"Story and Song from Loch Ness-Side"

[57]

Druidism, which was substantially a pagan form of religion, preceded Christianity in the British Isles, and for some time the new religion made its way with difficulty. The history of the Christian Church in the Scottish Highlands - as in Scotland generally - falls to be divided into three main periods, namely: (1) the period substantially of the early Celtic Church, during most of which the Church, as a religious organisation, seems to have been nearer the original apostolic order than it has been as a whole ever since; (2) the period of Catholic ascendancy, but during which the Celtic Church also existed in considerable strength side by side with the other; and (3) the period of the Reformed Church, but during which Catholicism and Episcopacy also have existed, and in no inconsiderable proportions. These three periods may, for practical purposes, be taken to apply in respect of Loch Ness-side, as, indeed, generally throughout Scotland. The first of them, roughly stating it, may be taken as covering from probably the fourth or early fifth century till the end of the eleventh - a lengthy period on which for long after its commencement the pagan beliefs and institu- tions of the Druidic order, which preceded Christianity, continued to impress their influences. That was the period during which the saints largely dispensed the power and wielded the influence and authority of the [58] Church. The second period was mainly that of the established clergy, but, at the same time, of some fugitive or free preaching; and the third has been the period substantially of the existing order of things.

The practice and cultivation of the Christian religion in Scotland began in most places with the saints. Of the first of those to introduce the new gospel would most probably have been a wandering or propagandist order, or travelling missionaries. They were, later, followed by a class partaking more of the residential order, and various localities in our district came to possess each its own patron saint or saints. The patron saint of Glenmoriston was Meircheard, whose name has been explained as a compound word meaning "Mo Erchard", the pronoun "mo" being, as is maintained, frequently found in this combination, as indicating an expression of endearment. Meircheard fills an important place in the early ecclesiastical asso- ciation of the Glen. Traditionally he is referred to as " Meircheard-nan-Glag" ("Meircheard of the Bells"), and the mysterious manner in which he is said to have come into possession of those bells is interesting enough to be related here. He is represented as having been strolling about somewhere in the vicinity of Strathglass, engaged upon certain duties about cattle. His attent ion having been drawn to one purely white cow which was looking with every apparent concern towards the roots of a tree near by, the idea struck him that some- thing remarkable lay beneath them. Examination was rewarded by the discovery of three bells, which Meir- cheard is understood to have made use of in the further- ance of religion. The story goes on to say that he immediately proceeded towards Glenmoriston, and a [59] ridge above the township of Dalchreichard, where he is said to have rested on his way across the hills, is called "Suidhe Mheircheard" ("Meircheard's Seat").

But what came of the bells? Tradition tells that Meircheard placed one of them at the spot where now is the graveyard for Upper Glenmoriston, and which is called "Clachan Mheircheard" after his name (where, most probably, he had his church or "cell"); that another was left by him in the vicinity of Beauly ; and the third somewhat further away. There is no doubt whatever that for a long, long time a bell was to be seen on the wall encircling Clachan Mheircheard, and that it was there till a recent date, when it mysteriously disappeared - a circumstance, we should think, not brought about by any of the people of the Glen; but, much more likely, by vandalistic strangers. There was a feeling locally that it was unlucky to take any liberties with the bell, and there was thus little or no desire to do so. It is told that on one occasion a Miss Grant of Glenmoriston had the famous relic brought down to Invermoriston House, and placed in one of the great, old trees about the mansion. But the bell had been no time there when it began to make its presence known in ways not conducive to the comfort of the family, and the lady's father prevailed upon her to place it again in its former position in the church-yard, where alone it seemed to rest in peace. It was also commonly believed that this remarkable bell, like most relics that we read of in connection with the Church in primitive times, possessed extraordinary virtues. It was, according to local story, heard frequently to ring of itself, previous to funerals, the burden of its song being the words:

