New Account: Inveraven

Presbytery of Aberlour, Synod of Moray
Rapporteur: The Rev. William Asher, Minister.

[Biographical Notes for the Minister adapted from the Fasti ecclesiae Scoticanae
WILLIAM ASHER (1791-1874) born at St Andrews-Lhanbryd, son of Alexander Asher, farmer and distiller, and Barbara McLelan; educated at King's College, Aberdeen, 1807-9 (later D.D. (Glasgow 1866).
Licensed by the Presbytery of Torres 17th June 1816; ordained to Knockando 7th September 1826; presented (to Inveravon) by the tutor for Lewis Alexander Grant, Earl of Seafield, before 31st August, translated and admitted 17th Oct. 1833;
He married 16th September 1828, Katherine Forbes (who died at Elgin, 5th August 1880) daughter of John Gordon, minister of Duffus, and had issue —

Isabella Lumsden, born 12th August 1829, died 9th September 1889;
Barbara, born 27th November 1830 (married William Forsyth, DD, minister of Abernethy);
John Gordon, M.D., surgeon-major, Bombay, born 31st May 1832, died 2nd March 1880; Alexander, advocate, Q.C., M.P., Solicitor-General for Scotland, LL.D. (Aberdeen 1883), LL.D.
(Edinburgh 1891), born 27th January 1834, died 5th August 1905;
Mary Elizabeth, born 24th July 1836, died 24th March 1878;
William Gordon Cumming, farmer, Kilmaduthy Mains, born 9th April 1838, died 3rd June 1882; James, born 18th August 1840, died 3rd May 1842;
Robina Agnes, born 27th October 1842, died 1871. ]

I: Topography and Natural History

Name, Extent, and Boundaries

[123] This parish takes its name from the situation of its church, which stands on the south bank of the Spey, about a mile below the junction of the Aven with that river. Stretching back, into the Grampians towards the sources of the Don for about 20 miles, with a breadth varying from 3½ to 8 or 9, and lying partly in the county of Moray, but chiefly in the county of Banff, it is bounded on the north by the parish of Knockando; on the west by Cromdale and Kirkmichael; on the south by Strathdon, and that part of Tarland which is attached thereto quoad sacra; and on the east by Glenbucket, Cabrach, Mortlach, and Aberlour, with masses of lofty mountains intervening betwixt it and all these parishes except Knockando, in the direction of which the Spey forms the boundary.

Topographical Appearances

Consisting, in by much the larger proportion, of moorland and mountain, this extensive parish has upon the whole a bleak and barren appearance, particularly when entering the lower end of the parish (by the toll-road) from the east; but along the rivers, near the banks of which both the arable land and natural wood chiefly lie, the prospect is in general pleasing, and occasionally highly picturesque and attractive. About three miles back from, and nearly parallel to, the Spey, Cairnocay, a lofty range of mountains extending from Benrinnes to the Aven, divides the lower part, or what may be termed Inveraven proper, from Glenlivet, a country well known to most Scotchmen by name, while some six or eight miles further on, Glenlivet is itself divided into nearly equal parts by the Bochle, a high hill rising up in the centre of the valley, flanked on either hand by projecting masses of the neighbouring mountains. These three districts, thus divided by natural boundaries, are pretty equal in point of extent, and have an average population of about 900.

The one [124] above the Bochle, though the flattest part of the parish, is called the Braes of Glenlivet; below it, the river, or water of Livet, as it is generally termed, runs through the centre of the valley, and then, though comprehending a more level district, called Morange, diverging from the east bank of the river, the country has much more of the characteristics of the true highland glen. In the lower or parish church district, the Aven, which enters the parish from the south-west, and skirts Glenlivet for about a. couple of miles, flows on through a narrow strath or glen to the Spey, from which the ascent is not so rapid, there being to the north of Cairnocay a considerable breadth of country sloping gradually to the mountain as well as to the river,

Benrinnes, which, though much lower than some others, is always classed among the highest mountains of Scotland, is situated on the eastern or Aberlour boundary, towering to the height of mater-mark. This mountain, when seen from Inveraven proper, has rather a tame and heavy appearance, but its aspect from Glenlivet is both imposing and majestic, while from the top (where there is a small bason in the rock usually filled with water, and a cave supposed to have been the hiding-place of James Grant of Carron, better known by the name of James au Tuim, or James of the hill) the prospect is very extensive, stretching, it is said, from Caithness to the county of Dumbarton. The other mountains, both within and bounding the parish, are all of considerable altitude, hut they present little either in conformation or appearance particularly deserving of notice. They consist chiefly of flat unbroken ranges running in a southern and western direction.

Climate, Diseases, &c

The climate is decidedly different in each of the three districts into which nature has divided the parish, the coldest, which is that of the Braes of Glenlivet, being perhaps as much inferior to the climate on the river sides, in the parish church district, as the latter is inferior to the climate of the sea coast. Snow, the first indications of which usually manifest themselves on the top of Benrinnes, not unfrequently lies in Inveraven proper, as well as in the upper districts to a great depth, interrupting field operations, and sometimes shutting up the communication, when, at the distance of ten or fifteen miles, not a vestige of hoary winter is to be seen; still the climate is abundantly healthy, and such as to serve in ordinary seasons for bringing to maturity the fruits commonly produced in the gardens on [125] the coast.

Vegetation, though commencing late, advances rapidly when stimulated by summer heat, heightened by the reflection from the mountains, and in favourable years, of which for the last thirteen there has been little or no interruption, the grain crops produced even in the Braes of Glenlivet might not unfrequently compete, both in respect of quantity and quality, with the produce of the low districts of Banff and Moray. In the summer months, water spouts sometimes fall, and thunder storms are very common.

