Issue 17 NEWSLETTER Friends of Perth & Kinross Council Archive

Hon. Presidents: Bob Scott, Provost, Perth & Kinross Council: Sir William Macpherson of Cluny and Blairgowrie

In this issue: CLASSIC SHOPFRONTS IN PERTH

ARTICLES IN STOCK

Chairman’s Notes Page 2 News from the Archives 2 Gunpowder, Treason and Plot 3 Family History 1) Some Do’s and Don’ts 4 Family History 2) How the Archive Helps 6 Architectural Gems on City Streets 7 Dunkeld and Birnam History Society 10 A Dunkeld Policeman’s Strange Ordeal 11 Water, Drains and Cholera in Perth 14

Friends’ visit to Weem 16

Perth & Kinross Council Archive, AK Bell Library, York Place, Perth PH2 8EP,

Tel: 01738 444949 Email: [email protected]

Chairman’s Notes

Our outing to Weem in July to explore Menzies Castle and St Cuthberts Old Church once more confirmed that a large number of Friends enjoy our visits to historic sites. The castle, with its imposing tower, was built in the 16th century by Menzies of Menzies and remained the seat of Clan chiefs until 1918. In 1972 the Menzies Clan Society began restoring it and are attempting to save as much of the original building as possible from the scourge of dry rot. They are also rehabilitating the remarkable, though neglected, walled garden.

In the church I was intrigued by the ‘mortheads’ of the Menzies family (motto: Will God I Shall). They give a fasci- nating insight into the ways in which the aristocracy have commemorated deaths. All told, it was most enjoyable day out— including the tea and scones. For a more detailed picture, Vera Purves gives her impressions on page 16.

Friends continue to do useful work on a variety of projects. Marjorie Howat, Jackie Hay and Vera Purves are work- ing on burial records, while John Howat, our able secretary, is in charge of the project’s ‘quality control’; Margaret Borland-Stroyan is researching Maritime History; Hilary Wright is dealing with Women’s issues; Graeme Watson has completed his work on Word Wars I and II and is now working on the Perthshire Militia; Gavin Lindsay and my- self are dealing with local Authority Planning records, and David Wilson compiles and edits our newsletter.

Recently, the Friends committee wrote to all the Community councils in Perthshire asking if any of their members would be interested in joining us, to work on projects in their own locality. To date we have had six positive replies.

Finally, I wish you all the compliments of the season, and hope that 2006 will be yet another successful year.

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News from the Archives

Friends volunteers, Marjory Howat and Jim Ferguson gave a very helpful hand to Archive and Local Studies staff at the first Family History Day held at the AK Bell Library. Marjory showed visitors the potential of the Perth Burial Registers database, while Jim was handing out general information and advice to those who had never visited the Archive before – can you believe that there are such people?! The whole day was a tremendous success and it seems that this will be an annual event.

The work of the Archive continues with our regular band of volunteers helping produce finding aids and weeding duplicate material to give us more storage space.

Archive staff have updated the guides to the collections, particularly family history resources, which you can pick up in the searchroom or download from the website. Work on the web pages continues, but we would like more ideas to include on the Friends’ section, so if you can, have a look and let me know if you have any suggestions. You can download the guides and see the Friends pages via www.pkc.gov.uk/archives.

Recent visitors have been looking at: distilleries in Perthshire, Kinross Town Hall, Perth’s Improvement Acts, Perth City Hall, house history, railways, the Belsen trials, the Hays of Errol, Kinross Baronial Status, the Crook of Devon and of course, family history.

Recent accessions include the Electrical Association of Women, scrapbook of activities, 1950-1975; VisitScotland leaflets and publications, c1950-c2005; Kinross Town Hall booking records, 1997-2002; typescript narrative of the life of William Lawson Greenhill, particularly of his experiences in and after WW1, 2005; legal papers relating to the case between Thomas Graham of Balgowan and Andrew Straiton, 1784-1814; generic letters concerning the arrange- ments to celebrate the Jubilee of King George V, 1935; Girls Brigade, Letham, Perth Division, 1993-2005; legal pa- pers of John Pitcairn, weaver, c1600-1757; and log book and admission registers of Pitgcairngreen and Almondbank schools, 1902-1939

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Gunpowder, treason and plot over four centuries

by Margaret Borland-Stroyan

In the Fair City we have just celebrated the 400th anniversary

of the Gunpowder Plot with a huge bonfire and magnificent fireworks. Earlier this autumn, I had encountered various ref- erences in the city archive to the foiled terrorist atrocity against James VI.

In 1605, bells were rung in Perth on the 8 November ‘for joy of His Majesty’s delivery from the cruel and treasonable fact done in London’ and there was an order for ‘this day to be keipit holie and in gude exercise with setting furth at ewin of

bonfires conforme to the missive sent to that effect’. At the meeting of the Perth Council on 18 November 1605, a letter st from the Lord Chancellor (Alexander Seton, 1 Earl of Dun- fermline) was produced, with the instruction ‘to examine and detain all Englishmen coming to the burgh in respect of the Treason against His Majesty’.

