New Account: Cromadale

Presbytery of Aberlour, Synod of Moray
Rapporteur: The Rev. James Grant, Minister.

[Biographical Notes for the Minister adapted from the Fasti ecclesiae Scoticanae
JAMES GRANT (1820–1846) son of Charles Grant, farmer, Rothiemoon, Abernethy; educated at King's College, Aberdeen (MA 1822); licensed by the Presbytery of Abernethy 12th January 1827; presented (to Cromdale) by Colonel Francis William Grant November 1829; ordained 14th April 1830; died 2nd May 1856.
He married 2nd June 1836, Christina (who died in 1870), youngest daughter of Duncan Mackintosh, and had issue —

Charles Duncan, M.B., CM. (Aberdeen 1869), born 23rd October 1841.]

I: Topography and Natural History

Name

[432] The name of the parish is evidently derived from two Gaelic words: “crom” signifying curved or crooked; and “dail” signifying a plain or meadow. Close by the place where the church and manse are situated, the river Spey forms nearly a semicircle; and hence Cromdale, or the crooked dale. The parishes of Inverallan and Advie are united to Cromdale ; but at what time the union took place is not ascertain able.

Extent &c

The united parish, which, in its shape, is extremely irregular, extends to about 18 miles in length on the north side of the Spey, and about 9 on the other. Its greatest breadth is 10 miles. It is situated in the counties of Inverness and Moray, but the greater part lies in the former county. It is bounded on the east, by the parishes of Inveravon and Knockando; on the west, by Abernethy and Duthill; on the south, by Kirkmichael; and on the north, by parts of the parishes of Edinkillie, and Ardclach.

Topographical Appearances

There is a complete mountain chain of very considerable height, and covered with heath, on the southern part of the parish, which divides it from Kirkmichael, called “Cromdale hill”. This chain extends in an eastern and western direction, a distance of seven or eight miles. The north side of the river forms rather a contrast to that already described. Its sloping hills, for several miles along the course of the river, are clothed with deep forests of pine, larch, oak, &c. It may here be mentioned, that, within the last sixteen years, 1500 acres have been planted on the south side of the river, towards the lower extremity of the parish; and it is intended, by the noble and spirited proprietor, to follow out the same system – to plant every acre on which timber will grow, and which cannot be added to the cultivated, part of the parish with a profitable application of capital.

Soil

The soil of the parish, in general, is good, and yields rich [433] crops; but early frosts frequently occur in the mouths of August und September, and in one night blasts all the crops in several parts of the parish.

Climate

The climate is allowed to be extremely healthy, but, owing to the great elevation of the parish above the level of the sea, probably 600 feet, rather cold and changeable. Winter leaves us reluctantly, continuing during the greater part of spring, and it often arrives so early as the end of October. The most frequent winds are the west and north-east.

Geology

Limestone (Primitive) of the best quality is found in great abundance in some parts of the parish. Large quantities of it are prepared by the tenants for sale, and also for their own use in agriculture and building. There is scarcely a tenant in the parish, occupying a £5 farm, who has not his lime-kiln. There is also great abundance of granite, presumed, by well qualified judges, to be equal, both in appearance and durability, to the famous Aberdeen granite. Associated with the granites are various other rocks of the primitive class of geologists.

Zoology

The only wild animals now found in the parish are, the fox, badger, polecat, and weasel. Roe, partridges, black and red grouse, with brown and white hares, still abound. Ptarmigan also, it is said, have been shot on the highest parts of Cromdale hill.

Hydrography

There are no springs in the parish worthy of notice. There are several small lakes, but the most famous is that of Lochindorb, which, with its castle, shall be afterwards noticed. The Spey is the only river of note passing through the parish. Notwithstanding all the precautions used in securing the fish at the mouth of the river, the salmon contrive to pass, and force their way this length, and even to the source of the stream, affording the angler many an hour's pleasant amusement. There are several pools in the parish inferior to none, for angling, in the whole course of the river.

Plantations

There is not now a parish in Scotland, it is believed, which contains an equal extent of plantations. Upwards of 2500 acres have been planted within the last twenty-six years, and there is a fully larger extent of old plantations. A vast number of the old trees, larch and common fir, have grown to a very large size. Several trees measure 80 inches diameter at the root, and 8 inches at 70 feet in height. Many of the old trees from these plantations, especially from the close neighbourhood of [434] Castle Grant, have been taken to Garmouth for ship masts. They are of great value; no less than £7 were offered the other day for a larch tree just as it stood in the forest. There is also a very considerable extent of natural wood, oak, birch, alder, &c. It may here be mentioned, that in the churchyard of Cromdale, there is a venerable beech tree of great antiquity; its branches are of such enormous extent, that it is capable of overshadowing upwards of 1000 people.

