A Description of a few of the Seats of the Grants.

Chapter I: Of Ballendalloch

Ballendalloch, the seat of the present (457) General Grant, lies in the parish of Inveraven, and County of Moray. All the rest of the parish, except that part of the Generals property, which has strictly the name of Ballendalloch, and lies contiguous to the Manor, is contained within the precincts of the County of Banff. It is distant, according to computation about 24 Scotch, or 36 English, miles, from the Burgh of Banff; and lies, in a direction nearly South West of the same. It is situated almost due South of Elgin, whence it is distant 12 Scotch miles; North East of Cromdale, whence it is distant 6 miles; and 8 from Castle Grant.

It is also about 80 miles North of Edinburgh; and 40 North West of Aberdeen.

Being built in a pleasant peninsula formed by the confluence of the Aven and Spey which (459) running, along the one on the South, and the other on the North East side of the Castle, form a junction and at a small distance from that turn in an oblique direction and bound the policies in three sides. Between the rivers, from the North East point of the compass round by East, there extends a small rising ground commonly called “ The Bow-Moon”, from the natural analogy it bears to the moon, when gibbous or horned. The concave side lies towards the House, & at no great distance from it; in the front whereof is situated the farm houses, by which the high way to Glenlivet is made. Round the el-bow, covered for the most part with shrubry, is cut, in a transverse direction, a road for the coach to go, when the proprietor wants to take a prospect of the circumjacent country. (461) At a small distance thence, is the Kirk, standing on the bank of the Spey, and also of a small rivulet; well sheltered from the East by the wood of Belly-Heglash.

About two miles distant from the Bow-Moon, and on the same side of it, there reaches from Aven to Spey, in a circular form, a ridge of hills, called by the different names of Carn O’Kay, Bellrinnas, and Drum of Carron. Between the two last there is a declivity, in which runs the small rivulet, so called from Carron. At the back for the former is Glenlivet and Morange Morange is Gen. Grant’s property; of the second, Glenrinnas; of the third, the parish of Aberlour.

In the interval between these hills and the Bow-Moon, of which the concave and convex side coincide with each other, there is a beautiful forest of thriving firs, on a small eminence called (463) Loch Lerich, much less, in perpendicular altitude than Bellrinnas, which is in the center of the ridge of hills Eastward and a little higher than that of the Bowmoon; but not a mean proportional to the two.

Up the river Aven there is an excellent forest of oak, in the heart of which is the celebrated Craig, Chroch-kan, whence one of the tribes of the Grants, of whom the late family of Ballendalloch was head, derived their name. And thro’ this craig, on the bank of the river, is a walk lately made with seats, in proper places and at proper intervals, looking down to the river; constructed, some of stone; others, of turf. And a little farther up Aven, above the oak plantation, there was a great number of Allar or Alder, or, as they are called, Arn trees, of which there has been a great quantity of late years sold and manufactured.

(465) Along the Spey downwards, on the East side of the Church, there was another road and birch forest, both of which were cut, sold, and manufactured some time ago; and are well advanced again. A little farther N. East, below the Ferry boat, commonly called the Blakes boat, there was a third plantation of oak, and different other species of wood. In the ascent from that to the Drum of Carron, in the midst of the cornfields of Phonas, lies also a Birch wood, young and thriving. And to fill up the interstices between the respective natural curiosities already mentioned, there is abundance of land, rich and prolific, with a vast deal of pasture ground for cattle, at the extremity of which the inhabitants have moss for fire of the best kind.

Whathas been already described (467) comprehends the lands of those divisions of Ballendalloch’s property, called, Phonas, beginning at the Spey at the foot of the Drum of Carron, & southward, Voyrach, Braeside, Pitchash, Belly-Heglash LochLerich. Tommoir, Auldich, and Delmanach at the foot of Carn O’Kay on the Aven, with what is Ballendalloch strictly so called, being in the angular point of the rivers.

On the opposite side of the Spey from Ballendalloch is, the parish of Knockando. In the upper corner, or S.W. end of this parish is the Barony of Kirdals, and the property of the late family of that name, but now belonging to Ballendalloch. Bounding these lands and those of Tulchan are the hills of Kirdals, which screen Ballendalloch from the SW winds. On the bank of the river, ‘twixt it & what was and is the Manor, was (469) a large plantation of Birch, oak etc, the most of which was sold lately; & the remains are in a good state.

South W. & W of Ballendalloch, on the same side of the Spey, but on the opposite side of he Aven, are the Lands of Tulloch-Carn, such belong to Ballendalloch, and are within the parish of Inveraven. These are situated above the place where the rivers meet. And farther up the Aven, on the side southward, adjoining to Tulloch-Carn, are the lands of Kilmaichlie, the jointure lands of Lady Ballendalloch, at the present, sister-in-law to the General. Here she resides a while in the summer season to enjoy rural felicity. But lives all the rest of the year at Edinr.

