Issue Number 38

Spring 2015

Sketch annotated “Part of old House of Logiealmond, Saturday July 24 1852” Image courtesy of Local & Family History, A K Bell Library

CONTENTS Page Chairman’s notes and Archive news 2 The northern Highlands’ trade and transactions with Perth in the late sixteenth/early seventeenth centuries 4 First World War postcards 11 A growing road network 12 Perth — a comprehensive guide for locals and visitors 15 Magic Box 112 — a look at Logiealmond 16 Railway summaries of collections 20 St Peter’s at Dargie 22 Highland through the Archive 23

Notes from the Chair

It may seem a trifle early to be mentioning this but when things are quiet doing advance planning seems like a good idea. Our summer outing this year will be to the National Library of Map Collection, in Edinburgh, on Monday, 13th July. Your committee thought long and hard about which venue to favour from three very significant possibilities, each of which had agreed to host us. The other two were the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and the National Archives of Scotland. Now, I appreciate it may seem strange to have not chosen the National Archive, since archives are what we are about, but the offer by the Map Collection to lay out a selection of maps specifically about our area seemed too good to resist! Details to follow soon.

I am advised by Christine Wood, our Assistant Archivist, that there are currently ten volunteers providing assistance to the Council Archive, carrying out a variety of jobs. Their assistance means that collections which have been received and been awaiting attention for some time are now being listed and draft catalogues compiled. Once checked, Archive staff transfer the listings on to specialised archive cataloguing software and they are then made available to the public through the Archive website or in the search room. Volunteers assist in family fun days too.

In conclusion on this occasion I have to report a very sad event. On 11th November 2014 Gordon Beange, who had voluntarily audited the Friends accounts for some ten years, died. He had performed this service for several charitable organisations in Perth and will be much missed by all those involved.

Alan Grant Chair of the Friends Committee

2 News from the Archive

Hello again. It’s been a busy time for us in the Archive since the Autumn edition of the Newsletter. With the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War, we’ve been involved in outreach events, letting people know what kind of records we hold in the Archive.

Jointly with our colleagues in Local & Family History, we’ve attended WW1 family history days at Loch Leven and Strathearn Campuses, as well as here at the A K Bell Library. Similar events have been arranged for the North Inch and Breadalbane Campuses and no doubt this will continue to other venues. In November, there was the annual national campaign advocating archives everywhere and this year we chose the theme ArchI’ve Remembered in line with the WW1 commemoration. In addition, we have had a display on the 1st floor of the A K Bell Library highlighting some of our WW1 collections. This display will be refreshed monthly and continue through to the end of 1918. Why not pop in and have a look?

Other outreach events included a Christmas Family Fun Day on Saturday 20 December. Families were invited to take part in writing a letter to Santa using quill pens, as well as designing Christmas cards. We were pleased that 34 children and 24 adults took part. It helps make the Archive known to families and will hopefully encourage them to visit us at other times. My thanks to Jackie Hay and Lorna Westwater for their help that day.

Just a reminder that the Friends 2015/2016 ordinary and corporate subscriptions are due on 1st April. You will find the subscription renewal form enclosed with the Newsletter.

We have, of course, four talks still to come this season, but I am delighted to let you know that the 2015/2016 programme is now in place. A copy of this is attached to the Newsletter. Our summer outing this year will be to the National Library of Scotland to view their map collection on the morning of Monday 13 July. There will be a restriction in numbers to 24 individuals, and full details will be available soon. As ever, for all talks and the summer outing booking is essential, either by telephoning 01738 477012 or emailing [email protected].

