬁshe s pro ne the Fast Day . The Session do condemn their doing so as a Sin ’ in God ff l provok g to and o ensive to the god y . u The g ilty persons, whose names are given ,

r uk of sin are to be eb ed , and the evil the 1 1 6 f i laid before them . In 7 a armer n the 48 THE RHYND AND ELCHO parish discovers that the lassie he has hired t o fte has z look a r the kye not been bapti ed , and he has scruples about keeping her in his

u . H of i ho se owever, with the aid the m nister, n u he sets to and i str cts her in the Catechism , and ﬁnally she is baptized in church under the

o v r mantic name of Catherine Rhynd ola. A curious entryis dated 1 72 4 The Session f ﬁll appoints 1 0d. to the clerk or candle to ’ up the Register with . In 1 70 1 the Session sold three seats in church belonging to the poor at eight merks each. The Session inventory 1 72 1 includes a list of

of fe of bills and bonds , a copy the Con ssion

a ﬂa on Faith and Formula , kirk box , b son , g ,

- - baptism cloth , two table cloths , two cups and x f a b o or holding them .

n fr and n al Diverse si s and ailties sca d s , which

is f it not edi ying to dwell on, were pretty ’ of n regularly the subject the Session s i quiries , the usual conclusion being that the culprits were doomed to do penance in th e public

of in place repentance church on one , two ,

S is ft or three successive undays . There o en a sad lack of humour in the minister and

50 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

use solid oak , much worn outside by time and , nd 1 x 8 but thick a strong. It measures 5 n 6 i ches and inches deep , and is clamped with iron bands and has two big clumsy iron locks of iff r n quite d e ent patterns, as well as an iro

a h ndle on the top . The hinges are on the outside in the old fashion . Unfortunately th e

b o a as keys have een lost , long ago pr b bly , at some time or other the bottom h as been

off u r shi n wrenched , some curio s pe son wi g to w s know what as in ide . When it was again opened by that method some twenty years a o was f d of g , nothing ound but some bun les ’ old receipts for the schoolmaster s very small s alary, paid in those days by the Session , and also a paper concerning a peck or two of apples claimed by a minister about sixty years ago as f part o his stipend. No one elder was ever allowed to have

s of and pos ession both keys , the two who were trusted each with a key had always to be present before it was possible to open the

of - box . One them would be the box master t he usual name for kirk- treasurer in those days . This precaution may seem to suggest

a did t th t the elders not much rust one another. THE OLD CHURCH AND THE NEW 51

One has a in r to remember, however, th t count y

an n a or places b ks were not then withi re ch , did s all S n fte in not exi t at , and essio s had o n their possession considerable sums of money and al n and ort v uable papers, such as bo ds m

Al for gages . so money collected the support of s ds the poor pa sed through their han , and the old system of discipline was to a large e xtent a syste m of money ﬁnes paid for trans i ress ons of al . ns g the mor law Thus , co iderable s e in and ums , or their quivalent bills bonds ,

f b e were o ten lodged in the box , and it would only fair to the box - master that one of the e lders should Share his responsibility by keep

ing the other key.

f of On the other hand , such a simple orm s afe as this little box with it s convenient handle on the lid speaks plainly of the absence of thieves and the general honesty of the c ni ommu ty . An i other box, probably. that in wh ch the cups and books were buried at the time of ’ a s li 1 7 1 5 m M r rebel on in , is re embered, though

of it has passed out existence . It is described

n f r havi g been de ended by strong i on clamps,

or - the outside black and w m eaten, the inside 52 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

it n sound . Within , had a compartme t with separate lock and key for t he keeping of the cups . For the communion service are provided two ﬁne silver cups bearing the date 1 70 3

r f and the insc iption , This cup with its ellow ’ for the Parish of Rynd . Their history has

a ﬂ already been given. A h ndsome silver ag on of s t was the same yle , without inscription,

ft S s F a gi ed to the es ion by Anna rederic ,

ss of a of E of Counte Wemyss , d ughter the arl

Li hﬁ ld r f h e r d 1 c e s 8 9 6. , ome yea s be ore eath in

Two a s s old pewter b son or charger , one with

‘ the inscription This bason for Rynd Parish and a ﬂag on inscribed Rind Parish belong to the church ! also a Silver server and brass col lection - plate inscribed It is m ore blessed to ’ give than to receive . There remains to be H R H TOK ENS C U C mentioned the tokens

r of the chu ch . An old leather bag of them

f of w was ound in a corner the church to er, THE OLD CHURCH AND THE NEW 53 where it had been thrown aside when a lat e r

R f r a n n R . o set , beari g the i itials Rich rd

- R n t r 1 8 47 1 8 7 7 was nt ed. amsay, mi is e , i roduc

set has es This later been lost , but the old on

are of is 1 78 5 . very great interest . Their date On the back of each is a number to show at which table service it was intended to be used. m S h These nu bers go up to ﬁve , howing t at long ago there were ﬁve tables . This does not necessarily imply that the popul ation was much more considerable than at present . In those days it was the custom for several neighbouring parish ministers to assist at a

on s communion, and such occa ions they shut their own churches, and their people gathered in to the place where the sacrament was held .

On of h that account a bag tokens, such as t at

f r f mi re e red to , requently contains an ad xture of r the tokens of other pa ishes . Thus among the Rhynd Ones there were found some bearing the name Abernethy and the date 1 72 7 and the i f n A. v i tials M being those o Re . Alexander

' Moncrieﬂe of Culfar ie 1 740 g , who in became

of h f one t e founders o a Secession Church . The church bell has a story of Singular v The i a h ll f f icissitudes. or gin l e o the re ormed 54 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

r one chu ch must have been a very bad , or

for 1 1 1 of must have got cracked , in 7 two t he r e E elde s were appoint d to go to dinburgh , d n 1 0 1 38 . 8 . taki g with them the old bell and £ , of money not now current , and there they were to see the new bell casten and pay the same ’ and make report . They did not make this out for , the old bell and the money had been s f ent on be ore them, and when the worthy men got to Edinburgh the bell was already

a c st . They appear , however , to have been satisﬁed ! at least they t reated the founders d w f t o I s . o . 8 . orth drink The said bell having got cracked was recast 1 0 in 8 8 . In connection with the bell there are some

s curious item in the old accounts .