Covering the lands of Tulloch-Carn the S. West by S. is the hill of Cromdale which divides Inveraven (471) from Cromdale. This hill rises by an easy ascent for a little distance from Aven: then the face of it becomes very steep; and having been all planted with rows of firs some years ago, as it fronts the Castle, commands a most pleasing prospect.

Having taken a superficial glance of the circumjacent objects, we shall next proceed to survey the policies or pleasure ground round the house, the buildings, etc

The Castle stands on a fine champaign or level ground, called the Cue-Haugh. It has stood formerly on the plane at the top of the Bow-Moon, as the vestiges still to be seen indicate. The Cap House or small tower on the highest pinnacle of the edifice is about 70 feet perpendicular above the level of the plane, the horizontal level at the foot of the walls. The architecture is (473) partly gothic, partly modern; and the Court in form of a square, wanting one of its sides opening to the avenue, which is thro’ double rows of trees till it joins to the highway at the waterside. In the midst that part of the edifice, built before the accession of the present family, is a little higher than the two wings. The additional wing on the SW was built by Colonel William; that on the NE by the present General. They are parallel to each other and lie in a longitudinal direction, with respect to the Avenue. They are both very large, and contain a number of elegantly well-furnished rooms, finely illuminated by variety of windows for the purpose of introducing that fluid light. In the wing on the SW is the Library, a room excellently adorned by mechanic operations; but much more so, by the large assortment of valuable books, ancient & modern, consisting of Greek, Latin, (475) English, French, etc; history, divinity, philosophy, etc, and collected at different times, by different hands.

The Closs or Court is finely gravelled; the avenue thence leading, as was said, beset with rows of stately firs exceeding the size of any to be met with in this country. At the back of the house is an old garden, enclosed with a very high wall on every side. In the inside is a variety of herbs, flowers, & every sort of garden stuff; divided into small pieces by several grown hedges. Between it, on the outside, and Aven Southward, is an extensive plane of arable ground. Without the avenue on the N.E there are several useful houses; in particular the house appropriated for keeping beef uncorrupted, is an admirable performance. At a little distance thence are the stalls or stables, of which there is a new one, 90 feet long, of the nicest construction, and furnished after an unprecedented manner.


(477) Downwards, on the same side of the avenue is a new garden, called the Nursery, where the seeds of immense quantities of shrubs, trees, herbs, flowers, etc are nourished; full of fine serpentine walks, and shady arbours; environed on the side next the Spey with a stone wall; guarded also and sheltered from Boreas’s cold blasts, by rows of Chestnut, spreading Beeches, Plantane, and other foreign wood; in so much that the wearied wanderer, passing this way is apt to claim, when he reposes himself to rest under their shading coverts, as I have often witnessed.

"Tityre, tu patulæ recubans sub tegmine fagi"for the public road leads along closs by the side of the Nursery from the Kirk to the boat of Aven.

At the foot of the Bow-Moon, there is a pleasant Canal, whose water runs thro’ the East side of the Nursery in a circular or rather cycloidal form, and falls in cascades, owing to the graduated channel; (479) and, in order to keep the paved bottom clean of mud, there is a sluice with iron bars at each cataract or fall. The banks of this canal are green and verdant, gently rising above the water’s surface. Into it a strong spring, that rises in the center of the Nursery, conveyed in a conduit, disembogues its water.

Along the opposite side of the Nursery runs a small quantity of water coming from Aven, & emptying itself in the Spey, on whose brink Northward is a very spacious haugh or champaign field, divided into different parks by stone walls and hedges. On the side next Aven is a wall, along which are vast many Ash trees; closs by the bank of the Spey, a fine old hedge-fence, most of which has arrived at an extraordinary size, bordering on that of ordinary trees: thro’ the middle runs another hedge of the same form for a small way. The river Spey encloses two sides; on the fourth side, extending SW (481) along the edge of the Bow-Moon, from a small rivulet at the Kirk to the Nursery is a stone wall, along the which is a row of trees of various sorts: Ash, Elm, Chestnut, etc for the space of ¾ of a mile.

All these, ill described as they are, when reviewed at a little distance, particularly from the road leading to Castle Grant, or from the brow of the Bow-Moon, form one of the most beautiful grotesque appearances of Nature, properly furbished by art; and at once they gratify three of the acutest senses: The sight is dazzled with the phenomena; the ear, delighted in a pleasant summer day; when the chirping winged tribe melodiously unite their charming notes, - seated high in the air, and perched on the flexile tender spray; - when the whistling (483) zephyrs fan the leafy grove; - when the silver streams glide slowly on, in wild meanders flowing, and murmuring rills; - when contiguous romantic rocks and hollow cranies re-echo, and reverberate the sound: when, Hybla like, the bees sip the nectarian juice, in humming tribes conglobed; and when Flora decks the enammeled green, and the painted landscape at once to view presents its gaudy furniture. Nor less with aromatic odours is the Smell, and olofactory nerves excited; the cool breezes wafting their effluvia on their downy pinions to far, like the Spice islands in India that send their odours several miles to sea, the grateful harbingers of the land to the sailor wearied of the watery way.