Enjoy the Spring and Summer – when they arrive! Christine Wood Assistant Archivist

3 The northern Highlands’ trade and transactions with Perth in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries

This statue of a Highland Drover is situated outside Dingwall Mart, and was unveiled in April 2011. Photograph courtesy of Bruce Mackintosh, Dingwall & Highland Marts Limited

“Why”, asks Dr Thomas Brochard, an Honorary Research Fellow at Aberdeen University, “would someone interested in the northern Highlands come to Perth to have a look at the Council Archive?” His answer? “Well, there is more to the Fair City than meets the eye. It is sometimes worth going off the beaten archival track to explore a particular topic and in the process underline the national, and even international, value of this great local archive.” His detailed and eye-opening article focuses on trade, primarily the cattle trade, between the northern Highlands (Ross, Caithness, Sutherland, and the Western Isles) and Perth in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, while briefly examining other commercial, financial, socio-economic, and cultural transactions.

4 When looking at the cattle trade in the early-modern period, one necessarily follows in the exploratory footsteps of Perthshire luminary Archibald Haldane. His book The Drove Roads of Scotland set the scene way back in 1952 and still does to some extent. A recent Edinburgh PhD thesis by Alexander Koufopoulos has done much to update and expand our knowledge of the topic, especially the organization of the trade’s finance and credit. However, much remains to be done on the local and regional trade patterns.

A good series of registers of deeds in the Council Archive (B59/8) presents a rich picture of daily and commercial transactions happening in the royal burgh of Perth and its vicinity from 1566 onwards. Consultation of these volumes quickly reveals the overall organization of the trade in ‘barkit leddir’ (tanned leather) and hides in the burgh at the time. These hides and leather were mainly sold by local burgesses to other Perth merchants and to Dundee burgesses. Very interestingly, the sale of these manufactured products did not involve Edinburgh, Leith, or Glasgow merchants.

The same series points to an earlier development of the cattle trade between the northern Highlands and the markets in the south than had been previously known. Gillechallum Macleod of Raasay was already selling cows on the hoof, albeit a mere couple of heads, to William Wenton, burgess of Perth, in 1572. But this was only a paper transaction, leaving Macleod the option of the actual delivery of the cows or the alternative payment of 12 marks (£8) Scots. Obviously, it could well be that Macleod actually sold other beasts before or after this very contract. Neil Macleod of Assynt and the ‘Lard mcrannald’ also most likely sold cattle to Perth merchants in the late 1560s. It is however worth bearing in mind that in some instances such sales mask actual debt settlements, whereby the sale of cattle alleviated arrears of payment.

Although the registers of deeds do not specify the nature of the contracts, they were presumably related to sales of goods, even if these were very modest (£10 Scots or less). It is rather telling that Macleod and Macranald were the recipients of the money, meaning that they were either the vendors or moneylenders. In Macranald’s case, the debtor was the son of Andrew Robertson, a Perth skinner.

5 Given that the Perth merchants could secure loans locally, it seems more likely that they were trading goods with these northern Highlanders rather than borrowing from them.

The volume of transactions recorded in these early registers demonstrates, moreover, that the local cattle trade had reached a certain regularity by the late 16th century, if not earlier. The registers further depict the early popularity of Perth as a market, drawing vendors of goods from a very extensive geographical area. This wide catchment area saw Perth merchants trading with the Raasay, Glengarry, and Kintail estates, as well as Badenoch, Argyll, Keppoch, and Lochaber, among other places. It is also striking to note the rapid expansion of the Perth cattle trade in terms of volume within the last decades of the 16th century. Earlier sales to Perth merchants were normally between about a couple to about twenty heads in the late 1560s. The registers clearly record a progression to high double- and triple-digit sales by 1600.

An interesting example of this relatively large number of cattle traded occurs in the year 1600. Two separate droves, one of at least 154 heads and the other of 139 cattle, were making their way from Lochalsh and Kintail to the Yule market being held at on 2 November of that year. On the eve of the market, two Matheson tenants of Kintail had 154 of their beasts intromitted (interfered) with at Drumturn at the foot of Glen Shee, about eight miles north-west of Alyth. In view of the fact that the two Mathesons were actually Dugald and John, sons of Lochalsh chief Murchadh Buidhe, their cattle almost certainly originated from Lochalsh. This incident adds to our knowledge of Dugald’s activities as a drover. It underscores that, on this particular occasion, the family itself opted to play a role in this initial phase of the droving process to the south rather than recruit professional drovers. These became established with the subsequent development of the trade. Also in 1600, Donald MacAngus of Glengarry sold at least £100 worth of cows to Thomas Duff, merchant burgess of Perth.