No disease seems to be peculiar to the parish. Frequent cases of cancer have occurred of late, and consumption is very common; but the people are in general both healthy and hardy.

Hydrography

It is not a little singular that, in so wide and mountainous a parish, there is no lake, with the exception of a very small one near the Kirkmichael boundary, and within a short distance of the Aven, supposed to have been formed by that river when running on a higher elevation than at present, which people in the neighbourhood describe as bottomless, and as containing “a ploughman, his plough, and a yoke of oxen”.

The linn of Livet, which was the only waterfall in the parish, was destroyed some years ago, with the view of affording free course to the few salmon that enter that stream. Springs are numerous; some of then very copious, and almost all affording water of excellent quality, though none are said to be medicinal. The most remarkable is one at Chapelton of Kilmaichlie, in the immediate neighbourhood of the outlines of the old chapel, mentioned in the former report, which is cased with stones, indicating that though now visited only as an object of curiosity, it was possibly in repute in times of old, for common or medicinal purposes. Another spring, close by, is also cased at the mouth, though only recently, and in imitation of the former.

Of rivers in the parish, the most important is the Spey, which sweeps the parish on the north-west for about seven miles, and is said to discharge as much water as any river in Scotland, though, from the rapidity with which it flows, smaller in appearance than some others. The Aven, the largest of the Spey's tributaries, though, except in floods, which usually commence twelve or more hours earlier, producing but little perceptible increase of its waters, takes its rise from a loch of the same name lying at the foot of the mountains of Benmacdui, Bennamaur, and Cairngorum, and after flowing through the parish of Kirkmichael, for thirty or thirty-five miles, enters this parish, about seven miles from its mouth. At Drumin, it receives the Livet, swollen into a considerable [126] river by the tributary streams of Crombie and Tervie, the former, which is the drain of the lowest side of the country, called the Braes of Glenlivet, falling into it at Tombia, and the latter that of Morange and the country bordering on Glenrinnes, at Tombreakachie.

Of the smaller streams, the most considerable are Kymah, Aldregnie, Altchoylachan, and Tommore. The first, Kymah, takes its rise in the mountains bounding the parish to the south-east, and is larger at the junction than the Livet, which has also its source in these mountains. Aldregnie falls into the Livet at the east aide of the Bochle. Altachoylachan is tributary to the Tervie and Tommore, the chief outlet of the waters north of Cairnocay.

The Spey is celebrated for the value of its salmon fisheries and the quality of the fish, and also for the quantity of fir timber annually floated on it from the forests of Abernethy and Rothiemurchus; and the Aven for its uncommon transparency, which makes it dangerous for grangers to attempt fording, being often many feet deep where it scarcely appears to be two, and hence the doggerel lines.

The Water of Aven so fair and clear
Would deceive a man of 100 year

Some twenty or thirty years ago, salmon were very abundant, both in the Aven and the Spey; and in the latter, fish were frequently caught in the parish upwards of thirty pounds weight; but now, owing to the close fishing at and towards the mouth of the river, by means of nets and cruives, few escape and those reaching this are seldom to be met with above twenty pounds weight. Grilse, salmon or white trout, finnock, trout, par, stickleback, pike, flounders, eels, and large fresh water muscles, in which pearls of some value are sometimes to be found, are all numerous in the Spey, and, with the exception of pike and muscles, are also to be found in the Aven, which, with its tributaries, is much superior to the Spey for trout, and, accordingly, except for grilse and salmon, held in higher repute by the angler. The salmon fishings on the Spey for some miles from its mouth, of which, since the death of the late much lamented Duke of Gordon, his Grace the Duke of Richmond is proprietor, yield a rent of from £8000 to £10,000 a-year. In the intermediate parishes, the proprietors either let them for trifling rents, or protect and retain them for their own use; but in this parish and farther up, they are considered of little or of no value.

Geology and Mineralogy

The rocks throughout this parish are supposed to be wholly of primitive formation, the most prevalent [127] being gneiss. A vein of red granite running towards the Spey, and very suitable for building purposes, appears on the north side of Benrinnes. Small portions of asbestos have also been found on that mountain, and rock crystals occasionally in the boulder stones of the Aven.

But the most interesting feature in the geology of this parish is the limestone of Glenlivet, which is considered by geologists as imbedded in the gneiss, and not as constituting or representing a separate formation, such as mountain limestone or the like. It is of much superior quality to the secondary rock, which is quarried as limestone and used for agricultural purposes in the neighbourhood of Elgin and Forres, being of the same description as that of Mortlach and Duthil. None has been discovered in the parish north of Cairnocay, but throughout Glenlivet it may be found almost in every burn, and under every field. No regular manufacture of time, however, as at the great works of Ardonald in Cairnie, and at Dufftown in the neighbouring parish of Mortlach, has yet been commenced in that quarter. Some of the tenants dig for themselves, but the principal quarries are given in charge to persons who pay no rent, but who are taken bound to sell the stones at prices proportioned to the depth of tir, or superincumbent soil, ranging from ½d. to 1½d. the ten stone weight, which is computed to yield one full of the old corn firlot, or thirty-two pints of lime shells. Though there is a trifling demand from the low end of Cromdale and the upper end of Knockando, as well as from Inveraven proper, the chief market for the quarried rock is found at home. Hence, lime kilns are to be seen on almost every farm in Glenlivet, for which and for family purposes, no small portion of time is taken up in providing peat fuel. Lime is got in this way at less nominal expense, but both manual and animal labour on the farms is in consequence much increased, and the attention of the farmer too much divested from the cultivation of his farm and the care of his stock, to the production of a stimulant, which it would be much to his advantage to procure in a manufactured state. Some years ago, a kiln was put in operation on the Ballindalloch estate, in the immediate neighbourhood of an inexhaustible supply of peat near the top of Cairnocay, to which the limestone was driven up the hill from Morange in Glenlivet, but it was soon given up, it having been found that peat fuel is unadapted for the manufacture of lime on a large scale, and that a supply could more conveniently be procured from the works at Dufftown in Mortlach, where it is always to be had for about nine months of the year.