The fields also; the woods; the hills; the whispering glades, conspire to perfect the scene. And all, with fish and fowl, and game of various sort, abound. (485) The swift flag; the winged partridge; the nimble hare; and birds of every species, the lonely and sequestered bowrs frequent.

How nicely, too, does the wood, the spreading beech, the lofty fir, and tall plantane, their numerous arms entwining, contribute their aid to serene the place from Boreas’s frozen blasts in winter days; and conspire together to form a pleasant cool shade, in summer hours, from sultry heats, and the scorching fervour of a vertical sun! "Non domus nihilominus," ut Ciceroni placet, "dominum; sed dominus, domum nobilitat:" Nor house, nor land ennoble the owner; but these the owner.

When the fields, that whilome only bore
Wild health or gayly deck’d with oats,
Despised these humbler weeds and wore,
Rich spangled doublets and lac’d coats,
The hills are perri-wigg’d with snow,
Pig-tails of ice hang on each tree,
The winds turn’d powder puffs, and lo!
On ev’ry shrub a sharp toupee.
With silver clocks the river Gods,
Appear’d; and some will take their oath,
Or lay at least a thousand odds,
The clouds saliving spit of white froth

Chapter II: Of Knockando

(487) I have been the more particular in describing Ballendalloch, both because I am best acquainted with it, and because it will preclude the necessity of descending to the same minuteness in what follows, as they enjoy several of the advantages specified above.

Knockando, at present, the country seat or villa, of Capt. Lud Grant is situated three miles Northward (or nearly so) of Ballendalloch, but on the opposite bank of the Spey, & gives name to that parish in the County of Moray. It stands on a small eminence, bounded on either side by two small rivulets, which, rising in the hills on the North & NW dividing that parish and Dollas, glide through a winding declivity, covered on both banks with wood of different species, descend to champaign ground fronting the House at the (489) foot of the eminence, on which it is built, and running along little more then the length of a corn field, discharge their water into the Spey. Between these, or rather, between the two rising grounds on either side of that whereon the House stands, the river whose banks are overgrown with trees, flows almost in a right line for the space of about two furlongs. On the opposite side of the water, are several plantations, exposed to view from any part of the premises: and, in the interval between these, there has of late been several parks planted with firs. All these are situated in the side of the Drum of Carron.

At the foot of these, along the riverside is a large piece of horizontal ground in an angular form, whose vertex is at the place where the water is curved by the eminence on the South, and made to run in a straight line by the front of the house. (491) On the bank of that side Southward, which contains the angle, running in a line with the House and all to be seen for the space of half a mile, thro’ the windows is an extensive plantation of firs, planted about 20 years ago, far advanced and thriving. These cover above a hundred acres; and are surrounded by the river, which turning at the South end, runs in the figure of a syphon recurved, distended farther at the apex of the legs, than at the curvature. Enclosed thus naturally on three sides, it is bounded by a stone wall on the fourth.

Contiguous to the W. corner of the park is Tam-due, said by some to be the place where the leader of the Grants who first came to Strathspey settled. It adjoined to Kirdals in the same parish.

(493) The public road, crossing the rivulet on the East of the House, near the place, where it empties itself into the Spey, leads in an oblique transverse direction along the side of the eminence, at a little space below where it begins to slope at the House, with a stone wall at the uppermost side and passes by the gate of the avenue. The space contained between that wall, and the brow of the hill, has been lately improved and converted into a Nursery, and pleasure-ground, cut out in walks and divided into parterres; and on the summit ‘twixt the Court and this is a spring-well, whose water is conveyed away below ground to the outworks. And round the sloping side, thro’ plantations of firs, birch, etc to the rivulet Eastward, are beautiful walks etc.

On the top of said eminence is a pleasant place, thro’ which is the avenue overlaid with gravel (495) to the House standing on the brow. The buildings are of modern structure, in form of 2 rectangles; the frontispiece, adorned with the Coat Armorial of the family. At the back of it is the garden, well planned, furnished and kept. It is sheltered by the hill formerly mentioned on the North: and the wall Northward is reared much higher than any of the others, compared of brick, with a number of fruit trees laid along it. And this, viewed from the summit of Drum of Carron, adjacent thereto, exhibits to the traveller a very gaudy specimen of police; and is no small ornament to the whole.