The sums owed by three Perth burgesses – James Hood in Balhousie; James Maxton; and William Rhind, skinner – to Donald MacAngus of Glengarry in December 1600 and January 1601 for the purchase of cattle are almost certainly

6 Map reproduced by kind permission of Birlinn Publishers, Edinburgh connected to that same Alyth market. Incidentally, these records show that Glengarry used a resident of Atholl as his intermediary for these three separate sales. Based on the price received by the tenant in Kintail for 139 cows (254 marks 10s), it is possible, accepting an inherent margin of error, to estimate the sales and size of the droves involved. The 154-strong Lochalsh drove would sell for around £188, whilst debts to Glengarry of £100, £54, and £30 40d imply that

7 the herds totalled at least 82, 44, and 25 beasts, respectively. More importantly, this suggests that, by 1600, both the Kintail and Glengarry estates were able to sell at least 300 and 150 heads of cattle in a single year, earning around £358 and £184. Given the fact that these details are only taken from a single register, the presumption is that at the time both estates were involved in very large cattle sales generating substantial revenues for them. Taking into account the fact that some of these cattle purchases was done on credit – hence their recording when the payments were not forthcoming – and supposing that 1600 might have been an exceptional year, this still leaves room for other sales in Perthshire and elsewhere.

As Haldane points out, cattle droving was ‘a precarious trade attended by heavy loss’ with extortions practised en route by the countryside inhabitants living along these drove ‘roads’. These exactions likewise appear in these deeds. In the most pessimistic scenario, the above figures then amount to the (near-) total sales for these two estates in that year.

Very interestingly, these registers of deeds further document the role of women in the trade. Moir Macleod, the daughter of Alasdair Crotach, the Macleod chief of Harris, and widow of Ranald Macdonald of Keppoch, was in Perth in December 1569. Her position as a widow allowed her such commercial freedom. To adapt the Thatcherite saying: “the lady was not for churning”. Instead Moir delivered seventeen ‘quik ky’ (cows on the hoof) which she handed over personally to William Kid, a local butcher, for £84 6s 8d.1

After 1601-1602, the registers do not record any reference to the cattle trade with the northern Highlands or the other Highland areas apart from a couple of sales noted for Lochaber and Glengarry.2 Either such commercial transactions were no longer entered in these volumes and were instead written in other types of documents or the trade had moved to other locations with their own archival ______

1 Moir was probably the wife of the Keppoch chief executed in 1547 rather than his son, Ranald, then alive, as she features, nameless, in clan genealogies in association with the beheaded leader rather than with the son. 2 The registers in the series were consulted up until 1679.

8 deposits and means of consigning business to paper, or even a combination of the two. One thing is certain: Kintail men still sold cattle at the Alyth and Fowlis Wester fairs in the 1620s.

So far, these documents have established the geographical extent of the Perth cattle trade and on occasions helped map out its droving routes. They have also given clues about its organization, including the initial use of family members and tenants and later employment of intermediaries. It is tempting to see in these instances of the second half of the 16th century the remnants of the cattle trade pattern in the Highlands in the late Middle Ages with the sale of a few heads and with the participation of family members.

In addition to the cattle trade, Highlanders conducted other business transactions with Perth. ‘[M]acronnald’ and Lochaber inhabitants found a ready clientèle in Perth burgesses for their wool and yarns. In 1577, John Macdonald of Ardnamurchan stood indebted to the above-mentioned William Kid, perhaps for undelivered cattle. In July 1569, Helen Gray and Gilbert Gollan, in Inverness, still owed Oliver Norie, son of a Perth burgess, £3 for ‘certane powder’ and the ‘burd (i.e. material suitable for the border or edging)’ of a crimson red belt. Inverness residents additionally purchased cauldrons, pepper, cinnamon, vermilion, ‘melzeis’ (small metal rings to be fixed to a garment), shears, and unspecified merchandise. Inhabitants of the River Ness town further sent wool and yarn to be dyed in Perth. In April 1582, when John Umphray, a sword-sliper (sword-sharpener) from Inverness, needed blades to carry out his craft, he turned to John Miller, a Perth merchant, for his £42 purchase. Certain merchants in the Highlands engaged in a more regular pattern of trade and made frequent commercial exchanges with their partners in Perth. In 1577 and in 1578, Richard Colt alias Wobster in Inverness borrowed 42 marks from David Anderson, a maltman burgess of Perth, but at the same time sold him one boll of meal and two bolls3 of bear (barley) respectively. In another deal in that year,