Throughout this year’s celebrations, my thoughts kept turning to the implications both for England and Scotland if the Gun- powder Plot had succeeded. James VI was ambitious to in- James VI herit the English throne, and probably returned to Scotland only once after the Union of the Crowns; but historians tell us that he had the vision to want his kingdoms to unite as Great Britain. Had the conspirators been successful in their intention of igniting a ton of gunpowder at the right moment, they would most certainly have de- stroyed the King, his sons and all present in the English Parliament building. Apparently they planned to install the princess Elizabeth as the Catholic Queen of England (ironically in reality her descendants were the stoutly protestant Hanoverians)

But even if they had succeeded in their plan, would the majority of the English people have accepted her as Queen? Would the Scots have chosen a monarch from among descendants of James IV? Would the Coven- anters have been spared the persecution suffered under Charles II (himself a signatory of the Solemn League and Covenant) and his brother James? And when, if at all, would England have united with Scot- land to form a new country?

But aside from these interesting might-have-beens, the atrocities in London on 7 July 2005 provide curious, if uncomfortable, parallels between acts of terrorism plotted, not by ‘foreigners’, but by native-born citizens from respectable families, and between the public reactions to those events.

3 James VI © Scottish National Portrait Gallery/SCRAN Children watching a bonfire © Scotsman Publications Ltd/SCRAN

Interest in Genealogy or Family History, has grown enormously in recent years, and we know that sev- eral Friends have taken it up or are contemplating doing so. With that in mind, Vera Purves gives us the benefit of some thirty years’ hard-won experience in researching her own family’s forebears, while Jan Merchant, our Assistant Archivist, describes the help the Archive can give to the researcher.

1) Family History; Some Do’s and Don’ts

I’ve been looking into my family history for several years now, and because I have ancestors from both sides of the border, and so experienced the different types of records available in both England and Scotland, I was asked to jot down some of my experiences – to offer some tips and hints and what to expect for those starting their own genealogical research.

One major change over the years has been how we can access the records we use for our research. When I started, in the 1970s, it used to be that researchers were given, say, the old parish register, open at the relevant page. We were allowed to look, but not touch; if a page crackled on being turned, the custodian bore down with a look of disbelief and scorn at such temerity. Many other records were simply not available to the general public. It’s still the case that some records in England are not as publicly accessible as they are in Scotland. But thanks to micro-filming and digitisation and a more welcoming attitude from archives and local studies centres, more and more records are more readily accessible.

Before anyone starts on their research, they need to think about how far they wish to go. Genealogical research usually consists of a tree or list of family names, their dates of birth, death and marriage and the places they lived. But family history delves deeper, and can be a compilation of facts and fables recounted or recorded by family members. You have to ‘seize the moment’ when you’re with family, especially eld- erly members, and get them to talk about their relations and ancestors. My relations do not mind providing factual information, but going further can prove tricky. I have to reassure them who potential readers of the family history might be, and may even promise to censor more sensitive information. If you don’t have many surviving fam- ily members to add colour as well as information to your family history, you may just have to dig a wee bit deeper into a wider range of records – an exciting possibility

You also need to define your research parameters: will you stick with your mother and father’s line or do you want to research other branches of the family too? Side tracking is inevitable, but try to keep it to a minimum. Defining your parameters also means you need to decide how you will record your research. Computer technol- ogy has made storage arrangement and retrieval of your research much easier, but as I’ve found to my cost, when you get sidetracked, you end up having to alter your storage and methods of recording your information. If you use computers, it is wise to back everything up on a separate disc. It saves time, paper and a general muddle. Having a ‘miscellaneous’ disc is useful to hold information not directly connected with your research. And think about the future. My confession is that as well as having electronic records, I have also compiled 19 volumes of our family’s history and our sons have instructions on their preservation and its distribution.

Another useful resource is oral interviews. Chats with those elderly relations can be recorded on tape or video, preserving reminiscences and even dialects. But you must get permission by the interviewee to use the recording. One interviewee of mine has embargoed the tape until after her death. I do hope I outlive her! But it is important to adhere to interviewee’s instructions – you could end up in court if you make their information public without permission. Be aware too that people sometimes forget they are being recorded and may make derogatory re- marks about friends and relatives – be ready to switch the tape off!

Whichever route you find yourself taking, your family history is only factual as far as the information you find is correct. Has it been recorded accurately? Even those events, like birth, death and marriage certificates, which had to be recorded through statute, can contain mistakes. These ‘life event’ records often form the bedrock of re- search, but other basic and useful sources include census returns, newspapers, photographs, church and council

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records. For myself, I find newspapers very interesting but they can be time-consuming to go through, so I try to narrow down the area and period I want to research. Photographs can be really informative but to be really useful, should be labelled with names, dates, occasion and place. Wills are also a useful source for identifying family members, their relationships and their whereabouts. Most important, whatever resources you use, al- ways try to cross-check the information.

