At last! Our first summer outing since July 2019! On the 9th June we held our first public summer visit of 2021 to the Menzies Mausoleum in the Old Kirk of Weem and to the Walled Gardens at Castle Menzies which includes the upper Archibald Menzies Garden.  12 members made up the party, which was limited in size due to Covid restrictions. 

Clare Thomas gave a splendid introduction to the Mausoleum which we then explored.

The party then went up to Walled Garden at Castle Menzies to learn from Fran Gillespie about its establishment and the way in which it has changed over the years.

How lovely it would be to have the garden restored to its former glory! 

Overall, the visit to the Menzies Mausoleum and the Castle Menzies Garden was very successful particularly as many of the participants were new members.  The offer of refreshments afterwards in the castle Tea Room with coffee and cake meant that our new members then had a chance to chat to others, form links and get to know each other. That was made easier by it being only a small group.

Now read on for further historical information on both the Old Kirk of Weem and the Castle Menzies Walled Garden.

Old Kirk of Weem – Menzies Mausoleum

According to tradition, the first church at Weem was established by St. Cuthbert around the year AD 650. Cuthbert founded an oratory and cistern at Chapel Rock (the Rock of Weem) above the village. The site was restored by Sir David Menzies around 1440 when he retired to live as a hermit there. The site was later renamed St. David’s Well after Sir David.

The first mention of Weem as a Parish is in Boiamund’s Taxatio, preserved in the Vatican. In this record, popularly known as Bagimont’s Roll, is set out a list of parishes and tithes collected from them in 1275 and 1276 by Boiamund de Vicci, Nuncio, sent out by the Pope to gather funds for the relief of the Holy Land. Listed is ‘Ecclesia de Weem, 30 sols’, giving revenue of ‘15 lib‘.

The church was under the patronage of the Earls of Atholl until 1464.

The early medieval building was replaced by the present building around 1488 by Sir Robert Menzies, the 8th Chief of Clan Menzies. An alternate version of events suggests that the church was built by John Menzies, the Clan Chief, after he was granted the Barony of Weem in 1451.  Menzies family members were buried at Weem church from at least the 15th century.

The church was altered in 1609 and again in the 18th century. Given its links to St Cuthbert it is not surprising that the kirk was originally dedicated to him, but it was later referred to as St. David’s Church after Sir David Menzies (though he was never canonised). Neither dedication is used today and the church is simply referred to as the Old Kirk of Weem.

The Menzies Mausoleum at Weem was originally a simple rectangular stone church, probably thatched and dating to the late 15th century.  Features of interest include the aumbries set into the wall with carvings above each, probably intended to hold holy water. In the post reformation period, the altar and chancel screen were removed and a pulpit then became the focus of the worshippers’ attention.  Many structural alterations have taken place over the succeeding centuries, including raising the height of the roof and adding a gallery, now demolished.

No longer in use as a church, the building houses a varied array of tombs and memorials of members of the Menzies clan, among which the most spectacular is the elaborately carved Menzies Monument, erected in 1616 by Sir Alexander Menzies as a tribute to his female ancestors.

Also of note is a large painted hatchment facing the visitors as they enter, with paper tears pinned to the edging, commemorating the sad death in 1845 of Caroline Elizabeth Menzies aged only 15.  

Tommy Pringle hosted a video tour of the Mausoleum in 2020, and you can view it here: https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aphsr_SIsNYEhNJ7gukidNE-DkVQ_A?e=Ah8a5f

Castle Menzies Walled Garden

Almost nothing is known about the earliest gardens at Castle Menzies, parts of which date to the 15th century.  The first map that includes the castle and garden was drawn by Timothy Pont in 1595.  

The garden was attached to the east side of the castle and shows four rectangles divided by paths, trees and walls, with woods and orchards to the north and west.  

After that there is no evidence until the early 1700s when receipts for gardening equipment and staff wages appear in the archives.  A receipt dated 1735 is for an extensive list of 45 different vegetable seeds and two ‘English’ spades.  But it is not known where this large vegetable garden stood except that it was probably still attached to or near the east wall of the castle.  In the second half of the 18th century, kitchen gardens tended to be moved away from dwellings at least in part because of the smell of the fresh manure used to create the heat required for melons and cucumbers.  

The first walled garden is referred to in a letter written in 1790, the drainage ditches which surrounded it are still visible in the field to the east of the castle, and part of its east wall still survive.  The noted plant hunter Archibald Menzies [1754-1842] worked along with two of his brothers in the castle gardens, where his father James was head gardener; it’s possible that this is the garden he knew.  

The present walled garden is mentioned in a letter of 1838, with its south wall being the north wall of the earlier walled garden. It consists of three levels on a steep slope, connected by stone stairways and divided by high walls, and the topmost tier is dedicated to the memory of Archibald Menzies (the Archibald Menzies Garden) and contains several trees discovered by him.  A fine mature example of one of his most famous discoveries, the Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), stands just outside the western wall of the gardens.

More information, including recent attempts to reclaim and improve the gardens, can be found in the following websites:

• Castle Menzies:  https://www.castlemenzies.org/gardens-full/
• Clan Menzies:  https://clanmenzies.org/castle-menzies/garden/

There are continuing discussions regarding the possibilities for its future care and development.

Left to right:

Sandy McGregor, (lived in the South Lodge); Archie McNaughton (Dull); Bobbie Connell, (lived at the Middle Lodge with his father who was the Lodge Keeper); Jimmie Campbell, (lived latterly at Dull); Next one – unidentified; Sandy McIntosh, of Milton; Aldrid ?, the Head Gardener.

Lesley Whitwood, Fran Gillespie, Ian Stewart and Tommy Pringle contributed to the above text and photographs.