______

3 Nowadays, one boll = 6 imperial bushels; one bushel = 2,219.36 cubic inches.

9 Colt bought a boll of meal in his commerce with Perth locals. A family connection actually eased Colt’s business deals with Perth merchants. On several occasions, a John Colt alias Wobster, skinner burgess of Perth, stood as cautioner for Richard’s contracts.

With its references to Gdańsk, Flanders, France and French items, ‘osmond’ iron (superior quality of iron imported from the Baltic), a Dutch ship and a Dutchman (meaning German or Dutch), a number of Englishmen and of Scots in England, and to Stralsund (in Pomerania), this series of writs is invaluable in demonstrating the extent of the connections of the royal burgh and people of Perth far beyond the Tay and the Massif.

In conclusion, Dr Brochard highlights the richness of the archival collections in Perth, where just a single series of documents provides a wealth of information on a topic strictly speaking not specifically grounded in Perth or Perthshire history. He states that the Archive’s “potential is vast and rewarding for enthusiastic readers” and recommends the practice of reading old Scots, which “will immerse you in the cultural wealth of Perth heritage that speaks to a local, national, and international audience”.

WANTED! VOLUNTEER EDITOR for FPKCA Newsletter

LOOKING FOR A NEW CHALLENGE? Contact Christine for more details 01738 477012

10 First World War Postcards

A stunning collection of fifty-seven First World War silk embroidered postcards has recently been gifted to the Archive. Silk postcards were hand- made by Belgian and French ladies who sold them to the troops serving abroad during the war. John Reid, originally from the Alyth area, and who drove a Red Cross van in France during 1915 and 1916, purchased the postcards and sent them home to his wife and daughter. There are no postmarks on the cards, suggesting that they were mailed in envelopes. There are various designs; however most of the postcards are embroidered with the insignia of different regiments from Britain and the colonies which were engaged in the war. The postcards are all in Silk embroidered postcard, c1915. Ref: MS328 remarkably good condition. There are hand-written messages to John Reid’s wife and daughter on the reverse, though some of these are rather faded. Lorna Westwater

11 A GROWING ROAD NETWORK

The Commissioners for Roads and Bridges for Perthshire were appointed by the Commissioners of Supply for the County of Perth. From the names listed, it seems to have been largely the same people wearing different hats and joint meetings were held. In April 1811, at the “General Meeting of the Justices of the Peace, Commissioners of Supply, and Commissioners for Highways, Bridges and Ferries within the County of Perth” the sederunt lists 36 names including John Hepburn Belshes of , John Young of Bellwood, Robert Smith of Methven, Alexander Faichney of Ardargie, and the Rev. James Beatson of Kirkpottie with the Duke of Atholl as praeses.

Starting in 1765, the minutes (CC1/2/1/6) give a good idea of the difficulties of travel then. There are reports of bridges being damaged during flooding and roads left unrepaired. By the end of the 18th century, landowners were wanting to enclose their grass parks and carry out improvements. Turnpike roads were being built and there are many requests from landowners to shut up roads previously used but no longer needed e.g. “Upon a petition by Alexander McDuff of Bonhard . . . [a road] which passes near his house at Black Craigs towards Montague has been rendered useless and unnecessary by reason of the new Turnpike Road to . . . the petitioner’s improvements are much impeded by [this road] and he makes application that the same may be shut up.”