’ n of For stocki g the bell . h ’ For a whang to t e bell tongue . For a ne w bell tow and a t aud to the ’ tongue. ’ of l For renewing the chain the bel tow.

’ for for Another item, a sandglass the kirk , f recalls an old ashion . Long ago the simple funeral custom was for THE OLD CHURCH AND THE NEW 55 friends and relatives to carry the cofﬁn to the w n . as a d graveyard A pall or mortcloth used, a society existed in the parish called the Mort

of cloth Society, in which, by payment a small

us e of sum, persons were entitled to the the mortcloths . I n 1 7 7 6 the mortcloths and the funds of t he

£7 1 5s society, amounting to , , were taken

n for over by the Kirk Sessio , the money the use of of and the poor the parish , the Session

‘ judged it most prOper for the present that the hire for the use of the mortcloths should

t t he f is con inue same as ormerly , that , two

li for a shil ngs sterling the l rge one , and ten

for l for pence the litt e one , and Sixpence more

n and H each ight, that David ay should con t inue t o for i is keep them, wh ch he to have f f f ’ our pe nce rom the usurers o them . 1 7 9 3 mi In , the nister and elders having con Sidered the decayed state of the large mort cloth , they agreed to provide a new one and to make up the best part of the old into a little

a . one, and gave orders ccordingly About the same time the Session bought from a glover in Pert h a tanned leather wallet for the burial

58 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

To eo e the ee ro and r ver an p pl st p cks i b ks, H er na ura a uar e wi a oca ou t l s nct i s, th l l s l ’ Of independence and stern liberty .

We glean from the not al ways too veracious chronicles of Blind Harry very ample details of S X loit s of his of two p hero , the scene which E is at lcho .

for 1 2 9 6 is The ﬁrst story , which the date

al given , relates how W lace ventured into St .

ohnst oun of E J , then in possession the nglish , f ff in prosecution o a love a air. The woman i betrayed him to his enem es, but repented , and disclosed to her lover what she had done .

H of t he e immediately ﬂed , dressed in some ’ t wo woman s clothes , and being pursued by soldiers, who suspected the stalwart woman , he turned upon them and slew them on t he

ft w E o South Inch , and a er ards regained lch

r Pa k , where his comrades were lying. The

E a f l o nglish , aided by bloodhound , o l wed him up from wood to wood along the north bank of

Ea n l ra the r , til Wallace , by slaying a com de d e whose ﬁdelity he doubted , ivert d the dog by

of fr so b ut the scent esh blood , and escaped, for this cold-blooded deed he was horribly tor ment ed the next night at Gaskhall by the ELCHO CASTLE 59

’ in his f man s ghost , and terror he ﬂed rom the i s . hou e , break ng through the doors The second st ory discovers Wallace and his n f ba d arriving rom France , where he had been

n ai E and aidi g the French ag nst the nglish, landing by night at the mouth of the Earn .

' H is i r f E cous n , named C aw ord , lived at lcho ,

of if no doubt in some sort keep or grange , not l h in the castle. Wal ace stole over there in t e

r f a ad da k , and , having ound a . b ck window , m e

hi f was rml . msel known , and wa y welcomed

E l and hi The nglish sti l held Perth , at t s time

of their oppression the Scots was at its height .

f d his al Accordingly , Craw or and lady conce ed

w of o n the arriors under a mow c rn in their bar , but they had a dark hole by which they could

t he c of get down to river. Such an a cession me n soon consumed all t he provision in the C f l house, and raw ord was ob iged to go into

r for e Pe th more . The quantity he took hom

of E li aroused the suspicions the ng sh , and it soon became known that Wallace was in the f neighbourhood. It was not long be ore they

a E the E ad he rd at lcho that nglish le er Butler,

d men his with eight hun red , was on way

m r f . en thither Wallace and his , with C aw ord , 60 THE RHYND AND ELCHO i twenty in all , not dar ng to abide the combat in O E the pen ﬁeld , betook themselves to lcho

of Park , to a place great hollies both high and ’ his g reen. Among these Wallace took up

. E i had r e position Meantime the ngl sh a riv d , ’ and f f were threatening to burn Craw ord s wi e , who staunchly refused to give any information . At this j uncture Wallace appeared out of the wood , bidding them deﬁance . Then the battle

al f s began . Wallace as usu per ormed prodigie of for valour , always Slaying two every one that

a his comrades killed . At length night c me , and the stars shone out . The English set a

off watch around the wood , and went to supper, b ut Wallace and his men had to content them s elves with a draught of the cold water that r r ll n an in a litt le i beside them . The mor ing

al f was misty, and W lace , a ter some ﬁerce

i s e ﬁght ng, in which he lew Butler, brok through , carrying under one arm his host

r f had f C aw ord , who allen wounded in the n sc knee , and at length the whole ba d e aped

of of to Methven Wood, one their places f re uge . There is no doubt a good deal of truth under

s of in H v s the e stories Bl d arry, though he gi e ELCHO CASTLE 61

his imagination the freest scope . Wallace was i ft d certa nly o en in the neighbourhoo , and the ’ ’ latter story is vouched for by Wallace s Well

’ E of at lcho Castle , a mossy well the purest and

f a r and reshest w ter, embowe ed in brushwood , dug on the v erge of a tiny streamlet such as

the tale describes . Another well in the wood ’ behind the school also claims to be Wallace s .