Names can be problematical. In written records, do not assume that because a person has the same name, it is the person you’re looking for. Be aware too that many family Christian names were repeated in succeeding generations, and sometimes used again in the same family if a child died. Nicknames and diminutives are also common, usually starting within the family, sometimes recorded on ‘official’ records and sometimes not. Someone recorded as Sarah could have been called Cissie; George in some areas is converted to Dod. A 90 year old relative may refer to wee Duncan, but from which generation? Also, perhaps wee Duncan was a dis- tant relative or friend who had been orphaned and unofficially adopted by your ancestors. You can’t always assume that because someone carries the family names that they were born to the parents who were listed.

There’s always the problem of women’s names to consider too. Unlike England, most women in Scotland were often recorded under their maiden and married surname, which makes life a bit easier. But what of di- vorce and re-marriage? Female lines may be more difficult to trace as women were ‘not important’, and addi- tional surnames in either country were not always included in records.

Spellings are another hazard. For many years I spelt Lowden as Louden, the latter being familiar to my own area, but was actually incorrect. Luckily, these days, most computerised family history databases, such as Scotland’s People, automatically search on alternative spellings to the one you enter.

It can be particularly hard to trace ancestors across more than one country. I searched the Scottish records for many years trying to trace the birth of an ancestor without success. The census and family tales had listed her birthplace as Kirk Yetholm. It was only when I could search the UK census, I found her birthplace was in Durham, England.

As I mentioned before, even official records can be silent or misleading. An ancestor’s parents had an uncon- ventional gypsy wedding at Coldstream which went unrecorded – I only found out through details on the birth certificate of another child. Irregular marriages can be particularly frustrating to find; statutory registration did help regularise records, but some events still went unrecorded. And prior to statutory registration in 1854-55, you are usually dependent on church records to find information about christenings, marriages and burials. Do remember though, that non-conformist and Catholic churches have their own registers to those of the estab- lished churches, your ancestors may not have been adherents to any church, or simply, registers may be faded or illegible

Trying to find ancestors from outside Scotland can be time consuming – and expensive if you have to travel to check sources! My forebears are of English origin, and I still find it difficult to find information. For many years I’ve been trying to trace the birth of a great grandfather which the census records say was born in Har- rington, Cumberland. I know his wife’s name, where they spent their married life, confirmed the births of his wife, her death and the births of their children. I finally found my g-grandfather’s death certificate, but unlike a Scottish certificate, it does not record who his parents were, so leading me to a deadend. Even his gravestone yielded no clues. Luckily, I have helpful English relatives, but they’re not having any success either.

Despite these considerations, I would urge you to start researching your own family history. Many people have helped me over the years, from newspaper editors to gravediggers, from family to friends, from registrars and archive staff, from professional to amateur sleuths. To them I send my thanks – it’s a fascinating journey.

Vera Purves

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2) Family History; How the Archive Helps

People doing their family tree need to use and tend to concentrate on the main genealogical tools; the Old Parish Registers, the Census returns, and the statutory births, deaths and marriage indexes. Many of these are available online in one form or another, meaning that Jessie Robertson in Australia can build up quite a tree of her Perthshire ancestors without having to step foot in Scotland.

But there always comes a point where researchers have to move away from the basic tools – either to try and track down a particularly ancient or elusive forbear, or to gain an understanding of the times in which they lived. This is where the Archive can help.

As all the Friends are well aware, our collections range from the twelfth to the twenty-first century and include offi- cial and private records. Amongst this cornucopia of information are details about individuals who perhaps worked for the Council, or were employed in a local business – maybe they owned land in the eighteenth century and are in- cluded in the cess rolls, or maybe they were a tenant on one the landed estates. If they went to school or voted in Perthshire or Kinross-shire, or were buried in Perth itself, the likelihood is that there’s a record of them.

The new Family History Sources –available in the Archive searchroom or online at www.pkc.gov.uk/archives - pro- vides an outline of the sources we hold that the genealogist could find useful. For example, lists of individuals can be found in the county cess and valuation rolls, which run roughly from 1650 through to the 1980s. If your ancestor wasn’t a landowner though, he’s unlikely to appear before 1855. Similarly, although we have electoral registers dat- ing from 1832, your ancestor is unlikely to be found before 1918 (or for women, 1928) unless s/he was well-to-do and could meet the various property qualifications.

Other potentially useful official records include three late C18th surveys conducted in Perth itself, school admission registers, which can run from the 1860s, poor roll information from the 1840s gleaned from the various parochial and parish council records and the extensive Perth Burial registers dating from the mid 1790s

Legal and occupational records can be another rich source of names. Stretching as far back as the 1560s until the sec- ond half of the C19th are the Perth Burgh register of deeds which are a variety of legal transactions usually denoting the details of persons involved. There are two series, each having an index of persons and places. If your ancestors had a criminal past, the extensive processes, records of cases, executions and sentences, dating from the 1680s may prove useful. On the other side of the coin, we also keep police records for Perth and Perthshire dating from the mid C19th. Civil case records from the 1640s also hold details of those non-criminals who were involved in the justice system as well as licensing records for a variety of trades.