About a mile SWW from thence stands the Kirk and about the same distance NE is the village called Archiestown by the proprietor Sir Archibald Grant, tho’ more commonly designed Balnatomb. At the riverside, not far below the Manor of Knockando, & in the precincts of (497) Balnatomb, is an excellent fir wood; and towards the hill, in sight of said Manor above Archiestown are a great many more firs. Etc etc etc,

Chapter III: Of Carron

At a little distance from the river, about one mile and one half East of Knockando, on the opposite side, is Carron, in the parish of Aberlour & County of Banff. It is in sight both of Knockando and Elchise, between which and the first in convallis and curvature of the (499) river, is that plantation of firs named above as belonging to Balnatomb. And it is almost NE from Ballnadalloch about three miles, situated at the foot of the Drum of Carron in the heart of wood, standing also on a rising ground, which slopes gradually on every side except that next the hill. Between the side running N to W & the river, there interveens a level champaign field. The hill is on the SW. At the end of the avenue along the front of the House on the S. at the foot of a pretty steep brea, covered with trees of different species, runs a rivulet, so called from the place which, uniting its stream there with two other that rise on the N. side of Bellrinnas, flows thro’ the same channel a little way on the E. & N. and discharges themselves into the Spey. All these rivers are covered with wood. And the circambient ground is laid out in parks, & walled. (501) Up the river on the SW is the parish of Inveraven; on the W & N the parish of Knockando on the opposite side of the Spey.

It was the seat of a branch of the family of Glenmoriston, the last of whom was Col John Grant slain at Carthagen, as was said in Part 2. The House is very neat; the rooms elegantly wainscotted; the architecture of the Corinthian & Doric order. Here are also several natural curiosities, vegetable and mineral. On the East at the confluence of the three rivulets, are still to be seen the vestiges of an old Roman camp.

The present proprietor, who resides at Elchies, is a branch of the family of Achernick.

Chapter IV: Of Elchise

(503) Elchise, the seat of James Grant of Carron, stands high above the horyzontal level of the river, between which and it are interspersed a great number of Birch trees; in the parish of Knockando, and County of Moray. It is about two miles N.E. of Knockando on the same side of the Spey, and one N. of Carron, on which it looks as it were down, being so high situated. On the adverse side of the river, standing on a high eminence is Allachie, once belonging to the family of that name, afterwards redeemed by Sir Lud. Grant, and now belonging to Carron. And in the valley at the mouth of a small rivulet, so called from the parish is the Kirk of Aberlour, in the intermediate space between Elchise and Allachie, on the bank of the River S. Eastward. A mile hence downwards is (505) the Manor of Aberlour, entirely in sight of Elchise. On the same side of the Spey, about a mile NE is Easter Elchise, the seat of the late Baron Grant, who sold it to Ld Findlater; and about the same distance thence in a direct line is Arndilly, on the opposite side of the Spey.

W. Elchies commands an extensive prospect on both sides of the water; taking in at one view almost all the parishes of Boharm and Aberlour, & part of Inveraven on the adverse side, and most of the parish of Knockando, extending nearly six miles along the river, on the same side. As to the architecture of the houses, I can say little: The Manor is of the castle form; and the policies about, the avenue, garden etc are very well laid out, & pleasant to the beholder.

Chapter IV: Of Arndilly or Aruntully.

(507) Aruntully, the property of a branch of the family of Balnatomb, stands on a verdant plane, in the face of a hill, called Ben-eggin, sheltering it on the E. & N., in the parish of Boharm and County of Banff, about 7 miles W of Keith and little more E. of Elgin.

The manor is one of the finest in the country, elegantly built, the furniture and ornaments of the various and many apartments magnificent and splendid. At a little distance from this house (for it was lately built) stands the old abode of the family, on the same plane. Fronting it on the W is Rothes, on the opposite side of the river, a village built some time ago; and along the Spey side is an extensive champaign (509) ground, called Haugh of Dana Leith, one of the four prettiest on Spey.

"Dipple, Dundurius, Dana-Leith and Dalvey;
The four prettiest haughs end-lang Spey!!"

At the S or upper end of this haugh is one of the Craig Ellachies, from which the Grants derive their “Cri-de-guerre”. Below this Craig a little, the river Fiddich flows into the Spey. Hard by the confluence, on Fiddoch, is a bridge consisting of two arches, built by means of the late Col. Grant of Aruntully; which, viewed from the Manor, exhibits an agreeable prospect, being erected in a convallis, flanked on both sides, by a forest of wood. From thence all along the river’s bank to the House there are interspersed many trees of different species: and in the ascent above the river from the bridge extending a great length, is a large inclosure full of firs; besides which there are several (511) more within the precincts of the farm, full grown. Up Fiddich side, SE are Gallivae and Newton.

Much might be said with respect to the polities and improvement, and rarities of Nature; but, as I have not much acquaintance with the place, so I shall say no more about it.

Chapter VI

[No further text]