f of Immediately a ter the days Wallace, when Scotland had regained independence under

r E a Robe t the Bruce , lcho estate ppears to

h e n at of ave be , least in part , the property n f E Lord Aber ethy , whose Sister ounded lcho Nunnery in the middl e of the fourteenth r centu y . The present proprietor of Elcho Castle and f estates is the Earl of Wemyss . The amily is

nt i as far a a very ancie one , be ng prominent b ck

ft as a of as the twel h century , and , branch the

' Macduﬂs E of f a , arls Fi e , it can cl im even f R f greater antiquity . Long be ore the e orma tion Elcho was one of the many possessions of

f a i of he . s t Wemyss amily The n me , course , f m f i derived ro Wemyss in Fi e , their or ginal

of fa s th e seat. Some notes the mily hi tory in ﬁfteenth and on to the eighteenth century are 62 THE RHYND AND ELCHO here subj oined on account of references to

Elcho . In 1 4 61 there is a record of an excambion in which Sir John de Wemyss of Wemyss ’ - f 1 52 3 granted one sixth part o Elchock . In the second wife of Sir David Wemyss was ’

G s of Torso . Janet ray , Lady Wemys ppy This Sir David ( 1 5 1 2 - 1 544 ) when served heir f had ha of Wem ssche re to his ather c rters y y ,

Elchok Balb rahan St rathardell Ardar , , gy , ’ B lh w ll H n ai a a e . so Kinn rd , and is David, who

of Elchok predeceased him, had a charter , ’

Balb rah an Crai t oun 1 54 1 . , and g , dated

The next laird , Sir John Wemyss, was i famous for his m litary exploits . He led troops against the English in 1 54 7 when

f dr they landed in Fi e, and about seven hun ed of them were slain . He died at Elcho in

1 572 .

We now come to Sir John Wemyss of m E of e We yss, the ﬁrst arl Wemyss, creat d

of E 1 628 and of Lord Wemyss lcho in , Baron

1 633 E of Nova Scotia, and in arl Wemyss,

E o . a Lord lcho and M thel This e rl , as we have

at E noted , lived much lcho and took, along t with the minis er, Mr. Petrie , a prominent ELCHO CASTLE 63

in aff as r of part Church airs , both an elde Rhynd Kirk and in the General Assembly

1 63 his a was at Glas gow in 8 . At de th he buried at Wemyss in 1 649 . It is supposed to be his initials that are graven in large letters on a st one in a part

of f i of the outer ort ﬁcations the castle , about twenty yards from the door

E I W

r fo Earl John Wemyss. The next notable person of the family in connection with Elcho is the granddaughter

iz f of s v . o thi earl, Margaret , Countess

in own Wemyss , her right.

of i She was the daughter Dav d, the second H f w . as earl er mother, his third wi e, Lady

of E Margaret Lesley , daughter the Sixth arl of Rothes and widow of Lord Balgony and of ’

s E of . f Franci , arl Buccleuch On her ather s

r death she succeeded to his honou s , and married ﬁrst Sir James Wemyss of Casky

berry, who became Lord Burntisland, and

E of C 1 9 secondly the arl romartie in 67 . She

E r resided at lcho . On her marriage to Lo d 64 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

r n of s Croma tie, the proclamatio their bann and also their marriage took place in th e

al of t he w great h l castle here, strangely

for enough , the Sunday services the parish

were then held. This was probably to suit

of the convenience the lady , the church

a b ad being two miles aw y and the road . f 1 68 9 A ter the Revolution Settlement in , we ﬁnd her mentioned in connection with

Mr. Poplay and the new communion cups in 1 1 7 03. She died in 7 05 and was buried at f E . H Ea o ast Wemyss er husband, the rl

r t of Croma tie , erec ed a bronze statue her thus inscribed

Pul ra Venu Pa a a en et cas a. D a a ch s, ll s s pi s, t i n , ’

Tr na sub hoc uno cernitur aere Dea etc. i ,

a his David, the third e rl, succeeded mother 1 5 H H i for in 70 . e was Lord igh Adm ral

1 706- 1 707 of six Scotland , and was one the teen of the Scottish peers elected at the 1 69 Union to the House of Lords . In 7 he

of married the Lady Anne Douglas , daughter

of n H the ﬁrst Duke !uee sberry , Lord igh

of S k Treasurer Scotland , and ister to the du e

ff of 1 7 0 who took a lead in e ecting the Union 7 .

66 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

t o be seen on one of the dormer windows on f the south ront, which contains on the gable

m of f an annulet (concentric rings) , the ark a ﬁ th

s on. It is hardly likely that the builder of the

was f son castle a fi th , though he may have f h been , but fi th sons do not generally in erit. The annulet may perhaps simply mark the birth of a fifth son to the then proprietor at the

time when the castle was built .

of i The plan the castle , wh le it shows that t he time had already come when comfort and e legance were being studied in the building of

a great mansion , Shows even more clearly that the rough times of assaults and sieges were by

n f of no means gone by . The striki g eature

t he as t is r c le the g eat square keep , with its corner towers placed so as to ﬂank the south a nd s f we t Sides o the building . It contains the

e in ntrance the east corner, and exactly above t he door there is a peculiar angular m achicola

six f a n tion , a stone eet long laid cross the a gle s o as to leave a triangul ar aperture commanding

t h is in e doorway below . This stone notched s uch a way as to show that it was probably

provided with a wooden protective screen, a

u ra w of nique ar ngement , which ould allow ELCHO CASTLE 67 missiles being hurled down upon any enemies who were attacking the door or in case of need

E . NE ELCH O CASTLE, N COR R to allow of water being poured down to quench a ﬁre intended to burn the door . 68 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