Soil

[128] The soil of the parish, though occasionally thin and moory, may, on the whole, be said to be good. At Tomalinan, not far from the marl pit mentioned in the former report, is a bank of land where the loam is upwards of three feet deep, said not to be inferior to any land in Banffshire; while on mains of Morange, and some of the neighbouring farms, it is a strong rich clay, extremely productive in favourable seasons. In Inveraven proper, the loam is more gravelly than in Glenlivet; but still, as well as the haugh land along the sides of the rivers, of a kindly nature, and in general yielding good crops; but a little to the east of the Aven, immediately south of the toll-road, the sub-soil is so retentive, that all the efforts of the late and present proprietor, which have not been few, have hitherto been unable to render productive such parts of the district as have been brought into cultivation. The new system of lineal drains at short distances, as yet scarcely known in this quarter, has lately been tried on one of the fields, which, it is hoped, will be attended with better success, and so give encouragement to the cultivation and farther improvement of a district no less offensive to the eye of the traveller than it is unproductive in itself, and unprofitable both to the proprietor and other occupants.

Zoology

This parish abounds in game. Partridges, moorfowl, and common hares are very numerous, and white hares by no means uncommon. Ptarmigan are to be met with on the mountains and in Inveraven proper, where there is also black game. An attempt has been made, but not as yet apparently with much success, to introduce pheasants. Roe are numerous about Ballindalloch and in the lower part of the parish, while to the upper districts, red deer occasionally stray from the forest of Glenfiddich, which, however, soon find their way back, or pay the forfeit of their temerity with their lives. Foxes, weasels, and polecats are common. The first are of a large size, and very destructive, as well as dogs, to the lambs on the hills.

Formerly, the eagle seems to have bred near the top of Benrinnes, where the remains of a nest are still to be seen; but this prince of the feathered tribe has long since deserted the lower district, and is only to be seen in the upper districts of the parish when occasionally extending his flight beyond his favourite domains, of which the lofty Benmacdui and far-famed Cairngorum are the almost impregnable citadels. Rooks with pure white wings have been observed, and in the near neighbourhood (but upon the opposite aide of the Spey, in that part of the Ballindalloch estate which lies in the parish of Knockando,) a covey of red grouse were seen, some years ago, [129] three of them with white wings, of which a male and female were shot, that presented a very singular appearance. Previous to the great flood of 1829, which proved so destructive there and throughout this parish, chaffinches and house-sparrows were very numerous about Ballindalloch; but of the former, though almost as numerous as ever, few were to be seen for a year after, and not a single individual of the latter has yet made its appearance.

Wood and Plantations

Inveraven proper is studded in almost all directions with plantations, which, with the natural wood, consisting chiefly of birch, oak, and mountain-ash, lining the banks of the Spey and the Aven, afford shelter, and are very ornamental; but with the exception of some stunted birches and alders, chiefly in the valley of the Livet, and some fruit, forest, and ornamental trees in the gardens and around the residences of some of the principal inhabitants, Glenlivet, including Morange and the Braes, is utterly destitute of wood. A clump of venerable firs, one of them measuring eleven feet in circumference at eleven feet from the ground, and supposed to contain 212 cubic feet of timber, heightens the natural beauty of the ancient place of Kilmaichlie, which, with the old widow lady who inhabited it, and some of her domestics, is so interestingly described in the 87th No. of The Lounger by the graphic pen of the Man of Feeling.

At Ballindalloch, and almost so near as to cast their shadows on the house, stand two splendid specimens of spruce fir, one measuring in circumference fifteen feet at the base, and nine feet nine inches at six feet from the ground, and the other, eleven and a-half feet at the base, and nine feet at six feet from the ground, both apparently healthy, and perfectly free from the aphis, to which other three of similar dimensions, which stood close by, fell martyrs some years ago. On the lawn, there are also to be seen a number of very fine old hard wood trees, among which is an ash with thirty-five feet of clear stem, measuring in circumference fourteen feet at the base, and nine feet at sixteen feet from the ground; and to the west of the house, within a few yards of the Aven, a magnificent Scotch fir measuring ten feet in circumference at twelve feet from the ground.

A considerable quantity of Scotch fir is nearly full grown on both sides of the Aven, which afford roofing, deals, planks, &c for country purposes, while the younger plantations, both of hard wood and larch, and Scotch fir, are of great promise, and such as to give every encouragement to their further extension. Some of the foreign species of pine, such as Pinus cymbra, Pinus maritima, [130] &c. raised from seed procured from abroad, have been introduced into the moor plantations on the Ballindalloch estate, which are also doing well. The whole wood on that property within the parish may be estimated at from 1100 to 1200 acres, of which 800 are planted, and from 300 to 400 natural. The only other plantation in the parish is a thriving one, also of Scotch fir and larch, on the small estate of Colquoich.

