Lands Than the Roads That Were Constructed by General Wade
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I. MILITARY ROADS AND FORTIFICATIONS IN THE HIGHLANDS, WITH BRIDGE MILESTONESD SAN THOMAY B . S WALLACE, F.S.A. SCOT. Nothing contributed peace mor prosperitth d o ean t Highe th f y-o lands tha roade nth s that were constructe Generay db ls Wadhi d ean successors ways,d "e ol Th ". accordin Burto gt , consiste stonf o d y moors, bogs, rugged, rapid fords, declivities of hills, entangling woods, giddd an y precipices. Although Wad responsibls ewa comparaa r efo - tively small portion of the work, yet he was undoubtedly the originator scheme oth f e whic completes h wa s successorshi y db . These roads, which followed pretty much the old tracks (which have been continued railways)e th y b , were commence dn 172i carried 5an tiln o dl 1814. widte firse thes th a Th tfeetf 6 yhd o road1 weran s , militarr swa e fo y purposes they proceede straighs a dn i lina t possibles ea shorteo t , e nth journey. On account of the peculiar circumstances which followed the Dis- arming Act after 1715, and after representations made by Lord Lovat and others, General Wad commandes ewa Georgy db proceeo t . eI do t the Highlands in 1724 and report upon the state of affairs as he found them, and to suggest remedies for the same. A copy of his instructions will be found in the Record Office, vol. xiv. p. 60. Among other things keeo t roade s pth goon wa si e dh repair communicating betweee nth barracks already established, and to build a galley to be employed in conveying troops, etc. Locn ,o h Ness. Wade's report wil foune b l s a d appendin a Jamieson'o xt s editio Burt'f no s Letters. MILITARY EOADS AND FORTIFICATIONS IN THE HIGHLANDS. 319 Wade arrived at Inverness in 1724, August 10th, and on the 27th Octobe same th f eo r yea reportee rh madd thaha ee h tprogres s with the roads, and that the vessel for navigation on Loch Ness would be finished in a fortnight after that date. The " Highland galley," as it was called, was 25 to 30 tons burden, and was to cost not more than £400. This vesse buils t Inverneswa la t carried san d overlan Loco dt h Ness unde directioe rth f Captaino n Pestle, captai Satisfaction,e th f no by some of his seamen, and almost all the soldiers and officers of Colonel Fitch's regiment. We have already stated that there wer e Highlandroado th en n si s before General Wade's time glimpsA tracke . th t ea s usually followed e Highlanderth y b s when moving from plac placo et e will more than justify this statement. During the rising in 1653 under Glencairn, when General Monk marched from Kintail to Inverness by Glen Strath Farrar, he said : nearlr fo y y fivwa e boggeo "s mile Th s y wa s thabaggag 0 10 t e horses were left behind, and many other horses bogged or tired." " Never any horsemen, much less an army, were observed to march that way before." When Dundee left Invernes n 1689i s e sayh , s thas horsehi t s scrambled over pathless mountains, white with perpetual frosts Gleno t , - garry Castle, whic surroundes hwa gloomy db y marshes returs hi n nO . journey from e mooPertth Eannocf troops o o rht hi d sle saie hh e dh through mountains, forcing his way by plain and cliff, by sweltering bog and gully, and that many of the wearied horses sunk in the marshes werd an e furthee lostH . r notes tha reachee th d Loch Trei streay gb m and mars quakind han g bog foresty b , s blocked with uprooted trees, by precipices and mountain heights. Nothing could better sho roade state wth th f seo tha followine nth g descriptio Lory nb d Lova journea f " t5 o " e o4 fyth fro "e Airmth d " soute th Slochmuic y o hb t Drumouchdad kan r :— " I brought my wheelwright with me as far as Aviemore in case of 320 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAECH 13, 1911. accidents therd an , eI parte d witbecausm hhi declaree eh d thay m t chariot woul safo dg e t eighenougno s t Londonmileo hwa t I st bu , fro place mth e plaie wheth n n o roa axle-tree d th hin e th d f ewheeo l broke in two, so that my girls were forced to go on bare horses behind obliges footmenwa ridI o dt d e an myself, camI . e with that equipago et Ruthven late at night, and my chariot was pulled there by force of men, wheelwrigha wher t go eI smitha