G as i n oing round the c tle outside , it is ev de t that the turrets and projecting square - gabled towers are so arranged as to ﬂank every portion

f of f o the Sides . The strength the ortiﬁcation is w r , ho ever, most expended on the squa e

w r i an keep , ith its ba t z s and stone turrets . The north and west sides have few and small a of pertures, but the windows the great hall and chambers abov e looking south are large and protected by extremely strong iron grat

of ings , the bars which are interlaced and h . as welded The entrance door too , behind

a e the outer door, a Simil r and more massiv

grating wit h huge bolts . These terrible grat ings made t he castle in fact a cage out of which exit was impossible in cas e of the door i f . 1 630 o being blocked In , at the burn ng the

of rendrau ht m d castle F g Si ilarly guarded , Lor

n of was Aboy e , the Laird Rothiemay , shut in and w perished , escape by the grated indows being

E f e a impossible . lcho was urther protect d by

and a r of ditch or moat wall , two towe s which

a e remain in part . A can l led up to the castl

f is rom the river, which about one hundred and

ft . a ﬁ y yards away This canal , ending in

of d quarry under the north wall the castle, woul ELCHO CASTLE 69 a of ld llow barges coming and going, and wou indeed be the chief avenue of approach in days when roads were either very bad or

- non existent . w f The castle as thus extremely well ortiﬁed .

On is t entering , the lower storey qui e in keep i ing with this, be ng vaulted with stone , and the apertures for light and air are ext remely t small . The kitchen , which has a small gra ed

s f it window , mu t have derived any cheer ulness ever possessed from roaring ﬁres in the huge

arched ﬁreplace with it s wide open chimney . One can still see on one corner the place where

r the cooks sha pened their knives . The store rooms and cellars on the ground ﬂoor are

all equ y gloomy. But when we turn to the stair leading up to the great hall we see that other considerations than defence were taken

to i c . s in a count The stair easily gradated, the

f . al steps being seven eet long The great h l ,

f had though now open to the castle roo , originally a ceiling fourteen feet high the hall

’ f i i e itsel s twelve yards by e ght . On th second ﬂoor were sets of fairly roomy and lofty b ed

a t O m . ch mbers, and on the p ﬂoor smaller roo s Access to these was provided by three narrow 70 THE RHYND AND ELCHO f newel staircas es Opening on the hall . One o t n hese led also up t o t h e battleme ts . Each set of rooms was provided with a ﬁreplace and other conveniences . The hall , with its immense

ﬁreplace , must have been a stately room , and the adjoining one on the same ﬂoor was like wise of good dimensions . There are in this

f of s com ics room some ragments a pla ter , or f of s rieze a Simple pattern , namely rose , thi tle and ﬂeur- de - lis placed alternately above and

w of a d belo in the angles a zigzag dotted b n , the whole closed above and below by a plain di moul ng . One can see that in Spite of the grim aspect of m of uch the interior, there would not be wanting in the palmy days of the castle a

al of u u if f good de l x ry, not much com ort in the

A of modern sense . scending to the top the keep a pleasant view of the river is obtained

- s across the tree top , but the castle lies too low f r v - f o an extensi e view . The present slate roo has been substituted for an older one of stone

ha fal n s d n. labs, which doubtless len i to rui THE JOUG STANE

IN these days t he benefactor of a country

’ parish m ay be expected to bestow a Free

or as Library , or an Institute , at the le t a

o Drinking Fountain . In the end f the seven t ee nt h century parochial benevolence took f other orms . It might be a bursary to help

a poor divinity students at college , or a sm ll m ort ificat ion for f of behoo the poor, but surely SO curious a public benefit was never bestowed on any parish as when the Laird of Wester Rhynd and Kinm ont h erected a Joug Stane by the roadside in one of his fields with the inscription

‘ t 6 5 Ke r er xi 1 9 . W. M e . i ,

Oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore ’ Ma formi ine e li d poena .

n ul The Jo gs, an institution pec iar to

an an n l d , was iro collar attached to a 71 72 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

Off chain , by which thieves and other enders were tied up by the neck for SO m any hours

i i r unt l their crime was exp ated . It se ved precisely the same purpose as the stocks in

a s ml England . The ch in wa usually secured ﬁr y to a staple in the church- wall or some stone

- gate post . The punishment was an extremely

TH E JOUG STANE

and al irksome one, exposed the unhappy crimin to public derision , which would certainly not be

s t f i ff the lea part o h s su ering. In this case the Joug Stane was simply a

r 5 f big up ight whinstone boulder, about % eet

out . high , and the inscription is very rudely

r of r On two Sides there are t aces i on staples , to which the chain would be attached by

74 THE RH YND AND ELCHO

c reported between Jo k , the ploughman, and i h s c e . oadjutor, Tammy , the h rd laddie Says ’ S Jock , Tammy , what oor laird aboot and ’ w a t the ans er, What sud he be boot but sit in ’ ’ on his ain loupin - on - stane and glowrin frae ’ ’ him that s what he s aboot But if there was not much call for intel

f of of lectual exertion , the li e a country laird w ‘ f the period as bien and com ortable . The mansion house of Wester Rhynd has long ago disappeared to make way for a modern farm

it ifﬁ th e house , still , is not d cult to conjecture

of for style house , there was little variation from one type in these old Scottish country

. V al houses ery thick and solid w ls, pierced

f r by small windows , de ended on the lowe f storey by iron bars the ront door rather low, and adorned with a coat of arms set in a stone panel abov e ! the door secured inside by a huge oak bar clasped with iron ! crow - stepped

of al s gables , and the lowest course the w l composed of huge irregular boulders jutting

out . hi at rough angles Wit n , the rooms would b e f m if com ortable and war , rather dark , and the estate would yield all that was necessary — for a plentifully supplied table home- brewed THE JOUG STANE 75 al e of f t h e , an abundant Supply salmon rom E t he arn , that in a wide loop almost encircles

t of Wester Rhynd estate , any quanti y pigeons f - and f f t he rom the pigeon house , owls rom

ul - po try yard . Hams and salt beef would not

f f and be wanting, and more rarely resh bee

t h f e i mutton grown on e arm . Th re m ght at

u of times be too m ch a good thing, and the servants woul d grumble at having salmon and