In order to trade or practise a craft in Perth, individuals had to be members of the appropriate guild or incorporation and the Archive holds many of the relevant records. The burgess records, dating from 1670 include a name index whilst the collections of the Glovers’, Tailors’, Bakers’, Fleshers’ and Shoemakers’ Incorporations usually contain lists and references to members. The Archive also holds C18th apprenticeship indentures for Perth burgh.

All of the above relate to ‘official’ records of one sort or another, but there is also the massive and rich seam of the Archive’s gifts and deposits collections to consider. Although it may be harder to ferret out information relating to individuals, nevertheless examination of estate records, those of business and industry, trade union, association, club or society collections may yield worthwhile results. Estate records frequently hold papers, not just of incumbent families, but also relating to tenants, servants and even tradesmen. Records of factories and business often contain employee records, while members and their social, political or religious activities are often the core records of clubs and societies. The gifts and deposits collections also contains collections directly relating to a particular family or community, containing papers, even family trees, that may be relevant to your ancestor.

So, while the Archive does not hold the census enumerator books, or the old parish registers, hopefully, you can see that we do hold a wealth of potentially useful information. You may have to look that bit harder for a particular indi- vidual, but I’m sure you’ll agree that when you do hit that eureka moment, it’s so much more satisfying!

Jan Merchant 6

Architectural Gems on City Streets

When we go shopping, not many of us notice the architecture of the shops themselves. We are brainwashed by the tide of bland corporate frontages that dominate our town centres. This loss of historic character is relentless. However, a few gems have survived, and the history of their design is fascinating.

Deuchars bow-fronted shop on South Street is a familiar landmark. This remarkable late Georgian survival represents a shop style long gone. It represents a house frontage, with bow windows simply inserted to provide light and some dis- play space. At one time shops like these would have predominated on the streets of the city.

However, as the nineteenth century progressed, shopkeepers saw the opportunity to improve their frontages through the arrival of new materials like cast iron and plate glass. These products of the industrial revolution transformed shop- fronts into grand and elegant frontages replete with classical details.

The Dean of Guild records are in the Archive, dating from 1877, holding the designs that late 19th century architects were putting forward for their clients. Local architects like David Smart, James Smart, George PK Young and McLaren and McKay were the influential shop designers of their day. But by the turn of the century, things were be- ginning to change in Perth and specialist shopfront designers from outside the city were beginning to secure clients. The first Dean of Guild application by a shopfitting firm was for Cairncross the Jewellers’ at 18 St. John Street. Dating from 1911, it was designed by the enterprising shopfitter E Pollard and Co. of London. The curved glass and elegant lines befitted a prestigious jewellers. The picture was completed by the mosaic entrance lobby floor displaying the name of the shop.

In the interwar period this trend continued as shopfitters from Edinburgh and Glasgow began to operate in Perth. Firms like A McEwan and Archibald Hamilton were employed by wealthy retailers, particularly drapers and specialist clothiers, such as Wallace’s, and Andrew Arthur. While local architects favoured classical detailing and more modest styles, shopfitters were considerably less conservative. They embraced the newest and brashest styles of the day, using bronze, roman stone and virolite to make their clients stand out from the rest.

At the same time, firms like Lipton’s Boots and Burtons pioneered the ‘chain store’ concept. They preferred their own in-house architects who promoted early versions of the ‘corporate image’. Like the shopfitters’ styles, these were often brash and elaborate frontages using gilt lettering and coloured glass as their trademarks.

Unfortunately, a lack of understanding of the history and importance of these buildings meant that many of these nota- ble shopfronts have been lost or drastically altered. Those that do survive deserve to be recognised and protected.

The next time you go shopping in Perth have a look at: AS Deuchar, 12 South Street

A late 18th century bow-fronted shop. It has been owned by the Deuchar family since 1911. (listed category B)

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La Taverna, 12 St John Street (originally Robert Ewing and Co.)

Remarkably intact example of a consoled shopfront designed by J&G Young in 1895. (listed category B)

Kynochs, St John Street (originally McKendricks, the Butchers)

Designed by James Smart and Son in1898, it still retains the original butcher’s tiles. (listed category B)

All drawings are from Dean of Guild records in Perth & Kinross Council Archive. All photos by David Wilson

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Aitken and Niven, 21 High Street An unusual example of a two-storey shopfront by Adam Currie, builders of Edinburgh in 1905. It was de- signed for Woods the Bakers and included an elegant first-floor tearoom.

Cairncross the Jewellers, 18 St. John Street. Shopfront designed in 1911 by E Pollard & Co. (listed category B)

About the Author: Linsay Lennie is a chartered Valuation Surveyor. She is currently un- dertaking a PhD in Building Conservation at Heriot-Watt University, researching the historic shopfronts of Perth and Perthshire.