If at any time thrown into the river Moriston, which passes just close to the graveyard, it would soon after- wards be found restored to its wonted place on the wall. Here, again, there was little chance of the bell being thrown into the river by a native, as there was a well- known warning by Meircheard against doing so, which, we believe, few, if any, aware of it, would violate. It- said:

otherwise rendered as follows : —

According to Bishop Forbes, in his "Kalendars of Scotish Saints", Meircheard, Patron Saint of Glen- moriston, and one of the earliest to introduce the Gospel to the district, "was born among barbarous and un- taught people in Tolmiad, in Kyncarden O'Neyll, where, from his early days, he rebuked unbelievers and preached virtue. S. Teonanus ordained him priest, and made him his coadjutor and penitentiary in all the pro vinces under his jurisdiction. Going to Rome, he was consecrated Bishop by Pope Gregory. Returning to Scotland, he passed by the province of Pictavia, or Poitou, subjugated by the Galli. He was the means of restoring them to their belief.After this he fell sick, [61] and besought God that he might not see death till he came to his own country. Passing through the coast of Anglia and Scocia, preaching by the way, he at length came to the hill of Kincardine O'Neyll, where he was honourably received by his compatriots. Perceiving that death was approaching, he commanded his body to be placed in a chariot drawn by two horses, and to be laid where the chariot stopped. In that place a fine church was erected. If we may judge by the dedica tions, the influence of this saint was very great. Besides the spot associated with him in the Breviary, Kincardine O'Neil, we have a. parish of Kincardine, annexed at the time of the Reformation to Abernethy, on the Spey, and a seaport town of that name in the parish of Tulliallan, in Perthshire; another parish fourteen miles from Tain; another in Monteith, two miles from Doune; and, lastly, the county which takes its name from the ancient castle, which was once a royal residence." Two other saints associated with Loch Ness-side were St Drostan, the Patron Saint of Glen-Urquhart, and St Curadan, who laboured in Glen- Urquhart and in the Bona district.

There is ample evidence that the illustrious Saint Columba visited Loch Ness-side - if not indeed more than once - during the latter half of the sixth century. The church-yard at Invermoriston is called "Cladh- Choluim-Chille", and it is interesting to note that it appears in Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars" as the twenty- second of such places consecrated by the great saint in Pictland. This ancient and historic burial-place occu pies a spot over which the river Moriston is said to have at one time passed - a supposition which the nature of the soil would go far to confirm; and it is believed to [62] have been a place of worship from very early times. In the near vicinity is also a well called after St Columba - "Fuaran-Choluim-Chilie". This well was for ages an object of veneration among the people of the dis- trict, .and curative properties and various other virtues were attributed to its waters. The well is within tw o minutes' walk of Invermoriston Hotel.

Between the period of the Saints and the early Celtic Church, and that of the Reformation - roughly some 500 years - the religion of Scotland came to be mainly that of the State Catholicism instituted by Queen Margaret, wife of Malcolm Canmore, though it would be quite wrong to suppose that the persuasion of earlier times had entirely disappeared. This would also apply to our district of Loch Ness-side, which came, under ecclesiastical organisation, to be included in the extensive Bishopric of Moray. It was during this period that parishes, and indeed much of the ecclesi astical machinery of later times, sprung into existence. The clergy were principally of the priestly order, though, as already indicated, there was also an important following pertaining to the old Celtic Church, the abbots of which still ruled extensively.

The Reformation brought about a great change. Eventually Catholicism gave way to Presbyterianism, and the new movement absorbed whatever remnant of the original Church had survived. For a considerable time after the rise of Presbyterianism the supply of religious ordinances was not at all excessive, and on Loch. Ness-side it fell far short of requirements. In consequence, the condition of the inhabitants religiously was far from satisfactory - more particularly in Glen- moriston. But during the latter half ofthe 18th [63] century the matter was beginning to receive greater attention. At first the GlenUrquhart incumbents occasionally paid Glenmoriston a visit; but some time prior to the Disruption of 1843 the latter Glen had services of its own. The old buildings had made way for better and more modern structures; and the Church as an important civilising and christianising institution had become established in the homes and hearts of the people.