II: Civil History

Historical Events

The battle of Altachoylachan or Glenlivet, the most important historical event connected with this parish, has already been so frequently described in other publications, as to require but a very cursory notice in this place. See Sir R Gordon's History of the Gordons, also Shaw's History of Moray, and Brown's History of the Highlands. This battle, in which the Earl of Huntly defeated the Marquis of Argyle, was fought on the 4th of October 1594, upon an inclined plain near the Glenrinnes border of the parish, terminating in a flat ridge, which descends rapidly to the burn of Altachoylachan, and flanked on the south by a somewhat precipitous shoulder of the contiguous mountain. Here on ground equally adapted for withstanding his opponent, and for affording a safe retreat in the event of defeat, Argyle, who, it is allowed on all hands, had numbers on his side, waited the attack. His right, commanded by Sir John McLean, occupied the shoulder of the mountain, above alluded to, and fought manfully – but treachery in the centre and left powerfully aided his opponent, who had also the advantage of some pieces of artillery.

Besides McNeil of Barra, Campbell of Lochnell, Argyle's nearest heir, and his brother, to whom some also add Sir John McLean, about 500 were slain on the side of Argyle. On Huntly's, Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindown, Gordon of Gight, and twelve others were killed, and a much greater number wounded, among whom was the Earl of Errol. About three-quarters of a mile from the scene of action, a small knoll on the east bank of the stream Coulalt, commonly called Lord Auchindown's cairn, two-thirds of it swept away by the flood of 1829, marks the place where Sir P. Gordon of Auchindown is supposed to have died.

Somewhat more, than a century subsequent to this battle, this and the adjoining parishes found a troublesome neighbour in James Grant, commonly called James an Tuim, as may be seen by reference to The History of the Troubles and Memorable Transactions in Scotland in the Reign of Charles I., published by John [131] Spalding, commissary clerk of Aberdeen, who, among other particulars, gives an account of the treacherous abduction by this barbarian, of the young laird of Ballindalloch, during what he expected to be a friendly meeting, whom he confined at Bauds, in the parish of Speymouth, exposed to the greatest hardships, for the space of twenty-one days; whence he at length escaped, in the absence of James an Tuim, by having gained over Leonard Leslie, one of his guards, with whom he conversed in Latin.

The effects of James' treachery and cruelty, it would appear, were not confined to the lower district of the parish and its inhabitants. Tradition relates, that while in confinement in Edinburgh Castle, observing Grant of Tomnavoulen pass one day, he called out “What news from Speyside?”
“None very particular,” rejoined his acquaintance, “The best is, that the country is rid of you.”
“Perhaps we shall meet again,” replied James.

Tomnavoulen paused on, and James was left for the time to his meditations in jail, but m the end made his word good. Haying escaped by means of ropes, conveyed to him by his wife, in a cask supposed to contain bntter he called on his return to Speyside, at the house of Tomnayoulen in an evening, where he was invited to pass the night. The invitation being declined, Tomnavoulen and his son were asked in return to accompany him a little on his way. All three set out in company, apparently on the most friendly terms; but they had not gone for, when the barbarian drew his sword, slew both the father and son, and having cut off their heads, wrapped them in a corner of his plaid, returned to Tomnavoulen, threw them reeking with blood into the lap of Mrs Grant, and then bade her good night.

Eminent Men

Several of the lairds of Ballildalloch, in succession, followed the military profession, and almost all of them rose to the rank of field officers. Colonel William Grant of Ballindalloch raised one of the five companies that constituted the Black Watch, afterwards embodied into the 42d Regiment.

But the most eminent was General James Grant of Ballindalloch, who succeeded to the estate on the death of his nephew, Major William Grant, in 1770. General Grant passed the greater part of his life in active service. He defeated Count D'Estaing, with an inferior force, conquered St Lucia in 1779, and was for many years Governor of Florida. At the time of his death, which happened at Ballindalloch in 1806, he was Colonel of the 11th Foot, and Governor of Stirling Castle. In terms of instructions left by himself, his remains were interred in the corner of a field on the Mains farm (a favourite spot with him in his lifetime, which commands a view of the valley of the Spey, and of the barony of Ballindalloch) where a mausoleum has been erected by his successor, terminating in a handsome pillar, in which is inserted a marble slab, bearing a Latin inscription descriptive of his rank and appointments, as well as of the time of his birth and death. The sloping ground to the north and west of this field is now covered with a thriving plantation, which adds not a little to its natural beauty.

[132]The father of Sir James McGregor, Bart, who has so long and so ably presided over the medical department of the British Army, held the farm of Lynebeg in Glenlivet, and it is said that Sir James himself was born there.

Land-owners

Within the last two centuries, the greater part if not the whole property of this parish seems to have gone into new hands. About 200 years ago, the Grants were proprietors of Blairfindy; the Stewarts, of Drumin and Kilmaichlie; and a family of the name of Nairn, of Moranges — while a different branch of the Grants, commonly called the Craig-Achrochcan Grants, held Ballindalloch. Now the whole parish belongs to two large and one small heritor. All the Gordon estate in this parish, which comprehends the whole country of Glenlivet, with the exception of that part called Morange, having with Glenfiddich, &c. in Mortlach and Kinrara in Badenoch, been excambed for the estate of Durris in Kincardineshire, the Duchess-Dowager of Richmond, on the death of her brother, George last Duke of Gordon, succeeded to these estates, as heiress of entail to the Earl of Peterborough and so became principal heritor of this parish. George McPherson Grant, Esq. who sat in Parliament for the county of Sutherland, for about seventeen years previous to 1826, is proprietor of Ballindalloch, Kilmaichlie, and Morange; and James William Grant, of Wester Elchies, Esq. who holds a high appointment in the East Indies, is proprietor of Colquoich, a single farm in the lower extremity of the parish.

The real and valued rents of these heritors stand thus:

Parochial Registers

There are three volumes of parish registers, the oldest commencing 1630, but all have been imperfectly kept. Few of the Roman Catholics seem to have inserted their children's births at any time; and now, scarcely any; and until of late the Protestants were too negligent in recording theirs. Since 1640, no notice appears to be taken of burials.