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Around the Historical Societies. Continuing our tour of the Historical Societies of Perth and Kinross, we now turn the spotlight on:

Dunkeld and Birnam Historical Society

This Society was formed after a public meeting held on the 22nd March 1979, with the aim of promoting interest in, and encouraging the study of, local history in the Dunkeld and Birnam area, holding meetings to hear talks by mem- bers and outside speakers on relevant subjects, and organising field excursions.

The first meeting of the Society was held the next month and since then it has had a continuous programme of winter evening talks and summer field walks and visits of historical interest, the pattern being four evening lectures and three summer visits. Current membership is about seventy.

The Society has published a number of books on subjects of local historical interest, including books of gravestone inscriptions for local graveyards. Other books, including Niel Gow’s Inver and Dunkeld, Telford’s Finest Bridge, written by Society members, have been published by Perth and Kinross Libraries.

The Society works very closely with the Dunkeld Chapter House Museum which has an Archive Section with a substantial collection of old prints, documents, photographs, drawings and maps relating to the area.

Since 1974 there has been a small museum in the Chapter House of Dunkeld Cathedral. In 1993 the Society of Friends of the Cathedral decided to refurbish and modernise the museum, but at the same time to work towards the formation of an Archive of local memorabilia to supplement the museum itself. After a successful appeal for funds, the project was successful, and the modernised museum was opened on 20th April 1994.

In the meantime work had started on the local history archive, using the room above the museum to form areas for storage and for reading and study. While the purpose of the museum is to inform and entertain visitors, the archive is designed to give local people and historians the opportunity to delve more deeply into, or to research, the history of the area.

The archive was opened in 1995, and from small beginnings has now built up a collection of some 4,000 items. In 1999 the record books and photographic collections of the Scottish Horse Regiment were added to the archive after the closure of their museum.

Although it is a small collection in comparison to some museums, the standards of cataloguing and storage are con- sidered to be at least as good as in larger museums, and it was granted ‘registered status’ by the Museums and Galler- ies Commission in October 1996.

Dunkeld: © Perth Museum & Art Gallery Perth & Kinross Council/SCRAN 10

Beyond the Call of Duty- The Strange Ordeal of a Dunkeld Police Sergeant in the 1840s

by Thomas Wm McFarlane

Since I took over the role of Hon. Curator of the Tayside Police Museum, more effective methods of com- munication have ensured that I am regularly in receipt of historical enquiries from almost every corner of the globe. Thankfully, many of the documents and ledgers pertaining to Victorian policing still survive, and al- though in some cases undoubtedly fragile, these gems are now safely catalogued either within Perth & Kinross Council Archive or the Police Museum at Dundee. But for the forethought and sharp intervention of former col- leagues though, this comfortable state of affairs would not have existed. Indeed, as recently as the local govern- ment re-organisation of 1975, a Tayside Police General Order was actually drafted directing that all previous Constabulary records were obsolete and should be destroyed.

Shortly after accepting the keys of the Museum, I decided to carry out an Inventory on our stock and whilst do- ing so stumbled upon a soft covered jotter neatly stencilled with the words ‘Perthshire Constabulary, Pitlochry Memorandum Book’. Leafing carefully through its yellowing pages I discovered that it dated from 11th May 1844, and was in effect a daily diary religiously kept by Lance Sergeant Robert Stewart of the Pitlochry or High- land section of Perthshire Constabulary. It was heartening at first to admire Sergeant Stewart’s neat copper- plate hand writing, contrasting the ancient spelling and strange pronunciation of the village names and places with the way in which we recognise them today. I was just about to lay the book aside when I noticed that the top corner of one of the pages was lightly folded back, noting perhaps an item of interest. The date was 5th January 1848 and although the subsequent entries were brief and distinctly to the point, further concentrated research has enabled me to relate what I believe to be a true and amazing story…..

It was shortly after 7am on the morning of 5th January 1848 when there came a loud rap at the Police Station door in Pitlochry. Lance Robert Stew- art stepped out from the gloom of his earthen-floor cottage into the raw win- try morning. Outside stood a shivering, agitated little man who blustered out that his cottage had been broken into and articles stolen, including a fine Buchan silver watch. The old sergeant swiftly came to the conclusion that the culprit could be none other than a local labourer by the name of Angus MacLean. Moreover for whatever reason, the wily labourer appeared to have a notion that the law would be in close pursuit and had already fled the scene of the crime. Sergeant Stewart knew that he would have to act swiftly, and did so by cutting a track to the west through the snow-capped peaks of Dalnacardich, one of the highest yet most ruggedly beautiful parts of his highland beat.

After a bitterly cold night camped out in the wilds at Auchleeks, a dry stane dyke the only defence against the feral wintry weather, Stewart awoke to the fact that he was damp, shivering and above all extremely hungry. Tottering slowly onwards down past Trinafour, through the desolate, lonely hills ris- ing slowly and steeply before their rapid descent into Kinloch Rannoch, the traveller at length found himself within the village Square, banging sharply at the door of the cottage marked County Police Station.