The religious conditions of the Highland people during the more recent period of our history were not of any particularly stirring nature, but were upon the whole improving. The services of a number of most eloquent and godly ministers in the Highlands had early brought about some serious recognition of the Gospel message; and there was a spirit of genuine Christianity that permeated every home in a greater or less degree. Much of the superstition that attached to religion at an earlier period had entirely disappeared; and the pure spirituality of Christ's teaching, and that of the apostles and fathers, was perhaps never better interpreted by a people than by the Highlanders in general, about the time that Rev. Dr MacDonald, the Apostle of the North; Rev. L. Mackenzie, of Loch- carron; Rev. John MacRae, of Knockbain and the Lews; the Kennedys; and other great divines, preached to eagerly listening crowds, with a power and a force which, judging from accounts by those who had heard, seemed something at least beyond the ordinary. There was a confidence and a good-feeling then between the people and their pastors. The latter commanded both respect and admiration; the former were not so much broken up into different sects and parties, semi-religious, [64] semi-political, and mainly contentious and worldly, as in later years. We distinctly remember hearing old folks speakin fond accents ofthefeeling ofhomely and tender affection with which they were wont to seat themselves in their family pews.With them going to church was not a social function; it was a religious duty. The preachers, in almost all cases, were believed to have been specially called;that is, that there had been some special circumstance in their lives - generally interpreted as the '' divine call" - which influenced their choice of the ministry as a profession, as well as there being the necessary intellectual and other qualific ations. It was not uncommon to find among the brightest stars in the Highland ministerial firmament somewho, according to popular rumour, had spent their youth in no way specially indicative of their maturer years. It would seem that under quite a momentary impulse the whole course of a life became altered from apathy and indifference, if not indeed antagonism to religion, to serious and active godliness. To be able to say any such thing of a preacher was a form of credential in the Highlands which went straight to the hearts of the people.

The miserable Disruption of 1843 dislocated matters seriously; but both the Established and Free Churches have enjoyed the services of a number of able and eminent men all along. The people of Glenmoriston, with the exception of a few families who adhered to the old Church, and a still smaller number who remained Catholics, cast in their lot with the Free Church. In course of time the charge became a joint one with that of Fort-Augustus, the minister having his manse there. There was then a service in each place every alternate [65] Sunday, the church in Glenmoriston being at Culnan- carn.

Perhaps the most outstanding personality among the ministers who officiated in this charge was Rev. Francis MacBean. He was in his day both a great preacher and a great man. A native of Inverness district, he soon made himself a favourite with the people. Noble and commanding in appearance, of fervent imagination, deep-seated spirituality, and eloquent delivery, he quickly captivated the hearts of his congregation, and was looked up to by them as a great and leading soldier in the army of the Church. He was a severe disciplinarian, and held the whole country-side in awe of his condemnation. He was, how- ever, a spiritual adviser of boundless sympathy and affection. He was married to Flora Campbell, a native of Coll, a woman of much piety and grace. She died about the year 1856, leaving him in a state of utter disconsolateness. He composed a beautiful lament on the occasion of her death, copy of which has come into our hands.

Another great divine who occupied the charge was Rev. A. MacColl, a native of the West Highlands. He was an exceeding able and eloquent preacher; but his views on many matters which did not pertain to religion at all were somewhat narrow. He was translated to Lochalsh, where he died some years ago, much and widely beloved. He was succeeded in Glenmoriston in turn by Rev. W. Mackinnon and Revs. D. and A. Mac- Innes. At the time we write, however, there is no Free Church pastor in the Glen. The dissension in the Church within the last few years having brought about another dislocation, the majority of the people [66] have adhered to the old Free Church principles, while only a few families have sided with the United Free - the party of progress. It should be mentioned that for some years now Glenmoriston charge has been an independent ministry, and that a manse was put up some time ago beside the church at Culnancarn.