Antiquities

Rude stone coffins have occasionally been discovered in the parish, under cairns removed to make way for the plough; and in trenching a wood on the farm of Kilmaichlie, the labourers found some old arms and coins, the former so corroded [133]as to be unworthy of preservation, the latter said to have been of the size of half-crowns, but which, having been privately sold to a silversmith, who has left the country, cannot now be particularly described.

Numerous traces of Druidical temples are to be found, succeeded by almost an equal number of chapels and Christian places of worship, of which there were one at Phona, at Nevie, Deskie, and Chapelton of Kilmaichlie; but no traces now remain of any of them except the latter, the outlines of which are still visible, with some appearances of graves close by.

The burial ground of Downan is still used, and occasionally also that of Buitterlach; in the near neighbourhood of which, there is a very large cairn, supposed to be raised over the grave of a person of note. A small spot, in a field on the farm of Haughs of Kilmaichlie, appears clearly to have been also a place of sepulture. In order to protect it from the sacrilegious invasion of the plough, the present occupant of the farm has, with proper taste and feeling, caused it to be planted.

At Blairfindy, are to be seen the ruins of a hunting seat of the Earls of Huntly; and at Drumin, on a high promontory near the confluence of the Livet with the Aven, stands part of the old castle of Drumin, now affording shelter only to jackdaws and pigeons. The wall, which is of great height and thickness, is pretty entire on the cast and north, and half of the west side; but the other half of the west and the whole south wall are gone, and the stability of a considerable part of what remains of the structure seems to rest on a single stone of a few inches in diameter, placed in a curious position on its edge, and not on what builders call the bed.

The house of Ballindalloch, the residence of the proprietor, and, it is said, one of the most perfect specimens extant of the old Scottish castle, may also be classed among the antiquities of the parish. This large structure consists of a square building flanked by three circular towers, the centre one, which is the largest, containing the ancient door and turnpike stair, surmounted by a square watch-tower termed the "Cape House," with a window to each of the four aides, and an aperture in the wall immediately above the entrance, so as to admit of boiling lead or other missiles being thrown down, in the event of the enemy making good his approach. Over the chimney, in one of the rooms, is carved 1546. The Cape House seems to have been added by Patrick Grant in 1602, and about the beginning of last century a further addition was made of two large and commodious wings. This [134]massy and irregular-looking structure is situated a little to the east of the Aven, and about half-a-mile from its confluence with the Spey, upon a low flat haugh of a triangular shape richly wooded, having Cairnocay in the distance on the south, the Aven, clear as crystal, and lined with wood, on the west, the Spey hemmed in by mountains on the north, and on the east a magnificent bank (embracing Craig-Achrochcan) covered with wood of many varieties, producing altogether a scene not often to be surpassed even in the Highlands.

A little farther up the river, upon the edge of the high ground, and near a small stream called the Castle stripe, are to be seen the traces of a large building said to have been the old castle or mansion-house of Ballindalloch, where tradition says it would have still stood, had not the rebuilding been prevented by unseen agency, the part built in the day-time having been always thrown down through the night: at length a voice was heard saying, “Build in the Cow Haugh, and you shall meet with no interruption.” The recommendation was followed, and the house of Ballindalloch consequently raised in its present situation, where it has long stood unassailed by the invisible adversary of its predecessor, but exposed by times to a real and little less formidable one, the Aveu. The most recent as well as the most destructive visit it received from this neighbour, happened at the great flood of 1829.

To remedy the desolation occasioned at Ballindalloch by this flood, the aspect of which was truly appalling, appeared almost a hopeless task; nevertheless the attempt was made without delay, and with entire success, the place having some years ago assumed its wonted attractive appearance, and even become, in the opinion of many, prettier than before. Some old trees are indeed awanting, and a field or two may be deteriorated or circumscribed; still other trees have been planted pits have been filled up, roots and stumps of trees and gravel cleared, the garden , which till then was close to the house, moved to a suitable distance, the lawn levelled, trenched and laid out anew; and in addition to all this, and at an expense little less that that of all the other operations together, an embankment hat been raised along the Aven, from its junction with the Spey to the rocks at the upper end of the lawn, a distance of about 1500 yards, faced with stones keyed, that is, neatly set in after the end or edge to the level of the field and then raised three or four feet with earth, partly turfed and partly made green by grass grown from seed. Great attention is bestowed after floods in examining this beautiful and substantial embankment and in repairing breaches which seldom if ever occur except by the falling of the river to a lower level. For this purpose, baskets made of rough planks or split trees nailed together in the shape of a parallelogram and filled with large stones have been of great use.

A line of these baskets or creels, as they are called, has been found more effectual in opposing the river than any other obstacle hitherto employed; and by their aid, the embankment has, without the smallest apparent diminution of its strength or neatness been under-founded for a long way, part of it to the depth of nearly six feet, so as to suit the bed of the river, which in deepened here and there by almost every flood.

III: Population

From the above table it will be seen that the population, which seems to have fallen off for ten years subsequent to Dr Webster's report,. has since been gradually increasing,—the most marked increase being within the last few years; in the course of which, the habits of the people have undergone a great change to the better. Previous to the passing of the Act of Parliament, in 1823, for the encouragement of legal distillation in the Highlands of Scotland, the inhabitants of Glenlivet almost without an exception, and many also in the parish church district, were more or less engaged in manufacturing and carrying to market smuggled whisky; but the energetic measures taken by Government for the suppression of smuggling have proved eminently successful here; the male population, instead of prowling over the country in search of a market for their whisky, and being constantly on the watch, to elude the eye of officers of excise, are now happily and successfully employed in the cultivation of forms, or in prosecuting handicrafts; while the females, who were in the habit of spending no small portion of their time, by night as well as by day, in the bothie, a prey to the licentious and immoral, are now more safely and suitably employed in domestic occupations, or in performing such portions of field labour as fall to the lot of their sex, in the best cultivated and most civilized districts of the country.