The turnpike roads were much more robust, but tolls had to be paid and if these could be avoided – they were. In 1796 a complaint is lodged about sheep and cattle dealers driving beasts along a road which damages corn and grass, instead of paying tolls on the road through Bandirran. There is also a conflict of interest in that a mail coach from Edinburgh to the north would be beneficial for commerce, but hurtful to the Turnpike Trusts because a mail coach paid no tolls. In 1801 it is noted that the mail coach cuts up roads but pays no tolls.

12 It has not been possible to find a contemporary illustration but this sketch of the chain ferry at Kinclaven in the late nineteenth century shows the kind of structure of the ferry which enabled people, animals, carts and carriages to be transported across the river. Image courtesy of Local & Family History, A K Bell Library

It is difficult for us to appreciate the importance of boats and ferries for transporting people and livestock. The names boat of Inver, boat of Kinclaven, boat of Bardmoney, boat of Caputh, Aitken’s boat – and others, appear frequently in the records. There are complaints about the difficulties of using ferries during the hours of darkness; about boatmen’s houses sometimes being some way from the ferries; about a bell being provided to summon the boatman (with a fine levied if there is no response within 15 minutes). A wait is annoying enough for people, but the tariff of fares includes carriages, horses and other livestock, and rules for carrying a stallion. The crossing points must have been scenes of hectic activity, if not chaos.

Marjory Howat

13

WRAPPERS NEEDED!

Taking care of the records we hold is of prime importance to us, as it should be. Part of the preservation work is wrapping bundles of documents in acid free paper. It might seem a mundane job, but it is a very necessary one. As the Archive is now open on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, would anyone like to volunteer to do this work then please? Even if you can only manage a hour, it would be a great help. If you are interested, please get in touch with Christine on 01738 477012 or email [email protected].

n & vt. Interlinear or marginal explanation of a specialist, Gloss obscure or unusual word ; comment; interpretation...

Have you been dumfouttered or otherwise dumfounert by a Scots word in an old document? This is the first of an occasional piece designed to amuse and enlighten, starting with a word specially for Friends volunteers: love-darg. The Concise Scots Dictionary defines darg as a day’s work, and also as the product of a day’s toil, such as the area of meadow which could be mowed in a day. The online Dictionary of the Scots Language gives the meaning of love- darg as “work or service done gratuitously out of friendliness as by one neighbour to help another”, “a labour of love”, “work or service done, not for hire, but merely from affection”. The Perthshire Advertiser of 24th September 1835 describes a love-darg at Auchmague, near , when 150 locals gave a day’s reaping to the laird to show their gratitude for his “staunch adherence to constitutional Reform”. Accompanied by bagpipes and sustained by bread, porter and ale, it seems a merry time was had by the hard-working harvesters. If you can suggest a word to include next time, please let us know.

14 Perth A comprehensive guide for locals and visitors

As the cover note explains: “Complete with full colour photographs and maps, the guide provides a detailed overview of Perth’s history and its role in wider Scottish and international contexts. It is also an excellent celebration of the city’s architecture and public art.”

The guide—by John Hulbert, former Provost of Perth & Council, and firm supporter and former Honorary President of the Archive—is now available from the book shop in the Local & Family History section of the A K Bell Library; from Luath Press Limited (Edinburgh); and from Waterstones. Cost £12.99.

15 Delving in some documents from the Edinburgh solicitors Dundas and Wilson now kept in the Perth & Kinross Council Archive, Ros Pearson has unearthed some useful 18th and 19th century papers about the Drummonds of Logiealmond. Magic Box 112

“If you’re interested in Logiealmond, try looking in Box 112”, said an experienced user of the Archives. We did – eventually.

Collection MS112 turned out to be two boxes of dusty bundles of documents dating from 1764-1860. Bundle 5 contains five documents relating to Logiealmond, which provide a rare insight into Logiealmond Estate in the 18th century and record the end of the story of the Ladies of Logie. (Documentation is scanty because of the Estate’s change of ownership and difficulties in searching the Mansfield archive.)