The domicile of the Established Church in the Glen has for most been at Invermoriston, and a prominent minister of the olden time there was the Rev. Mr Mac- Iver, a fine specimen of the good, old parish pastor. He was a man of abounding goodness, and a father and friend to the people. After him came the Rev. Alex. Gair, one of the best and kindest of men. Before settling down to the incumbency at Invermoriston, a brother and he kept a school for boys at Torbreck, a few miles beyond Inverness. The Gairs were notable scholars, excellent in classics. The Rev. Mr Gair was doctor as well as pastor, his knowledge of sicknesses and homely, simple, but effective cures having been exten­ sive. He kept a store of common medicines at hand, and was ever ready to give advice and assistance, and the good he accomplished in that way cannot be referred to in too high terms. Frequently did he allay both pain and anxiety at the people's firesides, and he never grudged time or means in the performance of his good work. Mr Gair had another brother, who was the Captain Gair who risked his life in setting fire to a dangerous fuse in the storming of an important fortress in India, during the Mutiny. Captain Gair's two daughters lived with their uncle, at Invermoriston, for some years, until his death, in 1874. They held Sabbath-school classes in the church, encouraged Bible studiesamong the young, also thesingingof sacred [67] songs, and generally raised the tone of the youth of the district. They wielded much beneficial influence, and left their footprints in good deeds and kindly words all over the place. Both married well and happily some time after they left Invermoriston.

The Rev. Mr Gair was succeeded by the Rev. Mr D. MacCalluin and the Rev. Mr A. Munro; and the present incumbent is Rev. Mr A. MacNeill, a popular and useful pastor. He enjoys a new manse, and a new church is in course of erection - both provided by the munificence of a member of the Glenmoriston family.

The district has always been well served by lay preachers, some of whom were, indeed, men of out­ standing parts, who made their influence felt with abiding effects. One of the most notable of these was undoubtably Mr Finlay Munro, at one time well known in the Central Highlands as a powerful exponent of Gospel truths. He frequently passed through Glen- moriston, and it was on one of his visits to the West country, while pronouncing grace with the people work ing on the roads, at Mam Ratagan, that he expressed some thoughts which were said to have inspired the first awakening of Big John MacRae - later of Knockbain and Lewis - towards his conversion. It is also reported of him that while preaching to a congregation at Tor gyle, in the course of which he took opportunity to utter a certain prediction, he made the statement that, as a proof that what he was predicting would come to pass, no grass would ever grow on the footprints left by him where he then stood; and, sure enough, the people of the country to this day point out those footprints, which are said to be as bare of grass, or any other vegetation, as black earth can be.

[68] Within recent times, one of the best lay preachers in Glenmoriston was Mr Donald MacLean, for many years head gamekeeper at Invermoriston. MacLean was a cultured man who lived a very exemplary life. During most of his maturer years he held prayer meetings on Sunday evenings, which were always largely attended. When not in the school at Invermoriston, those meetings took place in the house of Ewen Mac Donald, a tailor, which stood in lovely surroundings by the Moriston river. MacLean's singing of the Gaelic Psalms was always delightful, and his preaching rose sometimes to points of eloquence that many ministers could not excel.

Educationally Glenmoriston, in common with practically every country district in the Scottish Highlands, was, for long, in a decidedly bad way. No doubt the Church all along was making efforts to keep the torch of learning burning; but as matter of fact, education, even to any extent, reached only the best class. It was left for the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge in Scotland to introduce the systematic teaching of the people on anything approachi ng a liberal scale, and even under that most useful organisation the compass was narrow. Glenmoriston, being far inland, was, probably, worse off than, for instance, GlenUrquhart in the matter of schools; but some of its young men and women early found their way to be educated in neighbouring localities. It was about the year 1728 that the first of the Society's schools was established in the Glen. One was opened then at Dundreggan. It was conducted by a shoemaker, named Urquhart, who had formerly taught in GlenUrquhart. Urquhart and Glenmoriston.