- ft l n pigeon pie o ener than they iked , u less they

as i had prudently stipulated , was somet mes

f f a t o e e done be ore eeing, to be tre ted th s delicacies not oftener than twice in the week . The Keir family was at the time we Speak of s f a large one , and the old hou e would be ull of r f f b ight aces and buoyant li e . There were other neighbours of the same rank within easy

s —at Ea Cul far ie at di tance ster Rhynd, at g ,

f r . o Fingask Then the children , the cottar town of Burnfoot close by would be full of ’ h O L tt ert on a . S e attr ction The wright s p at ,

m n as and the s iddy would be , lo g ago , they

ral of r f are still , the natu centres pa ish li e and ’ s of s gossip. In those days the noi e the weaver

was mm s shuttle co on , and there was al o a

a - a mm c up m ker, who kept the co unity supplied 7 6 THE RHYND AND ELCHO with wooden porridge bowls and platters ! a ’ ft his er tailor also , who o en worked in custom s

s of th e f house , making the clothes amily , and e ven undertaking the part of stay- maker and m - e for antua maker, so that there was little ne d an is l y one to go shopping in Perth , which on y ix S miles away . A Visit to the little haml et is delightfull y 1 d of fa escribed by a member the Keir mily,

as f . who , a child , was amiliar with it The

f r i period she re e s to s about 1 77 5 . She de s s s a a a a cribe the cottage as having e ch k ily rd, containing also som e apple - trees and bountree

unde rb ark of bushes (elder) , the green which, when scraped down and mixed with suet , acted as a sovereign re medy for cuts and

u all — of br ises . The cottages were alike walls stone and clay cemented together with chopped s traw roofs thatched with the reeds which grow I n great abundance close by at t he j unc

of E e tion the Tay and arn !the inside , divid d

- b ut by box beds into a and ben , and the hallan , a clay partition at t he entrance door to exclude th a a e bl st. The l dy goes on to tell of a visit

1 Joan t e nth child of Jae . F. E . Ke i b o n 1 0 ma ied Ro e , r, r 77 , rr g r

A t oun died at I nverle ith Row Edinb u h 1861 a ed 90. y , , rg , , g THE JOUG STANE to an old nurse who lived in one of those

a . cottages with a b chelor brother, a weaver ‘ To pay a visit to our old nurse was a chief

u r of . ind lgence , and su e a hearty welcome On ’ entrance the sound of the weaver s shuttle was heard. The ﬁreplace was at one end of

of s the cottage , and consisted ome neat stones placed near the wall that the smoke might escape through the lum or hole in the roof. A fe w seats of wood or stone surrounded t h e

mil for ﬁreplace . In one corner stood a ch cow ( all the cottars had cows) , in the other sat a hen with a brood of ﬁve chickens nestling

so ff s under her ! yet all clean and ino en ive , it f o mf . had all quite a look co ort Soon , a stool covered with a napkin white as snow was set

f us of m l v be ore , with a cog nice i k co ered with

am cre , a trencher (or wooden plate) with barley f a . o u b nnocks A large print b tter, and at w times a honeycomb, ith large horn cuttys , or spoons, completed the repast , attended only by

for t he re dear old nurse , Johnny, brother,

his t u mained at loom , not wishing to in err pt ’ the young ladies. This peaceful life of laird and cottar did not

1 P ivatel ub lish e d Reminiscences o K eir Famil . r y p , f y 78 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

s 1 1 5 1 7 4 5 always go on undi turbed . From 7 to was a time when wars and rumours of war sent successive Shocks of alarm as well as positive hardships into both cot - house and b all of , more especially as the parish Rhynd lay in the track of the combatants The

of Kinm ont h Laird and Rhynd, and probably

l of a so all the parishioners , were on the side G n f the overnme t, doubtless eeling with the majority of the people of Scotland that it was the side of progress and of civil and religious f f ll f reedom . The o owing notes rom the church records give a vivid impression of the parish f f sentiment as regards both riend and oe . 2 1 1 5 7 7 . November , No sermon because of a printed proclamation at Perth , which

- f for Mar , the arch rebel, issued orth to pray im r mina t . 1 1 no 1 7 6. the P etender April , The reasons why we had no session this long time are—l st of , Mar and the rest the rebels who infected this and the shire of Fife and the

r us f 1 6 1 7 1 5 Shires beno th rom September , , to February 2 nd of the current year being the ’ a f d o . 2n G f occ sion it , King eorge s orces coming and going put the country in an ’ r for s uproa ome little time . THE JOUG STANE 79

am i At the s e date , James Brown , wr ght in

Let t ert on of R is for mb hynd, paid a new ti er box made by him to hold the two communion cups and the session books and minutes which ’ were buried underground in the time of Mar s ’ r ebellion.

' e of She riﬂmuir l The battl , though it cou d scarcely be called a victory for the Govern

of H r ment, led to the dispersal the ighlande s

and S O for that had gathered round Mar, a time there was peace . The new rebellion in 1 7 4 5 must have brought the horrors of war even closer to the quiet f of olks Rhynd . Prince Charlie spent a night

u of Car ow u in the ho se p , j st across the river , and his Highl anders scoured the surrounding f o o . country in search bo ty For instance , at

u of the neighbo ring parish Arngask , they entered the church while the people were at worship , and sitting down beside them , coolly

n of n stripped the congregatio boots a d Shoes . At Newburgh they got hold of a recalcitrant

and a w Whig , pricked him along the ro d ith their swords for a couple of mil es till he was ’ f a f r ain to cry Prince Ch rlie o ever. The same lady from whose reminiscences I 8 0 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

s have already been permitted to quote , give a most romantic history of a member of he r ’ fa i r 4 all f m ly du ing the 5 time . We sh ollow pretty closely her narrative .