II: Civil History

Historical Events

This parish was the scene of many sanguinary feudal conflicts; but the battle which took place on the “Haughs of Cromdale” on the 1st of May 1690, was the most memorable. The cause of James II having become desperate by the death of John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, at Killiecrankie, in 1689, he made a bold effort to renew the war in the Highlands. General Buchan was dispatched with 1500 men, of different clans, to lay waste the low country. On their march through Strathspey, they plundered as they went along, and committed many serious depredations in the lower parts of the country. By this time, Sir Thomas Livingstone, who had been stationed at Inverness with a large force of cavalry and infantry, resolved to check, them. Buchan and his force, hearing of his determination and approach, returned to the Highlands. On the 1st of May 1690, by break of day, Livingstone arrived with his troops at Derraid, near Castle Grant; and, in order that their movements might not be known, they were directed down the valley of Auchinarrow, a very sequestered spot, and to cross the Spey below Dellachapple. General Buchan and his army had come to Cromdale on the 30th of April, and, considering it prudent to keep near the hills, encamped that night at Lethendy, a farm at the foot of the hill of Cromdale. They had some advanced guards or sentries placed near the church of Cromdale, close by the river; and these, observing Livingstone's troops fording the Spey, immediately alarmed the camp; but the King's troops attacked them, before they were even able to dress themselves, much less to form or prepare for action. They fought gallantly, notwithstanding; but were at length compelled to take to flight. According to some accounts, there were above one hundred killed, and sixty made prisoners. Others have it that the Highlanders had four hundred killed and taken prisoners; and state Livingstone's loss at about one hundred killed, and several prisoners.

Eminent Men—Family of Grant

[435] The names and biography of the family of Grant of Grant are honourably interwoven in the history of the British empire. Historians do not exactly agree about the origin of the Grants, the precise time of their settlement in Scotland, or whether they were of the aborigines of the country. It is, however, most fully ascertained, from the best authenticated sources, that they were a very powerful family, and made a considerable figure in Scotland upwards of 600 years ago. The first of this family found on record is Gregorius, or Gregory de Grant, sheriff principal of Inverness, Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness-shires, in the reign of King Alexander II., who succeeded to the crown of Scotland in the year 1214, and died in 1249. At this time Gregory was also proprietor of the lands of Stratherrick.

Sir John Grant, great-grandson of Gregory, was the first of his family, it is believed, who got possession of part of the lands of Strathspey, by a royal gift from King David II., about the year 1346. This gentleman frequently distinguished himself, both in the field, and as a diplomatist. He commanded a battalion of his clan and followers, in the right wing of the army, at the battle of Hallidon hill. In the year 1359, he and two other distinguished individuals were appointed ambassadors to the court of France, to renew the ancient league between Scotland and that kingdom, and to transact other state affairs. This embassy they discharged with much credit and ability. Sir John, after this period, was frequently sent to the court of England, to negotiate state affairs.

The necessary brevity of this Account precludes the possibility of taking notice of many individuals of the family of Grant, who greatly signalized, themselves in the two opposite professions of the gown and the sword; and, therefore, we shall only mention one more, Alexander Grant of Grant, who, doubtless, was one of the most distinguished men of his day in Scotland. He rose to the rank of Brigadier-General; and, during the war in the reign of Queen Anne, he served with great applause, and performed many brilliant exploits. Brigadier Grant was the inseparable companion and bosom friend of that great man, John, Duke of Argyle, He was one of the commissioners who settled the articles of union between England and Scotland, and a member of the first five British Parliaments; and withal, according to the testimony of an impartial historian, equally qualified for the camp and court, and alike uncorrupted and faithful in both. Brigadier Grant died [436] at Edinburgh in 1719, and was interred in the Abbey church of Holyrood House.

Mr Colquhoun Grant, of the Burnside family, in this parish, and uncle to Captain Gregory Grant, R.N., now at Burnside, when a young man, greatly signalized himself in the army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. He was present at the battle of Prestonpans, where he evinced great bravery. He, in particular, displayed the utmost boldness and courage in chasing a band of dragoons, from the field of battle, up to the very gates of Edinburgh Castle; and showed great dexterity subsequently in making his escape from the town. Colquhoun Grant was the intimate friend and companion of the celebrated John Roy Stuart, and frequently shared the same fate with him in the dangers of the field. On the downfall of the Stuart cause, they were alike compelled to seek concealment; and, with blasted hopes, spent many a wearisome day and night, amongst the hills of Oromdale. Mr Grant afterwards settled in Edinburgh as a Writer to the Signet, and realized a very handsome fortune. He died in the year 1790.