During the last 300 years, Logiealmond Estate has been in the hands of only two families. In about 1670, John Drummond, 4th son of the 2nd Earl of Perth, bought the Estate, and in the 1840s his great great grandson, , sold it to William David Murray K.T., 4th Earl of Mansfield. The sale is a story in itself (a court case went to the House of Lords) and the reason for selling it was the level of debt on the family estates, which included and .

1 List of debts by John Drummond of Logiealmond Sir John Drummond, 3rd Laird of Logiealmond, (1713-1781) married Lady Catherine Murray in 1761. MS 112 contains a notebook with a ‘complete list of all debt by me on bond or bill’ signed by John Drummond for the years 1762-5. In the last year the 60 items amounted to £93,535 Scots, about £7,700 Sterling (or perhaps a quarter of a million today, as calculated by measuringworth.com).

16 Some 5% of the total was owed to eleven of his Logiealmond tenants. Debt was normal for an estate in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, and probably necessary for its operation, but was this scale of debt common? John Drummond’s handwritten Will of 1776 refers to ‘the load of debt my estate is burdened with’. At the time of the sale of the estate in the 1840s, court documents note that the estate was affected by £100,000 of Entailer’s [inherited] debts bearing a high rate of interest (perhaps £7 million today).

2 Abstract of the proceedings of the Commissioners for the Annexed Estates relative to the Exemptions and Customs payable by the Inhabitants of Logiealmond at the Fairs of , 1770 This document says something about the tenants as well as a little more of the history of the family. John Drummond was in dispute with the Commissioners for the Annexed Estates about the tolls to be paid by the tenants of Logiealmond at the Crieff mart. He contended that they were exempt from tolls at all the markets in the Stewartry of Strathearn, because the Drummonds were descendants of the Earl of Perth, the feudal superior of the Stewartry. During the years of Jacobite unrest (the Drummonds were sympathetic and some were active for the cause), no taxes had been taken at the markets for several years. The Commissioners for Forfeited Estates then sold the right to collect, but, when asked, the Logiealmond tenants refused to pay.

At the hearing of this dispute it was agreed that the Laird had in the past sent his ground officer to be ‘stationed at the Michaelmas mercat upon the great road north of Crieff, by which the Tennents of Logiealmond must necessarily come’. They were only exempt from paying dues on commodities they were selling that ‘were of their own upbringing or making’, but not if they had been purchased from others; thus they paid on a horse they had bought, but not on a foal born and raised on their farm, and ‘Linnen Cloth or any other Commodities made in their own Houses’ were exempt. The Commissioners reinstated these arrangements.

17 3 Rental of the Estate of Logiealmond, Ballathie and Kercock Crop, 1786

A partial rental of the estate at the time of Sir William Drummond, the 4th Laird, is the most revealing and valuable document in the collection, as it lists the tenants and the details of their rents. (The two large pages preserved here are not a complete record of the original, as there would have been others covering Little Glenshee in Logiealmond and the other estates.)

The rentals include Craiglea slate quarry, the Waulk Mill and the Lint Mill at Millhaugh, 12 farms in single tenancy, 17 fermtouns in multiple tenancies and 14 tenants at Chapelhill. For each it gives the name of the tenant, the length of the tenancy and the year it expires, and the rent paid in kind or money. For example, the fermtoun of Tombrandy had 4 tenants (two called Peddie) on a 19 year lease finishing in 1787, each paying £4.10.0 a year and providing 50 stone of coal (presumably the haulage of the coal to Logie House, perhaps from Perth harbour), plus 6 hens and 36 eggs. Outermains, also called Drummond Park and the home farm for Logie House, was let to John Rannie, the factor, for 19 years to 1794 at £32 a year. The slate quarry was let for a single year to Donald Murray at £15.