H lia r of elen Keir, daughter to Wil m Kei

Kinmont h was and , a ﬁne young woman , f accomplished or that day . She could play the i l f a u . o r virg n and ﬂ te One her siste s, who ’ was r s was delicate , ordered to d ink goat

a m a . whey , and She cco p nied her to Atholl There Helen became acquainted with a High

of Blairﬁt t a land laird, Robertson y , and

al mutual regard ensued. He was her equ in

r f bi th , being uncle to the chie Struan, and

h of m was otherwise most wort y estee , but he a

of H of ﬁrm adherent the ouse Stuart , and ’ when her father s consent to their union was

as al was . ked, a decided deni the reply, Mr Keir being a strong supporter of the

Government . H f H hl n elen was recalled rom the ig a ds , and at Rhynd the days ran sadly on A heavy cloud sat on her young brow. Her father was watchful and uneasy every night he ordered a domestic to lay the key of the entrance door under his pillow , but the lady

8 2 THE RHYND AN D ELCHO of f oatmeal rescued rom their burning house , and on this they had for a time to sub sist .

f of Separated rom her husband , and ignorant his f she and he r f f f ate , in ants , with a aith ul

sh e was e servant , remained there till remov d to her brother’s house at Wester Rhynd—her f father had died some time be ore . At Rhynd s he was f al obliged care ully to conce her identity , ’ for part of the house was occupied by the king s

d t . ragoons quar ered in it These gentlemen ,

f a fr though riendly and civil , m de very ee with a ll u on — f they co ld lay hands the owls , the s al m th e fr a on , pigeons , the uit, and especi lly t he r of u p oduce the brewho se . Probably the private opinion of th e family was that the rebels could only have been a degree more intolerable had they been quartered upon

w r l f for them . There as t uly ittle com ort

his r the laird at own ﬁ eside . One night the l out of at ady, a little patience no doubt

of h er the depredation visitors , made some remark about the hardships of the time as

S he was sitting by the ﬁre roasting an apple . ! What does the old lady say asked one of ’ t h e fﬁ s o cer who were in the room . Oh, THE JOUG STANE 83

‘ ’ r s of eplied the other, it nothing but some ’ - l her old Scotch wrong headed princip es. The cause of the Pretender having become

of hopeless , he ﬂed to France , as did many his

Blairﬁ t f f l f ll t . aith u o owers , and among them y

T i his f r f h ther wi e and child en ollowed , and hi t here they lived till s death. The widow

was then returned to Scotland , and made ’ welcome in her brother s house, where, in her

- e . ighty seventh year, she died She had two s ons , who entered the army , and were both m n e xcellent soldiers and good e . To the end o f her days the Lady of Blairﬁt ty always de clared that notwithstanding all the misfortunes of h e r f she married li e , never regretted the s She so tep had taken, except that by doing ’ S f di H he had incurred her ather s spleasure . er

its ivory ﬂute and little airs , and also her s - f of pinning wheel, were the chie amusements ’ t h e old lady s latter years .

so far as These years were , external events

u t a fu to were concerned, q ie and pe ce l yet an old ad w m ra s o far c l y hose reme b nces went ba k , they must have been ﬁlled with the excite ments or regrets of a world quickly changing

i of c its hab ts . From the end last entury on 84 THE RHYND AND ELCHO wards the old race of small Scottish lairds and their families found in the growing prosperity of the country opportunities of advancement which they were not slow to take advantage of

a t whether at home or broad , and more recen times have made the old country life impossible under the old conditions .

are The cottars also a vanishing race . They t oo found the conditions of life become im

n was o possible whe the home weaving st pped , nd r ul r a f a new ag ic tu al rrangements, large arms

- s v in and labour a ing implements came , and all

of n w the other changes a e day.

is v t It ain to regre the inevitable, but still one cannot but regret those old hospitable mansion houses dotted closely all over the

f l of country , those little hamlets ul happy ,

for t w industrious people , hey are gone ithout leaving a trace , and seem likely to be replaced by nothing but open ﬁeld . LANDS AND HERITAGES

E ter and Wester Rh nd — I . as y The earliest settled and most fertile parts of the Parish are

E . undoubtedly the Rhynds , aster and Wester They must have been Crown property before v King David ga e them away to the Church , and they certainly would b e much increas ed in ’ val ue after the Church s tenure of them for

dr about three hun ed years . While they were still Church property they

' f i of Moncrieﬂ were occupied by the am ly , various branches of which continued for t wo hundred years aft er to ﬁll prominent positions in the neighbourhood . First , we know that

' a certain Hew Moncrieﬂ had in 1 532 a tack

f 1 539 fan of E R and a terwards in a aster hynd , while John Moncrieff held Wester Rhynd

1 5 4 fe u- h of 1 54 2 l about 5 . An old c arter re ates 8 6 THE RHYND AND ELCHO how the lands had been wasted by violent

od of E ﬂo s the Tay and arn , the tenants having thereby been put to much expense and trouble and r f e of t h e , the e or , requiring some alteration terms of lease . A touching incident is told a o of Moncrieffs a b ut one the , which lso Shows that the Prior of Pittenweem who was Superior of the lands might at need require military

of i service h s tenants . At a meeting of the clergy in the Chapter house of Pittenweem in November 1 54 8 there

ff son and of H appeared Peter Moncrie , heir ew f ff o E . Moncrie aster Rhynd This poor lad , aged

- 5 t o as m twenty two , di played the se bled monks his weak and palsied limbs in order to Show that he was incapable of rendering military service to the King or to the Prior his superior.