The late Sir William Grant, Master of the Rolls, if not a native of this parish, came to reside in it, while very young. His father, James Grant, was tenant of the farm of Delchroy, on the north side of the Spey, directly opposite the Old Kirk of Advie. There are several second and third cousins and one first cousin of Sir William's still in the parish. He was descended of the Craigchochkan Grants. It is well known that Sir William Grant distinguished himself in the House of Commons as an able debater and coadjutor of Pitt. After filling several high appointments connected with the law department, he was made Master of the Rolls in 1801, the functions of which office he continued to discharge for a period of sixteen years with great credit to himself and advantage to the public. Mr Charles Butler, in his Reminiscences, speaks of him in the following terms: “The most perfect model of judicial eloquence which has come under the observation of the reminiscent, is that of Sir William Grant. In hearing him, it was impossible not to think of the character given of Menelaus by Homer, or rather by Pope, that ‘he spoke no more than just the thing he ought’.” Sir William retired from public life in 1817, and died on the 25th of May 1832.

It must be added under this head, that Sir James McGrigor, Bart., who has, for a period of twenty-six or twenty-seven years, so ably presided over the medical department of the army, is a [437] native of this parish. Sir James has given many proofs decisive of his ardent attachment to his native parish and of the lively interest he takes in the welfare of its inhabitants. This amiable and distinguished man is well known as the author of some valuable medical works. His services, at the head of his department, during the whole of the peninsular war, were allowed to be of the greatest importance and frequently mentioned in the Duke of Wellington's Dispatches in the most laudatory terms. According to the parochial register, Sir James McGrigor was born on the 9th of April 1771, So that the worthy Baronet has just completed his seventieth year.

Land-Owners

The Right Honourable the Earl of Seafield is sole proprietor of the parish. It was before-mentioned that the Grants got possession of part of the lands of Strathspey, by a royal gift, about 500 years ago.

Parochial Registers

There are three volumes of parish registers, the oldest commencing in 1726; but all have been imperfectly kept, till about 1780.

Antiquities

The old Castle of Mnckerach, in the north-west part of the parish, is rather a picturesque ruin, and beautifully situated; but it is now much dilapidated; the roof has entirely fallen away. Mnckerach was the first possession of the Grants of Rothiemurchus. The castle was built by Patrick Grant, second son of John Grant of Freuchy, and fourteenth laird of Grant, and Margaret Stewart, daughter of the Earl of Athol, his spouse, in 1598. To this son the Laird of Grant gave a feu-charter on the lands of Muckerach; but on his subsequently acquiring the lands of Rothiemurchus, he gave them to his son, and redeemed Murkerach.

The celebrated Castle or Fort of Lochindorb is the only other antiquity of note in the parish. The castle is built on an island in a large lake of that name, distant about seven or eight miles north of Castle Grant. The island is fully more than a Scotch acre in extent, and every part of it is occupied by the castellated wall, in many places 20 feet high, and supposed to have been much higher. According to Mr Shaw, in his History of the Province of Moray, when the Earl of March defeated and killed the Earl of Athol at Kilblair in 1305, and raised the siege of Kildrummie Castle, the Earl of Athol's Lady fled to the Castle of Lochindorb. Sir Alexander Gordon laid siege to it; but next year, he was obliged to raise the siege. The castle and adjacent
[438] grounds belong to the Earl of Seafield. On the south side of the lake a neat and commodious shooting lodge is built, surrounded with thriving belts of plantations, which afford much shelter, and are at the same time highly ornamental.

Mansion-Houses

Castle Grant, one of the seats of the family of Grant, is the only building in the parish entitled to particular notice. The house is a very ancient and magnificent building, beautifully situated on the north side of the Spey, and about the distance of two miles from that river. It is environed with extensive forests of aged trees of amazing stature and variety. The house is a high quadrangular pile of several storeys, with lower wings added to the length of the opposite sides. Within the last few years, the castle has undergone very extensive repairs and improvements. The view from the house is truly magnificent. In the distance, the Grampians are seen towering in majestic grandeur, and their bases clothed with forests of dark waving pines.

The internal arrangements of the house are in excellent keeping with its venerable and commanding exterior. The apartments are large, well finished, and superbly furnished. The dining room, which is 47 by 27 feet, and of a proportionable height, is a most magnificent hall, altogether worthy of the chieftain of a powerful clan. There are many valuable paintings in the house by Vandyke, Guido, Rubens, Poussin, &c.; but the Death of Patrocles, by Hamilton, is reckoned the best in the collection. In the front hall, there are from 30 to 40 portraits of gentlemen of the name of Grant, said to be excellent likenesses.