[69] By the close of the 18th century the number of schools had increased; and it was not uncommon to find the laird or his Lady, or some of their family relatives, taking a deep and practical interest in the boys and girls "with pairts" and, in some cases, in whole families, whom they saw through at least an elementary course at their own expense. In those times of struggling education it was not unusual for a number of parents to combine and employ a teacher exclusively for their own families. Early in the 19th century, the tenants of Aonach and Inverwick, along with certain heads of families in Torgyle and Dun dreggan - from which we would gather that the school there had disappeared - erected a small schoolhouse, consisting of wattles and turf, at the west end of Torgyle Bridge, and appointed a master for their own children, maintaining him among themselves turn about from house to house. There was about the same time a school at Bail'-an-Tom-Buidhe, which was taught by a man of the name of Sinclair, whose descendants are still in the Glen, worthy representatives of a worthy ancestor. About 1830 the first schoolhouse at Dal chreichard was built, and the teacher appointed to it was a MacLean, from Ardgour, who married a daughter of Ewen MacDonald, tenant of Livishy. He held the position for about a year. A MacMillan from Fort William succeeded him, and he held the appoint ment till it came to be filled by a teacher of the name of MacPherson. MacMillan married a daughter of Ewen Cameron, tenant of Tomachrasky. MacPherson laboured successfully in Dalchreichard for a number of years, and was succeeded by his son, Mr James MacPherson, since whose removal [70] some years ago, to an important mastership in the vicinity of Inverness, female teachers have been appointed to the post. A new school and dwelling house were put up under the Education Act of 1872.

Matters were somewhat similar as regards the lower end of the Glen. There was first a school at Inver moriston, which would seem to have been of a compara tively primitive character. The schoolhouse consisted of the prevailing class of construction, and was situated at .a place known as "Croit-an-Taillear" ("The Tailor's Croft"). The writing desk in use is said to have been a winnowing fan made of skin - "guit'' - and the furniture generally was pretty much in keeping. This great seat of learning was under the management of one Mackintosh. After him came one who taught at the "Square", by which appellation the Home Farm houses and steading have long been, known. He remained only for about a year. Thereafter a school was opened at the Manse, where, for some time, a well known Highlander, Alexander MacRaild, laboured with acceptance. His father had been a soldier, who had retired with the rank of serjeant, and the son was a reputed scholar of his time. Then came a teacher of the name of Mackintosh, who taught in the old school house at the village bridge - "An Drochaid Bheag" - the schoolroom occupying the whole centre flat of the block of buildings there, since made into a shop and residences. Mackintosh was an excellent teacher. After he left, a MacLean, from the Western Isles, was appointed, and he conducted the school in the same building until he retired, when the new Act of 1872 came into force. He removed to Glasgow. The first master under the new Act was one Mr MacQuarrie, also [71] a native of the Western Isles. He was a first class teacher, but did not remain long. He was succeeded by Mr Grant, who is retiring now. Mr Grant has done excellent work, and he has sent out to the world some pupils who have risen to positions of responsibility and trust. As elsewhere all over the Highlands, new and improved accommodation was provided here under the altered order of things brought about by the Act, the new school buildings being situated at a place called " Fasadh-a'-Ghille-Bhioraich".'

The range of educational subjects taught was at no time very extensive. The three R's formed the prin cipal elements of the course provided;but after the introduction of the newer methods, under the Act of 1872, Latin, Mathematics, and a few other advanced subjects were more liberally taught. In the olden time these subjects were, as a rule, only taken when a pupil here and there specialised, and had "pairts" above the average. The old teachers, however, taught on safe and sensible lines. They followed Nature more closely than by the levelling processes of later times it is possible to do, and when examination day came round, the ministers invariably found that while there might be some shyness on the part of pupils, there was often unmistakable evidence of brilliant brains. It was long considered that for women it was sufficient education  be able to read.

For a time the reading books were the "Big-Spelling- Book," the "Little-Spelling-Book,"and the "Collec tion". These were followed by the "Course of Read ing", the "Series of Lessons",the "Third Reading Book"; and there were always the few primers for children, with the inevitable "Alphabet Card" -which [72] some youngsters went to school with, day after day, for years. School life was somewhat irksome, upon the whole. There were long fasts, and the providing of the peat for the fire was a sort of tax that every pupil did not readily take to. Then the irregularity in attenda nce was chronic; scarcely any attending for much more than the winter period of the year.

By the Education Act of 1872 "the scene was changed". In every respect better material for teach ing - at any rate from the point of view of the many was put into operation; yet it is not denied that the new system has its faults, while of the old it can be said that it had a great many good points.

Chapter 3