u f f re The n ortunate young man , there ore ,

fa f signed the lands in vour o his brother. Previous to 1 52 6 the whole Church property f of the monastery o May belonged to St .

s h a V . Andrew , but at t at d te King James got all the Priory lands erected into a barony to b e

all o of c ed the Bar ny Pittenweem . The King remarks that the priory of May and Pittenweem

of m u n is small i portance , its reven e comi g LANDS AND HERITAGES 8 7 f of rom the honest labour poor ﬁshers . It was f not too small, however , to save it rom being seize d at the Reformation by the commendator

e f o . d or t mporal Lord St An rews . Later, in

1 606 n of r , the la ds Pittenweem P iory were erected into a temporal lordship in favour of

son of Frederick , Colonel William Stewart ,

of with the title Lord Pittenweem . The greater

of part the lands , and among them the Rhynds ,

al had , however, been ready alienated by being f so of was eued, that all this lord got them

of oncrieffs rights superiority. The M still held

1 65 Sir on to the two Rhynds . In 5 we ﬁnd a

ff of s f William Moncrie that Ilk, who e wi e was

of of a daughter Lord Oliphant , in occupation both as tenant .

His son William became proprietor of both .

' Another son ﬁgures as Sir John Moncrieﬂ of

' Kinm onth H Moncrieﬂ of . A third son , ugh

r a of Coates , was ma ried to a d ughter Dundas of of Fingask . Another son was minister Abernethy ( 1 57 9 and he had likewise

of of so a share the spoil Church lands , greedily seized upon in those days by the

for nobility, he was Prior and Commendator

of a of E its . the mon stery lcho with garden , etc , 8 8 THE RHYND AND ELCHO and had a title to all the rights and em olu n ments pertaini g thereto . Ye t another son

n of was mi ister Crail. In the next generation we ﬁnd a son of

' William Moncrieﬂ of the Rhynds with the

' title Sir John Moncrieﬂ of that Ilk and ﬁrst

a H f B ronet . e has already been re erred to in connection with the settlement of a minister of n 1 H is if was Rhy d in 630 . w e a daughter of the Earl of Tullib ardine and he died in

1 650 H as n . is property is described bei g the lands of Easter Rhynd with the ﬁshings in the Tay and Earn and the pas sage upon the waters of E rn a ferric a , c lled the , likewise Wester ’ f rri Rhynd and the e c there .

H is s on the second Baronet , another Sir f in 1 674 John , sometime be ore his death , sold

n of a Wester Rhy d to Mr. Keir C rse, so that it i ' ceased henceforth to belong to the Moncr e ﬂs . This Sir John also sold Easter Rhynd in 1 656

of but to a connection his own, Matthew

r ff of Kint illo f Monc ie the amily , who in turn it hi sold to s sister Mrs . Arnot and her

was o husband , and it nce again sold to a

' n ri cousin David Mo c eﬂ in 1 703. This David

o i ff his f M ncr e with wi e, Anne Dundas , daughter

90 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

r a u Kinm ont h E in Ca se , who lso bo ght state 6 1 8 3.

1 68 9 his of In , son Patrick , Wester Rhynd and Kinm onth is as of , mentioned a member the Parliament that met at Perth in that year.

1 69 0 u e of W m and In , d ring the r ign illia

of Mary , his name occurs in the list Commis sioners of Supply for Perth county . ’ ’ a a h son Willi m , P trick s eldest brot er s , next

is came into possession . It he who erected

his who the Joug Stane , and it was daughter

Blairﬁt fr married ty . There is equent mention of Kinm ont h in the session records . For years

fr Mr. Keir has money lent om the session on f 1 0 1 r . a o 7 which he pays inte est In note , Kinm ont h says he is willing to pay his ’ of o m m 1 2 5 arrears p or s oney, so e pounds

ll w aﬂi rm s a K athren Shi ings , hich he he g ve to

o w ll Low , a poor wid w ith several sma children , in time of dearth which he would not have done (said he) if there had be en a constitute ’ f session . The matter is re erred to the

r r Kinm ont h was P esbyte y, and in the end all t on owed to re ain the money , with a cauti that this serve not as a precedent in t h e

coming . LANDS AND HERITAGES 91

The last mention of the family in the church

un n of 1 acco ts is a do ation £ by Mr. Keir in

1 8 1 2 n ll 1 8 1 7 an , and ﬁ a y, in , there is entry,

- for 2 4 E £ S . mort cloth Miss Keir , , ventually

E as Wester, like aster Rhynd, became , they

of . are at present, part the Wemyss property

Kinm ont h di n was , inclu ng Fi gask and Coates,

otherwise disposed of.

Fin ask an oa te Fin as — II . g d C s of g k Fin

as wn a u g k , kno in olden times as Fing sk D ndas,

and Mak ill later as Fingask g , lies on the sunny

n Ea n and braes slopi g towards the r , includes

of t he of part ﬂat ground below , while Coates s Finga k, over the ridge , slopes in the same way

s e toward the Tay , with a northerly exposur Kinm onth estate marches with both on the

west.

n t o s of On Fi gask , a little the ea t the pre

a of Kinm onth one sent m nsion house , stood at

W l r time a house called a t e e . It was within

ar of a the bound ies Rhynd p rish , which Kin

w Walt ree month House is not . Belo there

a aml a f of was little h et c lled Burn oot, boasting

an was alehouse . In old times the proprietor

a as h e Baron Dundas, Baron Fing sk Dundas , 9 2 THE RHYND AND ELCHO was and mi l called , he owned it till the dd e of 1 62 3 the seventeenth century. About ,

' C was of H Moncrieﬂ oates the property ew , whose wife was a daughter of Dundas of

Fingask. 1 69 5 ﬁnd Later, in , we both Fingask and

C Mak ill s of Kemb ack oates, owned by the g , u 1 8 64 who held them ntil , when David Mait land Makgill of Rankeillour sold both to the

r of G G of t ustees Sir eorge Simpson , overnor H am t imc the udson Bay Company . At the s e Kinm ont h was also sold to the same trustees by Patrick Small Keir of Kindrogan. The

f H Es . s on o G . . Sir eorge , J Pelly Simpson , q ,

e fr 1 8 7 9 and occupi d the property om onwards , al built the ﬁne new mansion house . He so

n a built ma y new cott ges , and improved the steadings .