Elsie Campbell, the wife of Donald the village constable, answered the door and aghast by what was presented ushered the half frozen Sergeant into the warmth of her home. Frock coat, trousers and cape all carefully strung © Glasgow University Library/SCRAN abreast a roaring peat fire, a bowl of kail and a generous helping of poached 11

rabbit stew, all played a vital part in helping the canny old Highlander back into a state of near normality. By the time old Stewart was ready to depart, the sun lay fairly low in the sky, and the waves of Loch Rannoch were white and choppy, galloping backwards and forwards. Trudging past the MacDonald Arms Inn, the Sergeant knew that at the head of the Loch lay the Moor of Rannoch; he had never visited it before, but friends spoke of it as being a dark and mysterious place, rugged and bare, deep silent lochans dotted throughout the many tracts of wild and un- ruly heather. Staring blankly ahead, eyes fixed upon the snow capped peaks, the hardy old fellow stepped gallantly forward, knowing full well that if he were able to complete the 12 mile march to the Barracks at the western end of the Loch, then accommodation and good wholesome food would surely be offered.

The following morning at seven o’clock, Stewart awoke from his slumbers after reaching the safety of the Bar- racks, striking off once again, this time selecting the lonely hill route which stretched between Killichonan and Curavackie (Coire-a-vrackie). A hard steady climb for most of the way, the light coating of snow decorating Loch Rannoch soon evolved into a hard packed solid mass, markedly hindering his progress. And then suddenly just around midday, after rounding a peak, Locherock (Loch Ericht) finally slipped into view, a light smudge of blue at first, but then as footsteps quickened, the frame opened up to reveal a long and curiously narrow expanse of water. Presenting himself at the gamekeeper’s cottage, Highland hospitality was traditionally offered and in return most gratefully received. Most welcome of all though was the news that on the previous day, an exhausted, worn out traveller, clearly answering the description of the vagabond MacLean, had asked to be taken out on the Loch, his destination reportedly Dalwhinnie.

Paying little heed to sound advice, or even to the rise and the fall of the buffeting waves, Robert Stewart de- manded that he too be afforded immediate passage over Loch Ericht, warning the troubled boatman that if his re- quest were to be refused, well then, he would simply seize one of the boats, and attempt to row himself over onto the other side!

Thick, heavy flakes of snow were beginning to camouflage the heather as the windswept policeman stepped ashore into the County of Inverness-shire. Surely by then he must have had grave doubts over the wisdom of what he was doing. After all, was he not entering previously uncharted waters, areas of responsibility which belonged to others and not to him? Nevertheless seemingly quite undeterred, Stewart marched ruthlessly onwards determined to capture his elusive quarry.

For the whole of the following day, the Perthshire policeman stamped stalwartly around the bleak, forlorn coun- tryside known as Dalwhinnie and Badenoch, skirting Loch Laggan tirelessly probing for clues, his native Gaelic tongue an absolute blessing, truly worth a great deal more than its weight in gold. His persistence was at long last

Rannoch Moor 12 © James Gardiner/SCRAN

rewarded although the tidings which he received did little to warm his weary soul. An old shepherd living down in the valley confided that although MacLean had certainly lodged by the shores of Loch Laggan the previous night, the bedraggled creature had but only a few hours past fled from the area in haste, rumour being that he hoped to take refuge with friends or acquaintances down on Glen Spean.

Although anxiously keen to maintain momentum, infirmity of body was finally beginning to take its toll on the weary old Sergeant, finally forcing him to submit to the urgent signals which were repeatedly being transmitted from his aching limbs and body. Accepting a night’s lodgings from Calum, the couthy old shepherd, Robert Stewart slept soundly for almost a complete round of the clock, Mrs MacRae stubbornly refusing to allow her husband to arouse him as promised at the crack of dawn. Awakening to a generous bowl of hot steaming toddy, the bleary eyed policeman soon began to feel much refreshed, and with the lining of his stomach tingling with indulgence, he thanked the good folks for their kindness, before tipsily heading westwards making for the village of Roybridge.

On the 11th January, almost a full week from the date upon which he received the initial theft report, Sergeant Stewart found himself down at Fort William, close to the shore of Loch Linnhe. It had clearly been a very frus- trating time for him, and although he knew full well that his elusive quarry was but only a step or two in front, try as hard as he might, he found it well nigh impossible to communicate with those queer, offhanded folk who chose to live in the West. He was missing something! As his despondency increased, his thoughts at length turned to reflect upon how his poor wearied wife and surviving bairns might be faring in their damp, two- roomed, earthen floored hovel back in Pitlochry. Kneeling silently in prayer, the broad Highlander whispered a few words which he hoped the Good Lord would hear and return with some help and some guidance.

And then suddenly in a flash the turning point came!