In the castle there is also a very extensive armoury, where there are to be seen specimens of the most rare and ancient armour. “Every thing within and without,” says Robertson in his View of Agriculture in the County of Inverness, “denotes the habitation of a chieftain, and brings to remembrance those days in which the head of every tribe was surrounded by his own clan. His castle was their fortress; his approbation was their pride; his protection was both their duty and their interest. In his safety their own fate was involved; in his hall, stood the board to which they were always welcome; there he sat with all the feelings of a father in the midst of his children; he acted as their general in the day of battle, their judge in the lime of peace, and was at all times their friend.”

III.—Population.

Amount of population in

[439]The only village in the united parish is Grantown, containing a population of 954. The annual average of births for the last seven years is 84; of marriages, 20. No register of deaths is kept.

Number of persons

Language of the People

Gaelic is the language generally spoken by the great body of the common people, particularly the old; but almost the whole population, young and old, speak and understand the English language. Indeed, in the lower part of the-parish, English is preferred, from its proximity to Inveravon and Knockando, where no Gaelic is spoken.

Character of the People

The inhabitants of the parish are, on the whole, sober, honest, and industrious. They are remarkable, in common with the other people of Strathspey, for their warmth of attachment to their chief; they are uniformly respectful to those in stations superior to their own, and have seldom been charged with the commission of crime. They are, with very few exceptions, regular in their attendance on religious ordinances, and it is hoped that a few among them are decidedly pious. Smuggling is entirely abandoned by them; but they cannot yet be altogether acquitted of poaching in game or salmon. Their ordinary food consists of oat and barley meal, milk and potatoes.

IV: Industry

Agriculture

The latest survey of the united parish was completed in 1810. According to it, the parish contained at that time

The ground planted since 1810 falls to be deducted from No. 3, and added to No. 2, and in like manner the land brought into tillage to be deducted from No. 3, and added to No. 1. As to these, then, it is believed, that about 2500 Scots acres have been planted, and at least 500 brought into cultivation. It is difficult to condescend upon the number of acres that might be added to the cultivated part of the parish, with a profitable application of [440] capital, but it is not below the mark to say that above 1000 acres might be thus added.

Rent of Land

The average rent of the bind may be stated at about £l per acre, including the privilege of hill common, and peat moss, which, in general, the tenants enjoy.

Rate of Wages

The allowance to day-labourers, without maintenance, is from 1s:6d. to 2s. per day; to masons, from 15s. to 18s. per week; to carpenters, from 12s. to 15s. per week. Men-servants receive, including maintenance, from £5 to £6 half-yearly; women, from £1:15s. to £2; and boys, from £2 to £2:10s.

Husbandry

The few sheep reared in the parish, are generally of the black-faced kind. There are also a few Cheviots, which the gentlemen and principal tenants keep for family use. The black cattle consist chiefly of the West Highland breed, and are reckoned very superior. At the Highland Society great cattle show held at Inverness in 1839, the first premium was awarded to a tenant of this parish, for the best Highland bull. The breed of horses has likewise been greatly improved, during the last twenty years. Farming is carried on in the parish on the most improved system. The rotations of cropping are the five and six years' shifts. Trenching and draining have been done to a very great extent, on almost every farm in the parish. The duration of leases is nineteen years. The farm buildings, and many of the fences, paling, and dry-stone dikes are substantial.

V: Parochial Economy

Market-Town

Grantown is the only market-town in the parish. It was founded in the year 1776, by the late inestimable Sir James Grant of Grant, Bart, in the midst of an extensive, uncultivated moor. Its appearance, since that period, has undergone a great change. According to Mr Anderson, the talented author of an interesting volume on the Highlands and Islands, “no village in the north of Scotland can compare with Grantown in neatness and regularity and in beauty of situation". The town stands at the distance of nearly two miles to the west of Castle Grant, and about half a mile north of the Spey. Near the centre of the town, there is a spacious oblong square, 180 by 700 feet in length.

On the south side of the square, stands the Speyside Orphan Hospital, built on a neat design in 1824. Many years ago, a considerable sum of money was left by Lady Grant of Monymusk, for charitable purposes. A third part of this fund was allocated by [441] her Ladyship For Scotland, the object and place to be fixed by the late Dr Gregory Grant of Edinburgh, a native of this parish, and brother of Mr Colquhoun Grant, already mentioned. Considerable additions have since been made to the original fund by the family of Grant. There are at present about thirty children in the hospital, boys and girls. None are admitted under seven, or continued above fourteen years of age. According to the deed of settlement, the children admitted must be natives of either of the parishes of Cromdale, Abernethy, Duthill, Inveraven, or Knockando. All the children are supplied with clothing, board, and education. The boys attend during the day in the Grantown school, and the girls are taught by a matron, in the house, who also superintends the establishment. The institution is under the direction mid management of the Earl of Seafield, Captain Gregory Grant, R.N., Earnside, Captain Grant, factor of Strathspey, and the ministers of the parishes already mentioned. The sum available for the yearly expenditure of the institution, is nearly £200.