There is only one family of independent fortune which lives in the parish, and that only for half the year. Some have large holdings, and most are in easy circumstances for their station in life. Cottars, that is, subtenants who hold houses and kailyards from the principal tenant, are sometimes thickly set down; but there is no village within the parish. The great bulk of the population are engaged in agricultural pursuits, though there is a due proportion of tradesmen to supply the wants of a rural district.

Towards the borders of Kirkmichael and Cromdale, Gaelic is spoken by a few; but it is fast dying out, and the number who either speak or understand it, is becoming smaller every year.

IV: Industry

Agriculture

Of late, the agriculture of this parish has made rapid progress. Some time ago, black oats, a species of grain now scarcely to be seen, were very common. Then, the aid of lime was rarely sought, and, except at Ballindalloch and a few other places, two-horse ploughs and improved implements of husbandry [136] were not used; but now, these and the best system of farming have found their way to all quarters. Not only is the old arable land, in consequence, in general well farmed, but a great extent of waste land has been brought into cultivation. On the Ballindalloch estate the proprietor is usually at the expense of main drains when required, or allows for land improved £5 per acre to the tenant (who is thus enabled to purchase lime) on his agreeing to pay interest at 5 per cent, during the lease; and it is an injudicious improvement which does not in this way turn out advantageous both to landlord and tenant.

But, notwithstanding such encouragement, the progress of improvement is much retarded in the parish church district, by the quantities of stones, either partly above or immediately under the surface, which create an expense in the removal, in general much greater than that of trenching. But in Glenlivet, where there are comparatively few stones, the reclaiming of waste land is going on at a rapid rate, being on an average, on the Gordon estate alone, at the rate of 100 acres annually, or about 2000, in the course of the nineteen years' lease. Few of the farmers keep more than two or three horses in the low end of the parish; but in Glenlivet there are some very extensive farms; and on them, the system of cropping and manuring the fields, and the general mode of management, can scarcely be surpassed. The example of these more skilful and opulent tenants being readily imitated in the neighbourhood, the advantage of liming and proper rotation is now universally felt; and consequently, good farming may be seen throughout the parish, with very few exceptions, not only on every farm but on every croft.

Rent of Land

The number of acres arable on the Gordon estate, and their average rent, cannot at present be stated. Ballindalloch estate, 2200 acres, average rent about £1 per acre. Culquoich do., about 70 acres, average rent about £1 per acre.

Oats constitute the staple grain of the country, the most common being of the early Angus, and sundry varieties. Barley or Scots bear is usually sown after green crop. Very little wheat is raised; but, even in the low end of Glenlivet, it grows of excellent quality in favourable seasons, and has been known to weigh 55 lb. per bushel.

Stock

Though none of the Clydesdale breed have found their way to the parish, many of the horses are strong and active and in general better adapted than those of a larger size, to the nature of the country, the state of the roads, the quality of [137] their food, and the quantity of work for which they are intended.

The black-cattle of the more wealthy have a considerable dash of West Highland blood, and are in general handsome and well kept. At Ballindalloch, those bred are a cross betwixt Buchan cows and a Highland bull, which produces large fine animals; the three year old stots, when in good driving condition, having of late sold, in the month of July, for three years running, at £13 each. But the black-cattle in general throughout the parish, bred without much attention to the selection either of bulls or cows, and kept in numbers quite disproportioned to the food, which is often unpalatable as well as scanty, are equally destitute of symmetry, of size, and of flesh. With the view of improving this species of stock in this and some neighbouring parishes, the Highland and Agricultural Society now offers premiums; but until the number of cattle is better proportioned to the quantity of the food, and the smaller farmers begin in consequence to feel an improvement in their growth and prices, neither premiums nor any thing else will be found to remedy the evil.

This parish, notwithstanding the range of mountain and extent of waste ground, is not much adapted for sheep farming. With the exception of a few of English extraction, kept on infield, the sheep are mostly of the black-faced breed, and in general stunted in their growth. Deriving their food chiefly from the hills which are attached to the farms, in general in undivided common, they soon deteriorate, when imported from other quarters; and hence the more judicious and wealthy farmers have, almost without exception, given over keeping this description of stock.

Farm Buildings

Though there is abundance of room for improvement, both in respect to arrangement and construction in the farm-steadings, yet this parish does not seem to be, in this respect, behind any in the neighbourhood. Many excellent slated dwelling-houses two stories high, are to be seen in Glenlivet with good out-houses. Those at Wester Deskie, which are very extensive, are the admiration of strangers, who in general go to the district, expecting to see little else than bothies, and would attract attention in any part of the country.

Manufactures

Instead of the smuggling houses, formerly to be found on almost every streamlet, besides one in progress of erection, there are two legal distilleries in Glenlivet, where whisky is produced of the very best quality, and always commanding a [138] great demand and high price: one at Aucherachan, about the centre of the glen, as lately enlarged, gives employment to four men, consumes weekly about 160 bushels of malt made from bear, which yields 300 gallons of spirits, and about £45 of duties. The other is at upper Drumin, nearer the Aven. The proprietor of the former has also a distillery in Buchan; but he finds, after the most careful and repeated trials, that, with the same hands and materials, he cannot produce a spirit equal to what he obtains in Glenlivet. For the latter, of which he never knows what it is to have a stock, there is a demand to all quarters of the world—its fame as well as quality being equal to that of any smuggled whisky. The chief market, however, is among private families, though even spirit-dealers readily allow 6d. per gallon more than for the whisky distilled in Buchan.