This rental is close in date to James Stobie’s 1783 map of Perthshire which is of a scale and accuracy to show most of these places. The Drummonds were neighbours and close friends of Thomas Graham of Lynedoch, one of the main promoters of Stobie’s map, and the family would have probably been keen to see their estate depicted accurately. The rental and the map together provide a clearer glimpse of Logiealmond in the late eighteenth century, when change was gaining pace, than we get again until the mid nineteenth, when the census, valuation rolls and Ordnance Survey maps provide detailed information.

18 4 & 5 Proposed preliminary advertisement of the Sale of Braco Castle furniture etc, April 1849, and Inventory of furniture at Braco Castle from Logie House

The other two Logiealmond documents in Bundle 5 postdate the sale of the Logiealmond Estate to Lord Mansfield in the 1840s. Throughout the long, litiginous process of the sale and under the sale agreement, the three surviving unmarried aunts of Sir William Drummond Stewart, – Elizabeth, Frances Marie, and Mary Drummond - were entitled to continue to live at Logie House for the rest of their lives with the benefits they were used to, like the provision of fuel and produce. However, instead of staying, surrounded by the new regime, they bought Braco Castle and moved there with their nephew, George Drummond. They probably changed their lawyers at this time from the Perth firm of Condies, also used by Lord Mansfield, to Dundas and Wilson. The three Ladies of Logie did not live long in their new home.

Both the draft advertisement for the sale of the contents of Braco Castle and a handwritten inventory of the furniture there that had come from Logie House date from 1849. Here you could find ‘every requisite for a Large mansion including Magnificent Pier and Mantle-piece Mirrors; Rare antique inlaid Tables of Lapis Lazuli and other precious stones, with vases and flowers in Centres’, also silver plate, marble busts, bed and table linen, paintings by celebrated masters and even a Communion cup. Their late brother, the 4th Laird, who had served in the early 19th century as a diplomat (including the posts of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Naples and Ambassador to the Ottoman Porte), had perhaps collected many treasures for his family seat while living and working abroad.

Box 112 certainly contains a magical collection of grubby papers that illuminate the history of Logiealmond, adding to and confirming aspects of its story.

Ros Pearson

19 Railway Summaries of Collections In October, Perth & Kinross Archive participated in two railways associated events. Friday 3rd October saw the launch in AK Bell Library of John Young’s new book, Railways of Strathearn and the Scottish Railway History Conference 2014 took place the following day at the Queen’s Hotel, Perth. An exhibition of railways related material from the Archive was displayed at both events, with Christine Wood in attendance at the conference, to answer lots of enquiries from over a hundred railway enthusiasts! Our source list of material relating to the history of the railways in Perth & Kinross is a handy new resource for anyone with an interest in railway history and demonstrates the wealth of fascinating source material to be found within a range of collections. Maps and plans show the development of the railways throughout the nineteenth century. Perth Burgh plans include a map of the Caledonian Railway and connections, 1844 (B59/42/14). Perth Burgh Railway Papers contain a sketch map of the Dundee and Perth Railway’s plans for a bridge across the Tay at Perth, 1845 (PE19/Bundle 15). Other early records include: the programme of proceedings at the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the General Railway Station, Perth in 1847 (MS14/102); Queen Victoria’s visit to Scotland featured in The Illustrated London News, September, 1851 with beautiful illustrations of Queen Victoria at Perth Station (MS14/61/1) and the Perthshire Curling Club collection. This contains a letter from The Highland Railway Company, Inverness, to Robert Keay, Perth, relating to the possibility of the company providing a special train for the curlers leaving from Perth, and also speculates as to the possible erection of a train platform opposite King's Mire Loch if the event becomes a permanent feature, 1884 (MS30/Bundle 6). The Crieff and Comrie Railway Company collection includes a printed map of the railway route, c1891 (MS84/2/7); a poster for Crieff and Comrie Railway “Social Entertainment” at Comrie Public Hall, 1891 (MS84/2/7); an ode by Sir Herbert Wilby The Crieff and Comrie Railway (MS84/2/6), and photographs of the ceremony for cutting the first sod and the ceremonial wheelbarrow and spade, 1891 (MS84/2/8). Crieff Advertising Committee files include two striking British Railways advertising posters of Crieff by James McIntosh Patrick, 1953 (CR/Files/A1).