A remarkably neat and commodious schoolhouse, capable of containing 200 scholars, was built by the proprietor two or three years ago, on the north side of the town, at a very considerable expense. The church is situated a little to the north of the town, and affords accommodation for about 900 people, A branch of the National Bank of Scotland was established in Grantown in 1829, and a branch or the Caledonian Bank in 1839. There are several handsome shops in the town, and considerable business transacted. Its population is close upon 1000.

Means of Communication

There ia a post-office in Grantown, through which there is a daily communication with Carrbridge, Forres, and Ballindalloch. The roads leading to these places are excellent, and kept in thorough repair. There are also regular carriers from Grantown to Forres and Inverness every week. Aberdeen carriers come to Grantown weekly.

Ecclesiastical State

The situation of the parish church of Cromdale, on the south back of the Spey, which intersects the parish, is by no means convenient to the great bulk of the population. A bridge on the Spey, opposite the church, would confer an unspeakable boon on the people of Cromdale, and it is hoped that this want will ere long be supplied. The church was built in 1809, and is in good repair. It affords accommodation for about 900 sitters, and the sittings are free. Since September 1835, there has been an ordained minister in Grantown, who regularly preaches there, and [442] administers the other ordinances of religion. He is paid £60 by the Earl of Seafield, and £20 by the Committee for the Management of the Royal Bounty. Both churches are, in general, well attended; and the number of communicants in the parish is upwards of 800. Numerous Sabbath schools, which are remarkably well attended by both young and old, are established throughout the parish. There are no Dissenting chapels of any kind, except a Baptist meeting-house in Grantown.

The manse, which was built in 1834, is a commodious and handsome house. There are two glebes, one at Cromdale, and the other at Advie, both of the yearly value of about £25. The stipend by the last augmentation in 1819 is 16 chalders, half meal, half barley, with £8:6s.8d. for communion element money.

Education

The total number of endowed schools in the parish is six. Of these, four are parochial, each teacher receiving a salary, £12:16s:7d. per annum, with school fees. The schoolmaster of Advie, situated in Morayshire, is entitled to a share of the Dick Bequest. This rather uncommon number of parochial schools was deemed necessary, on account of the extent, and population of the parish. The other two schools are in the village of Grantown, and both gratuitously supported by the proprietor. The teacher of the grammar school receives a salary of £25 a year, and the school fees are very considerable, the average number of scholars during the year being not under 150. The other is an infant school, established by the late Honourable Mrs Grant of Grant. The teacher of it, a female, receives a yearly salary of £15, with other perquisites.

There may be some few old people in the parish still, who are unable to read, but their number is exceedingly small. The schools are well attended, particularly during the winter months, and the majority of them are remarkably well taught. The inhabitants are sensible of the advantages they derive from these schools; but two or three more are much wanted.

Poor and Parochial Funds

The average number of persons receiving parochial aid is about 150; and the average sum allotted to each, per year, according to their necessities, is from 5s. to £2. The annual amount of contributions for their relief is about £75; of which, about £55 are collected in the two churches, and £20 are the interest of several sums left as legacies for the poor. The family of Grant also give stated supplies of [443] meal for distribution amongst the most necessitous. There seems no indisposition on the part of the poor to accept of parochial aid.

The only prison in the parish is that of Grantown. There are six inns or public houses. Four markets are held in Grantown during the year, besides a number of cattle trysts. The fuel chiefly used is peat.

Miscellaneous Observations

With respect to the more striking variations between the present state of the parish, and that which existed at the time of the former Account, I may generally refer to what has been already stated under the different heads of inquiry. Almost all the farms and buildings present instances of the greatest improvement. This is, doubtless, in a great measure, to be attributed to the liberality of the landlord, who gives every encouragement and considerable compensation to the tenants for improving waste land, building houses and farm steadings. Much credit is also due to the Strathspey Farmers’ Club, consisting of the gentlemen of the district, for the improved mode of husbandry.

In regard to moral changes, there is not much to remark. It may be proper, however, to mention, that a very decided improvement has taken place in the mode of conducting funerals; and penny-weddings, which were very common in the parish a few years ago, are entirely suppressed.

April 1841.