wroughd o tan ,wh day o ttw s mending my chariot, and after paying very dear for their work and for my quarters two nights, I was not gone four miles from Ruthven when t broki miserabla e n againi s thao wa s e, I tconditio n til camI l o et Dalnacardach hile Drummonf th o l t A . fore dth e axle gave wayd an , again smit callee wrightd b han o assistance. o t d cartt d d san sha " The following are a few notes on the roads constructed by Wade and his successors. Road from Perth o Inverness.t —This road proceede y Sconeb d , Murtly, Dunkeld, Dalguise, Blair of Athol, Struan, Dalwhinnie, Kin- gussie, Aviemore, Carrbridge; crosse e Dulna th da bridg y b t na e Sluggan,1—from here to Slochmuick by Torbreck. The Findhorn was crossed by a bridge at Raigbeg, which was carried away by the " Moray floods " 1759. From here roath e d continue y Dalmagerrib d o t e MoAultnaslanachd yan , throug pase h th Mof so y (Starsach-nan-G-ael), crosse Naire dth t Failiena entered ,an d Invernes whay sb knows i t s na " Edinburgh Road." This constructeroas wa d d between 172d 5an 1733. 172n I 8 Wade reporte follows da s :— wit w l possiblhal no m a e " I diligenc roaw e dne carryin e th n go between Dunkel Invernessd dan f abouo , Englis0 8 t h measured miles lengthn i wor a los e thad n essentiab o i tktims o an y , s n t hi ema o t l Majesty's service I have employed 300 men in different parts of the roa ddone b tha wore y e th tdurin kma favourable gth e seasoe th f no year." (Inverness Field Club Trans., vol. v. p. 157.) 1 See the illustration, p. 326. MILITARY ROADS AND FORTIFICATIONS IN THE HIGHLANDS. 321 In 1729 Wade was at Dalnacardach, and in September of that same year lie rode over this road as far as Inverness. Road from Perth Forto t George.—This road extended from Perto ht Blairgowrie, Spittal of Glen Shee, to Braemar, down the Dee to Balmoral, Bridg f Gairneo , Cock Bridge, Corgarfi Castle, Tomintoul, Fig. 1. Record Stone near Tomintoul. Grantown, Dava, Dulsie Bridge, Calder (Cawdor), Croy, Balsparden, Campbelltown, Fort George. In 1757 mention is made of bridges on this road, and of painting figurind an e milestones gth thesf o o e milestoneTw . stile sar l stand- s aboui e 5 mileinton g: s from Tomintoul e roath dn o ove, e th r Lecht Hill to Donside, of which an illustration is given in fig. 1. It VOL. XLV. 21 2 32 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , MARC , 191113 H . measure fixew incheinche4 0 dno s3 inches 2 4 s int i y e y sb sd b o th an , walroadsida f o l e well beard an ,e followin sth g inscription :— A.-D. 1754. Five Companies Regimen3 3 e th t Right Honbl Lord ChaColoney Ha s l made this road from here to the Spey. The other stands at the east end of the bridge over the Spey at Grantown. It is in a mutilated condition, and bears the following inscription :— A.-D. 1754. Five Companies 33 Regiment Honourable Lord Charles Hay Colonel Finished. As this road was completed shortly after 1757, and as Fort George (at Campbelltown) was not completed till about 1763, it is evident that the road was made before the fort was ready for occupation. As Wade died in 1748, this road must have been completed by his successor mentioy ma I n. here that ther s anotheei r milestont a e Dalnacardach, but I have not been able to find out the inscription. Road between Inverness and Fort William.—In 1725 Wade reported kine th madd g o t ha tha ee h tgoo d progress wit roae hth d between Kilhuimen (Fort Augustus) and Fort William. In 1726 he com- d extendepletean o Inverness t t i d t i d n 172I reportee . h 7 o t d Lord Townshend tha t greae "th t military road throug e centrhth e Highlandse oth f , extending from Fort Willia Invernessmo t mile0 5 , s in length, is now about finished, and made practicable for the march of troops, cannon r wheeleo , e continuedb carriagesy ma o t dd an , MILITARY EOADS AND FORTIFICATIONS IN THE HIGHLANDS. 323 Perth at a very moderate expense by the regiments quartered in those parts." The road from Fort Augustus to Inverness was on the east side of Loch Ness passed an , d through Stratherric Foyersd kan . Road from Fort George Failieo t Bridge.—After Wade completed his roads, it was necessary to keep them in repair, and for this purpose Major Caulfiel s appointedwa d , wit n allowanca h f £500eo .