There are in the parish, 5 meal, 2 barley, 1 lint, 1 saw, and 2 carding or wool mills, but no public kiln, the grain being usually dried on the owner's or a neighbour's kiln. The other manufactures of the parish scarcely deserve notice, being chiefly confined to woollen cloths and plaidings made by the small farmers who keep sheep.

V: Parochial Economy

Market-towns

Tomantoul and Charleston of Aberlour, both market villages, lie at the distance of about three miles, the former from the upper, and the latter from the lower end of the parish. Grantown and Dnfftown are also within reach of many of the inhabitants; but the nearest market towns of any note are Elgin, to which there are two carriers who go weekly, and Keith. The distance to each of these places from the church is about twenty miles; but a considerable proportion of the supplies of the lower district and of almost the whole of Glenlivet comes from Aberdeen, with which there is constant intercourse, by means of carriers resident in Keith and in the parish, who bring out groceries, cloths, hardwares, &c &c partly for private families, and partly to be sold by the merchants of the parish, who are to be found in all quarters, and who take back, in return, cheese, butter, eggs, &c.

Roads

The parish is crossed, in the lower end, by four miles of toll-road, which is too steep at both extremities, continued from the bridge of Aven by about two miles of Parliamentary road, which is steep also, but always kept in excellent repair. And in Glenlivet, it is crossed by a tolerable county road leading from Dufftown to Tamintoul. The two principal heritors joined, some years ago, in making [139] a good road, each carrying it on, upon his own property, leading by the east side of Aven to Glenlivet and Kirkmichael, which has proved of the utmost advantage in opening up the communication with these places. There are also a pretty good road, some miles up the Aven on the west side, and a couple of similar branch ones from the toll-road towards the Spey; but, with the exception of the approaches to Ballindalloch and the church, there is scarcely another mile of good or even passable road in the parish.

Bridges, &c.

The number of bridges in the parish is but small, compared to its extent and its wants. The old one over the Livet at upper Downan, mentioned in the former report, having been almost destroyed by the flood of 1829, a fine new arch was built, last year, on a more eligible site some hundred yards farther down the stream; and the one at Tomnavoulen, about three miles higher up, which was also so much destroyed by the flood of 1829 as to be of no use except for foot-passengers, has recently undergone repair.

On the Ballindalloch portion of the new Avenside road, there is a very handsome arch over the rapid burn of Tommore. The only other bridge of any consequence is that at Craig-Achrochcan over the Aven, mentioned in the former report. Neither of the two latter received any injury from the great floods of 1829. On the Spey, there is no bridge on either hand, nearer than those at Grantown and Craigellachie, which are about twenty-four miles asunder; nor is there any good ford either in this or the neighbouring parish of Koockando, the best being that at Balnellan, which is very deep.
Besides several private, there are two public boats, one at Blacks-boat, and the other at Balnellan, immediately above the mouth of the Aven. No public coaches pass through, or are in any way connected with the parish. One was tried some years ago, from Keith to Grantown, but it did not succeed.

The mails are carried daily from Keith and Craigellachie to Bridge of Aven, where there is a regular post-office, called Ballindalloch, with a subsidiary one at Drumin; from whence, there is a runner three times a week to Tomintoul. Letters to Grantown are sent by Keith, where they lie from ten to twelve hours, and are carried upwards of seventy miles, to save the paltry expense of a direct post for fourteen miles.

Ecclesiastical State

Previous to the Reformation, Inveraven was a parsonage dedicated to St Peter, and the seat of the Chancellor of the diocese, having the vicarages of Knockando and Urquhart [140] in Inverness-shire dependent on it.

The church, which was built in 1806, is in good repair, but very inconveniently situated on the Spey boundaries of the parish. Intended for the accommodation of the Protestants in Glenlivet, as well as the ordinary congregation at the communion, it is seated for 550, and may contain about 600, being only about 150 less than the whole population of the parish church district. A good many seats being in consequence empty, on ordinary occasions, strangers may be led to suppose that the people frequent other places of worship; but this is by no means the case, there being scarcely ten in the lower district who are not in the habit of attending the parish church.

There is no chapel of ease in the parish, but a mission on the Royal bounty has been in operation in Glenlivet for upwards of 100 years. At Achbreck, a distance of about nine miles, there is a substantial but rather confined chapel, rebuilt in 1825, at the joint expense of the heritors and the people, where the missionary usually preaches; but once in six weeks, he goes to Achnara, in the Braes, to officiate on Sundays.
In the parish church, the seats which are undivided, are all free. In the chapel at Achbreek, a very few seats are let, by such as have more room than their families require; but the great proportion there are free also. In accordance with the practice in the presbytery, the people in the church district and the Protestants in Glenlivet, are cathechised twice a year, once in summer, preparatory to the communion, and again in autumn or spring. At the parish church, there are 237 communicants, at Achbreck also 237. Since the grant was obtained, for dispensing the sacrament of the Lord's supper at Achbreck, the Protestants in Glenlivet have given up attending that ordinance in the parish church.

In Glenlivet, where about three-fifths of the people are of the Roman Catholic persuasion, there are two Roman Catholic chapels, the one at Tombia, pretty far up the glen, the other at Chapelton, in the Braes of Glenlivet. The former is a large building capable of containing from 800 to 1000 persons, but only partly finished: the latter contains about 300.