20 The Leslie Porritt collection (MS121) encompasses a wide range of records and ephemera, relating mainly to Perth Station and railways in Perthshire, 1835- 1990. The late Leslie Porritt was for many years an employee of British Rail and latterly worked in the booking office at Perth Station. He was well known as a railway enthusiast and a researcher into railway history, particularly in the Perth area. Records in this collection include correspondence from The Highland Railway Company Seal relating to seals and coats of arms of various railway companies; most letters include an example of the company's seal, 1902 (MS121/7/3); a copy of the Evening Telegraph, with details of the Beeching Plan, 1963 (MS121/1/10) and a brochure commemorating 100 years of the sleeping car, 1973 (MS121/11). The Railway Summaries of Collections is available to access in the Archive search room and online http://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/9863/Railway-Sources

Lorna Westwater

Image courtesy of Local & Family History, A K Bell Library

21 St Peter’s at Dargie,

This photo, taken by the writer a few years back, shows the location of what is claimed to be the oldest ecclesiastical foundation north of the . The earliest claim for its foundation is 431 AD. It is said to have been a Celtic/Pictish site originally and, from a stone removed from there in 1947 to the National Museum in Edinburgh, three figures are shown wearing distinctive Scandinavian type clothing. That would tie in with a stone found behind the then Bullion farmhouse in 1934, which shows a warrior on his horse which is climbing towards Valhalla. This stone is also in Edinburgh.

The present ruin is largely from the 15th century and this church had passed from the Roman Catholic tradition to the Church of Scotland post 1560. In 1613, the parish was linked with Liff and the church buildings fell into disuse. The church itself contains the graves of the Clayhills family who lived in Invergowrie House; they were Dundee merchants and scions of that family are found in Finland today, some of them having served as Generals in the Tsarist Russian Army. The Mylnes of Mylnefield graves are found also within the ruined church. There are a number of interesting gravestones in the burial ground including that of the early members of the Cox family of Lochee, that well known dynasty later of Jute Merchants. This haven of peace is a gem of its kind within the community of Invergowrie.

Donald M Abbott, FSA Scot

22 A Guide to the History and Culture of Highland Perthshire through the Archive was launched at Breadalbane Community Campus in November 2014. Intended as an introduction to the wide variety of records held by Perth & Kinross Council Archive that relate to Highland Perthshire, the Guide is available free from A K Bell Library, Breadalbane Community Library, Library, Birnam Library and the mobile library in the area. Once you have had a chance to peruse your copy, we would be interested to know what you think of it.

Left to right: Steve Connelly (Perth & Kinross Council Archivist), Alan Grant (Chairman of Friends of Perth & Kinross Council Archive), Kirsty Brown (Development Librarian), Jackie Hay and Margaret Smith (co-authors and Friends’ volunteers).

23 Friends’ Talks 2014-2015 session

All talks take place in the Sandeman Meeting Room at the A K Bell Library, Perth, except for the AGM and talk in May, which will be held in the Soutar Theatre. Please note the varied times. All are welcome to attend the talks, which are free to members and £5 for non-members. Places are limited so, to avoid disappointment on the day, please contact 01738 477012 or [email protected] to reserve your seat.

Date Time Talks

Thursday 26 John Aitken March 2 pm Perth Harbour: Past, Present . . . Future? 2015

Thursday 23 Edward Small April 7 pm How Perth Changed the History of the Scottish Funeral 2015

6.30 AGM

7 pm * Professor David Culpin Thursday 14

May C.E. Boniface and the 2015 'Narrative of the Shipwreck of the Eole' (Cape Town, 1829) *to be confirmed

For information about the Archive and the Friends, log on to www.pkc.gov.uk/archives

Friends of Perth & Kinross Council Archive A K Bell Library, York Place, Perth PH2 8EP 01738 477012 [email protected]

Honorary Presidents: The Provost Sir William Macpherson Mr Donald Abbott Scottish Registered Charity Number: SC 031537

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