During the previous night a small fishing craft had mysteriously been cut loose from its berth on the quay, its present location by now unknown. Several caring folk at once came forward to comfort the owner - a gnarled old fisherman, and news of the theft soon became the main talking point of the whole community. Blessed of course with the lilt of the Highland tongue, the policeman stood still and with a face as straight as a die, soaked in the glorious news that a stranger, surely the fugitive MacLean, had earlier been challenged whilst loitering down by the waterside.

The bobby sighed deeply, his gloom and frustration all but melted away. But he was faced with the equally daunting task of persuading some complete stranger - and a ‘West Coaster’ at that! - to either ferry him south- wards, or to let him hire a boat from which to scour the Loch and most likely beyond. Counting the few remain- ing pennies which lay in his pouch, it was a rather despondent policeman indeed who was seen to tramp round the doors.

But he had come this far and as such he was hardly of a mind to give up now. Admit defeat? Never in a million years! He would soldier on regardless, with the good Lord his trusty companion. Without doubt, good would triumph over evil!

And so he continued, and just when it seemed like his dogged persistence was finally beginning to flag, Robert Stewart came face to face with a seasoned old sea dog, a character whose name sadly was never recorded. And within the very hour, a small fishing boat with a tattered old sail was cutting an uneven south-westerly course past Loch Linnhe and the tail of Loch Leven until, many dangerous and uncomfortable hours later, they arrived in Oban harbour, Sergeant Stewart’s next port of call on his epic journey….

…...But by no means his last! The story will be continued in our next issue .

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Water, Drains and Cholera

It’s difficult to imagine the squalor of daily life in the Perth of the early nineteenth century, with no clean piped water and no sewers of any kind. A hundred and seventy years ago, nearly all the water for drinking, washing and cooking had to be taken from wells, fed from the town lade, or carried in buckets or bowsers from the Tay.

Inevitably, this water was contaminated with all manner of pollutants from further upstream, from dirty in- dustrial processes on the banks of the lade, and above all by the contamination of shallow wells by the priv- ies and cesspools in the back courts of the overcrowded city. Equally inevitably, waterborne infections were common, and with great regularity epidemics of diseases such as typhoid and cholera would sweep through the city. In those days of course these were considered perfectly normal ‘acts of God’, punishment for the sins of the citizens.

However, a spirit of reform was abroad; a recognition that it was possible to do something about evils once accepted as unavoidable and unalterable. In the matter of drinking water, it led to an Act of Parliament which allowed Water Commissions, composed of magistrates, councillors and notables, to be set up locally, with powers to improve water supplies.

But the real credit for giving Perth its first piped water supply must go to Dr Adam Anderson, LLD, FRSL&E (1780-1846), an extremely intelligent and practical man living in Perth, who strongly believed that a decent water supply for the city was essential to its future prosperity.

At the time, Anderson was the Rector of Perth Academy. He was a chemist, an engineer and an excellent communicator of ideas, the sort of person who made Scots famous throughout the world for intelligence and ingenuity. His worth was recognised by his contemporaries - he eventually became Professor of Natural Philosophy at St Andrews University - but has since been forgotten by all but a few. Per- haps it is time that changed.

In 1830 then, he set about investigating possi- ble sources from which pure fresh water could be extracted. This was a daunting task, as over the years many of the more obvious alternative sources had been explored and found to have serious drawbacks.

The first was a proposal to bring water from a spring at Tibbermore. This was found to be unreliable during the dry season, and too costly in pipework.

Next to be considered was extracting water from higher up the Almond or the Tay. This was rejected because of the distances in- volved, the problem of filtration, and the cost of the machinery needed to raise the water to distribution points. Perth Waterworks/Fergusson Gallery ©Edinburgh College of Art/SCRAN 14

Another proposal would have used the waterpower of the town lade to raise water from the Tay. This was turned down because of the risk of drought in the summer and freezing in the winter. It was also found that filtration beds on the banks of the river were heavily contaminated with lime and so unfit for domestic uses.

With all the obvious solutions ruled out, Dr Anderson came up with a most original solution. In parts of the Tay was a bed with a layer of impervious clay. Dr Anderson reasoned that beneath this bed there could be a stream of water, hopefully less contaminated than the river itself. He was right; a test bore revealed an abundant flow of more or less pure water, as he had predicted.

The commissioners then put Dr Anderson, with his wide knowledge of engineering physics and chemis- try, in overall control of the project: to filter, pressurise and to distribute the water.

First, a filter bed was located at the south end of Moncrieffe Island and the water brought ashore by pipes sunk in the gravel of the river bed (to avoid damage by shipping).

Next, he drafted the construction of a waterworks, with a water tower holding a reservoir high enough allow all areas of the old city to have a pressurised supply. The resulting building is one of the architec- tural delights of Perth - the elegant circular tower which is now the Ferguson Gallery.

Finally, all manner of then quite novel problems arose and had to be overcome in the course of installing the distribution system. But at last, in 1834, Perth got its first supply of clean piped water. The cost of the project was £13,609, all raised locally.