The manse, which was built in 1775, received a handsome and commodious addition in 1834, and is now one of the best in the country. It is situated within a few yards of the church. The glebe consists of only about 4 acres of arable land, and pasture gross scarcely sufficient for the summer keep of one cow. The stipend [141] was modified in 1821 at 15 chalders; and there are still about £100 Sterling of free teind. The itinerant preacher in Glenlivet has £60 a-year, and £5 for furnishing communion elements; and, besides an allowance for peats, he has a small farm on the Gordon estate, rent free, in lieu of a croft, with the privilege of a range of hill pasture for sheep.

The Roman Catholic priests are chiefly supported by their hearers; both possess farms at moderate rents, and the one officiating at Chapelton has £20 a-year, from funds provided by the Abbé McPherson. Bishop Kyle, who resides at Pressholm, in the parish of Rathven, is the .Roman Catholic bishop of the district,

Schools

The only school in the church district, is the parish school, where the average attendance of scholars is, in summer, 44, and in winter, 53. In Glenlivet, there are 4 Protestant schools; 3 of them male and one female; and 3 Roman Catholic schools, 1 male and 2 female. The Roman Catholic seminary or college there, mentioned in the former report, was moved in 1799 to Achertes, near Aberdeen.

Of the male Protestant teachers, one has a salary from the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, another from the General Assembly's Committee for Highland Schools, and the third a small one of £5 from the Gordon estate, and from the same quarter the Protestant female teacher has £5 a-year, in addition to a similar sum allowed by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. The Roman Catholic male, and one of the female teachers have each £10 a-year from funds provided by the Abbé McPherson; the other has also a small salary. The General Assembly's and Society's teachers have houses and gardens; and, with the exception of the female one, are also provided with peats, by the inhabitants of the district in which they labour, or are allowed an equivalent. The parochial schoolmaster has a good house and garden, and besides his fees, which may average about £11 a year, and the emoluments of the session clerkship, he has a salary of £28:17s:5d., and a share of the Dick bequest.

Some few parishioners may still be found who are unable to read and write, but their number is gradually decreasing. The schools are well attended, and the people are fully alive to the benefits of education, and ready to avail themselves of the means of it, which are now fortunately within their reach: only a female school is much wanted in the parish church district. At the Protestant schools in Glenlivet, a number of Roman children are in attendance who read the Bible, and are engaged promiscuously with [142] the Protestant children in all the other exercises of the school, with the exception of committing to memory the Assembly's Shorter Catechism and the Protestant version of the Psalms.

Poor

The Protestant poor manifest no undue desire to become a burden on the funds; nor do they consider it a degradation to receive aid from them, when standing in need of it. The number on the roll is 40, and each, on the average for the year, receives in quarterly instalments about 17s. The fund for their relief (which received an accession some years ago by a bequest of £50, made by Sir William Grant of Bildornie, who for many years held the high appointment of Master of the Rolls) arises chiefly from collections at the church and Protestant chapel, and the interest of a small sum laid out at interest. The Roman Catholic poor, who only receive a share of any extraordinary gift to the funds of the parish, may be said to be supported by those of their own persuasion, who make collections for them at their chapels.

Fairs

There are four fairs held within the parish, a little to the east of the church, in the course of the year, for the sale of cattle, horses, grain, &c. and where engagements are entered into betwixt the farmers and their servants, for the harvest and half year.

Inns, &c,

In the parish church district, there are only two public-houses, one of them an excellent inn. In Glenlivet there are no fewer than nine public-houses, a number quite disproportioned to the district, for which four or live would be quite sufficient.

Fuel

Moss, as may naturally be supposed, is to be met with, in all parts of the parish. Towards the mountains, it is in general black, and of excellent quality for fuel; but in the lower and river side parts of the country, it is much exhausted, or of such bad quality, that some of the more opulent give a preference, except for the kitchen, to English coals driven from Garmouth, a distance to some of more than thirty miles.

General Observations.

The parish, within the last forty years, has undergone a very great change, in respect to the improving and planting of waste ground, and the state of roads, bridges, agriculture and buildings; but, by far the most important change is that which has taken place in the habits of the people, since the suppression of smuggling. The improvements which seem, at present, to be most wanted, are better marches, and greater encouragement for farmers to enclose by means of dikes and ditches, as well as for crofters to settle on the moors, in order to check the tide of emigration; bridges over [143] the Tervay, Crombie, and smaller streams; cross roads in all directions, and a main one from Tomnavoulen to Achnara, round the country called Braes of Glenlivet (which is utterly destitute of roads) with a branch from Tomalinan to Tamintoul, and another, if practicable, to Glenbucket or Strathdon, the present thoroughfare to the latter being only a pass so steep as to have obtained the very appropriate name of the Ladder. The much-talked-of line of road (which is nearly complete in this parish) from Perth to Elgin and Forres, with a bridge over the Spey at Tomdow, would also be highly beneficial to the parish.

But the improvement which, above all others, is most to be desired is the erection of a parish in the country of Glenlivet, which would be felt as a mighty boon by the Protestants, and which could not fail to be of great benefit to all the people. The conflicting nature of religious profession there is an evil whose consequences are deeply felt; and dram drinking and illegitimate births, though both considerably on the decrease, are still too frequent. Yet, with the machinery of a parish under the guidance of a faithful and judicious clergyman, in the full enjoyment of the status and emoluments of a parish minister, it might be hoped that, under the Divine blessing, the whole inhabitants of Glenlivet, disposed as they are readily to avail themselves of the means of religious and moral instruction which they enjoy, would gradually be improved; and that this beautiful and sequestered country would ere long become, what nature seems to have intended it to be, the enviable abode of religion, of happiness, and of virtue.

August 1836.