1 8 9 7 Kinmont h i In , , F ngask , and Coates were

s r E . old to the present p oprietor, J . A . Weir, sq

E l r II . c o I h . t The la ger por ion , three f r of of e ou ths , the parish Rhynd, is the prop rty

f iz o E of v . E the arl Wemyss, aster and Wester

R n of has a hy d , the history which been alre dy t e f of E G of old, and the thr e arms lcho , range

94 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

e ach keep their cow. The occupiers were

a n - ﬁsh ers i on mostly s lmo , and also carr ed

e n . o f s w avi g In one the e cottages which ,

u i n is perhaps, was j st with n Rhy d Par h , lived

of a of a man the n me Murray , who had two

n . H is f n so s, James and John wi e had a other

s on W ll H , i iam ope, who went to India in early

f f as li e and made a large ortune in Madr . On

his u u w ret rn to this co ntry , the vessel in hich

his fam he and ily had embarked was lost, and by his will his fortune came to James and w 1 9 . as 8 0 John Murray This in . Their

fa a is ther was labourer , an adept, it said ,

r H and his at wheelba row work . e barrow

were always in requisition somewhere . James Murray left to build a lunatic asylum

— u u In the M rray Asyl m Perth . The story of a young lad going out into the

r d f of r wo l to seek his ortune is not , cou se ,

a is uncommon, but now days it not the young

lads only who leave their rural homes . Whole families are steadily migrating to the large

o f r r off d ra ia t wns , or u the to Cana a, Aust l , or

o A r f f . S uth rica Country work on la ge arms ,

s u as r fa t o ch Rhynd is pa titioned into , ils s ecure permanence of abode in Spite of wages LANDS AND HERITAGES 95

e qual to what may be earned elsewhere . With

of f e few a the exception arm rs and a others , country population has now a shifting char acter that is fatal to the solidarity and in

r Y f e t imac e . et y that us d to mark a pa ish , a t r all t of , the present condi ion things , with so many cottages falling into ruin and such a

a of nl r large acre ge pasture , is o y tempo ary .

a as as When we look b ck over the p t, we have

r se e traced it within the na row parish bounds , we in the course of centuries change after change

un - for ﬁrst , the waste land a h ting ground savage tribes then the rough times when men

c r for if arved out a po tion themselves, not by

a of the sword , at any r te by the strong hand

ar r r of bitra y power, while the se vants the Church mitigated the ﬁe rceness of the age by

f ul a o of peace ul c tiv ti n ﬁeld and garden. Then . came the rising of intelligence among the

f and b ut people , elt not only in Church State

n of d so in the more ge eral culture the lan , that in time the hillsides were dotted over with ft w cro ers and cottars , whose co s grazed on the

ll was hi s, in whose houses the loom kept busy, and who found work on the small estates round

al - ﬁshin them or at s mon g . That phase gave 96 THE RHYND AND ELCHO place later to a period of large farms and

r i agricultural prospe ity wh ch did not last . f 7 What the next phase may be, who can oretell

n nl a and has t he One thi g o y l sts always been , charm of natural beauty that rests on the hills and crags of Rhynd and on the wide stretching s t e raths it looks out upon , and on the two nobl rivers that here become one and are met by

f e the tides o the mighty d ep .

MP 4 3 O, ! ‘ m 1 4»

THE KIRK OF RHYND

LIKE nest of bird built on a mossy cliff S aded av n ou and a on ea ed h with w i g b ghs h lf c c l , But with a wide outlook across a plain Of m ood and ﬁe ds and r n s isty w s l , ci cli g hill , W an e u and ee n r ver urve ith ch g f l sky sw pi g i c s , And far away a gleaming ﬂash of sea ! So on a ee reen o e a dro a a , st p g sl p th t ps w y Do n to the o and the reed mar e w will ws y g , The K r of R nd and th e r ver an i k hy st s by i b k, A H ou e of Pra er for m e oun r o s y si pl c t y f lk, Wh o at the summons of t h e Sabbath bell Come forth from m any a cot and hom estead round ll To or God Fa er and Fr end t o a . w ship , th i W reveren m en e a n and ra ith t i th y p ss withi p y, Seeking their portion of the Bread of Life Rough hands are clasped and toil- worn faces look U ard for and om or m ed t oo oft pw light c f t, iss In sordid homes amid laborious days 1 00 THE RHYND AND ELCHO

Where scarce a moment is for holy thought . But sacred words and dear familiar strains Of Psalm and Hymn with friends and neighbours sung Rekindle faith and bring back hope again ! The sad ﬁnd comfort and the weak take heart To ﬁght their daily battle and endure ! And some behold in vision that high life Of es ed ou o e v or s won bl s s ls wh s ict y i ,

And long t o pass t o them behind the veil . — SO hearts are lifted up the humble Kirk Be ome a ou e ere rood t he love of God c s h s wh b s , W ere H e near o e and rou a d on e ras ed h is , wh s h s gh h n s c g p In r end th e Gal ean a e f i ship by il l k ,

Whose gift of love is life for evermore .

NSTAB LE Prin ers t o H is Ma est Print ed b y T. and A . CO , t j y at th e Edinb urgh University Press

Th is b o ok sh oul d b e re tur ned t o t h e L ib rary on or b e fore th e l as t d ate