But despite piped water, in the absence of a decent sewage system epidemics continued to recur. The cholera epidemic of 1864 was a bad one; more than 3000 went down with it, of whom 300 died. Even the survivors were so weakened that it took them years to recover their health.

As in previous years after cholera struck there was an upsurge of vocal support for action to improve drainage and sewage disposal. Letters to the Perthshire Journal describe visitors’ reactions to walking in the city:

‘Passing the closes, shut your noses’ said one. A poem dedicated to ‘the Epidemic Air’ described the Grim Reaper sitting on top of Kinnoul Hill overjoyed as he counts, ‘the young, the old, the beautiful and the dear’. Another letter goes on to castigate the self-satisfied local councillors and their ‘parasites’ who ignore the fact that Perth is one of the most filthy towns in Scotland.

Probably more influential was a petition from seven local doctors, begging for something to be done to address the sanitation problem and insisting that street drains and cesspools, as the breeding grounds of disease, should be disinfected.

They suggested that until a proper sewage system could be constructed, every privy hole should be dusted with quicklime twice a day, the cesspools emptied and the streets and closes washed down regu- larly by firehoses and then scrubbed. Finally, they felt that when disease struck, a rigorous system of house visits was necessary as a vast number of houses in Perth were ‘a disgrace to our civilisation, and a danger to our community’.

In response to these pressures, at a meeting in January 1866, the Lord Provost and Magistrates asked an Edinburgh company to report on the best way of providing an effective sewage system for Perth which avoided polluting the Tay.

In the resulting report the chief engineer Mr Stevenson described the existing arrangements. He blamed in part the fact that the City lay on low-lying flat land intersected with dips and hollows, which was why most of the town at that time had no sewers of any kind. He noted that South Methven Street, at some distance from the river, was only three feet above the 1847 flood mark, which caused severe problems whenever the river was very high. The generally flat ground made it difficult to provide gradients,

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and clearly no sewage could be discharged when the river was in flood. It was also most important to avoid contami- nating the water supply’s filter beds on Moncrieff Island.

With these factors in mind the engineer suggested that the flows from different sewers be united at the end of Princes Street and a main sewer run through the Inch, terminating in a reservoir somewhere below the harbour. The by- products from this system, he suggested, could be used by market gardeners or for agriculture.

In September 1866 the proposed drainage system was approved, and a programme of work started in February 1867, being completed only two years later. The concept of ‘worst first’ was applied with John Street, Marshall Place and King Street being given priority. As each street drain was completed, proprietors would be given permission to link their private drains to it. The total cost was estimated to be £22,500, which would be met by a supplement on the town’s rates.

With the provision of clean water in 1834 and a sewage system in 1870, the health of the townspeople improved dra- matically. There was a marked reduction in water-borne disease, and the great cholera and typhoid epidemics of ear- lier years disappear from the records. As always , the major obstacle to be overcome had been funding, but these early water and sewage projects demonstrated that a few determined individuals, willing to lobby and influence pub- lic opinion, could bring about major improvements in living conditions for the whole community.

Jim Ferguson

THE FRIENDS VISIT WEEM AND CASTLE MENZIES

The sun shone on the Friends on Saturday 16th of July for their very well-attended annual outing.

The imposing exterior of Castle Menzies nestles against the backdrop of a forest-covered hill. It has some interest- ing features such as dormer windows (is anything ever new!). Gun ports, presumably to repel attackers, remind us of turbulent times, and above the doorways are carved the initials of past residents from the sixteenth century on- wards until the Menzies of Menzies line ended in 1918.

Inside, one senses the atmosphere of the past. One feels it in the musty storerooms and sees it in the few artefacts on display. “My mum used one of those!” says someone. And not always Mum; there is a sharp intake of breath as a member of the group realises that they used to use that museum piece.

The castle is huge, with large public rooms and many anterooms on all four floors. Some areas have been fur- nished as they were last used and inevitably a tour raises questions. What were the people like? How many ser- vants did they employ? But the latter especially have vanished into obscurity.

A pleasant walk brought us to Weem and St Cuthbert’s Old Church. All the Menzies family gravestones appear to be in this small church and some of our members attempted to translate the Latin inscriptions. Weems itself is a tiny but fascinating hamlet, but we had too little time left to absorb all the details of the church and the village. It could well be worth a separate visit.

Last, but not least for some of our members, we visited the House of Menzies for tea and scones. However, it would be remiss to focus solely on the refreshments and miss the extraordinary style and stonework of the com- manding entrance. They don’t make buildings like that any more! Anyway, the tea, scones and jam were deli- cious, and many of us were tempted to buy scones and jam to enjoy at home - the raspberry jam is to be especially recommended.

Finally, on behalf of the group, I sincerely thank the organisers for their excellent choice for the annual outing, and for the work involved in making the visit such a success – it even seemed to involve arranging a wedding in Weem!

Vera Purves

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